Common Air Conditioning Problems
A/C failures or lack of cooling can be categorised as the following:
| No Gas | |
| Your air conditioning system is equipped with pressure switch (sensor) which cuts off power to the compressor to protect the unit from running dry and seizing up. Every car requires recharging with refrigerant at least once every 2 years and it doesn’t necessary means that there is a leak in the system, the low refrigerant in the system contributes to low cooling or triggering the pressure switch to shut down the system, nevertheless topping up the system can get the a/c working but a thorough inspection of the system must be carried out at this stage. | |
| Leak | |
| Systems are prone to leakage under specific circumstances such as leaving the a/c switched off for long periods of time specially during the winter times, corrosion in the aluminium pipes and condenser, the 134a gas is corrosive to aluminium and condensers are manufactured from alloy of this metal, ideally the internal tubing of the condenser should be coated with zinc to protect the condenser against adverse effects of this gas, but since the process is expensive then the manufacturer’s disregard this important factor in construction of the condensers and need for replacement becomes necessary, unfortunately the problem is persistent and regular and in most cases. | |
| Component Failure | |
| This comprises of Compressor, pressure switch, Expansion Valve & Auxiliary fan. Compressor failures are mostly attributed to lack of proper a/c servicing and lack of correct Leak management. in this case compressor will not create pressure and suction despite running, or it could be seized totally. | |
| Electric & Electronic component failure | |
| Cars are fitted with more sophisticated electronic control panels giving rise to problematic functioning of the a/c system, Faults of this kind to the unit is not normally repairable and whole unit must be changed at great expense, but the parts associated with this unit are more commonly at fault and not the control panel itself. some of these components can be listed as interior and exterior temperature sensors, fault within these parts is only traceable using our electronic fault diagnostic machines. | |
| Over Charging Problems | |
| In many cases we have received vehicles from other garages who have charged the systems but could not understand why the system failed to cool, they complained that the compressor keeps clicking on and off, and had diagnosed the problem as Compressor failure, where the problem was initially created by themselves. On one occasion we recovered 1500 grams of gas from a vehicle where it should have been charged to 650 grams, this caused extreme pressures in the system and auxiliary fan could not cope with such high pressures and therefore, the pressure switch switched off the compressor to protect it, the short period that compressor was off, the system pressures had the chance drop sufficiently to switch the compressor back on again, and the cycle continued. If at this stage the gas was not brought back to the recommended level, then the compressor would have seized in time because of overcharging. We ensure that once your vehicle is charged and before leaving the garage, the A/C system is functioning to your satisfaction. | |
| Air Conditioning Smell | |
| Smell inside the vehicle? The problem lies inside the heater box situated behind the dashboard, this part of vehicle houses the heater matrix (radiator), air conditioning matrix, flaps and other related items providing services such as heating, cooling and mixing of hot and cold, the environment inside this box is humid due to presence of heat, cold and condensation water generated from the a/c matrix, this environment like a tropical jungle provides the perfect place for pollen and other impurities entering it from outside atmosphere to grow and cause foul smell inside the vehicle, not only the smell is unpleasant it is also unhealthy to breath specially for those who suffer from asthmatic conditions. The pollen filter in the cabin provides some protection but still lets through some impurities specially when the a/c is on re-circulation mood and the windows are lowered down. Fortunately, chemicals to address this problem are available but they need to be injected into the heater box to wash and clean the interior of the heater box. This procedure requires experience and care to achieve the perfect results, but at the same time, a change of pollen filter on regular intervals will help the situation. Next time that your carbon filter is changed, ask your mechanic to save it for you, by examining the contents inside the pollen filter you will realise the variety of impurities in the atmosphere that enters your cabin. If you’re experiencing Air Conditioning problems, please call us on 01329 286128, chat to us in messenger or call in alternatively you can complete a contact form and we will get back to you ASAP. |
