7-10-2015
So you have
turned on your car’s air conditioning and the air that comes out is not cold.
If you don’t feel any air coming out of the vents, but hear the fan, the fresh
air intake filter (more commonly called the cabin filter.) may be restricted or
partially blocked. If you park near a tree or park outside, there could be a
rodent of some kind who has made a comfy little home for themselves in your
vents. If that is the case, the nest can be removed and the filter replaced.
The vents can even be sanitized if needed.
What if you
have air out of the vents, but it is not cold? There could be any of a number
of things going on. There could be a blown fuse or relay, there could be a leak
in the system, there could be a bad component or the system may simply need to
be recharged. It could even be a broken drive belt. The system will seep tiny amounts of
refrigerant over time, very slow leaks are not that uncommon. There are a
couple of types of refrigerants that are common. They have often been called
Freon. There are new ones on the horizon as options are being tested that are
more environmentally sound.
A visual
inspection is performed prior to service to look for obvious problems. If all
looks ok, then the technician will proceed with a recharge. When the system is
being charged (or serviced) it is evacuated and checked for leaks under vacuum.
The amount of Freon removed from the system is checked and documented. If no
vacuum leaks are found, the Freon will be added to specifications and the
system checked for leaks under pressure. The system will be checked to make
sure that it is operating as designed and the vent temperature is documented. This
way you know just how cool you are!
Andy Cotey
is the manager at Hockett & Olsen Automotive and can be reached by email-, hoauto@msn.com Scott Carlson is the owner and can
be reached via email at benchmarkauto@msn.com with any questions or comments.
