Troubleshooting a Car Air Conditioner That Won't Turn On

Troubleshooting a car air conditioner is an important part of knowing your car. There are specific parts of the air conditioner system that are good to know during the process of troubleshooting. First, there is the compressor that pumps the Freon (a gas and liquid combination) through the a/c system. The Freon goes through expansion valves where the gas/liquid combination expands or contracts based on how much air conditioning is needed. The cold Freon then goes through an evaporating core where the cold air it creates is released into the car creating air conditioning. The Freon not only helps create the cool air, but it also aids in retracting the hot air in the car.

Decreased Airflow across Condenser

Make sure that the fan unit is working when the a/c is turned on. If you do not hear a motor running when the a/c is turned on, that could mean the fan is burnt out, or that the motor is dying out. Pay attention for signs of decreased airflow since it could have effects on the fan as well as the motor.

Overheating

It is common, on especially hot days, for the air conditioning unit in a car to overheat due to the a/c unit’s excessive amount of work. There are typically two units of cooling in every car. There is the air conditioning condenser cooling system and the radiator cooling system. Although one is specific to the a/c unit, the car itself can overheat when it is worked too hard. Check both, to make sure that one has not interfered with the other. On hot days, both cooling systems tend to work, making it more likely for the a/c cooling system to overheat and burn out. These are detectable by running the car and listening for off beat sounds and by taking a closer look at each unit.

Low Freon Levels

If there is nothing truly detectable when you are troubleshooting your air conditioner, it is likely that the Freon levels in the a/c unit are low. Freon levels can decrease if the car has gone through all of the available Freon, or if the compressor is not regulating it as it should. It is hard to detect when Freon levels are off. This is the usually the answer to poorly functioning a/c units that have undetectable causes. The way to get this fixed is to bring the car in to a mechanic. Although car air conditioning units commonly break down due to Freon levels, it is a wise choice to bring in your car for Freon check ups to make sure the Freon levels are regulated. It may be some extra money that you don’t want to spend, but in the long run, it pays to spend a little for upkeep rather than spending a lot on repairing a preventable problem.