Car Air Conditioner

Air Conditioner is an integral part of any car really taking care of the comfort of the passengers. Proper functioning of air conditioner is definitely a thing of importance for the comfort of the occupants of the car. While driving in hot and humid weather, an efficient air conditioner is must. If the AC is not functioning properly, riding the car would be tough, no matter what other accoutrements in it are.

A properly functioning air conditioner works due to following factors:

Air or moisture Contamination
This is the most common cause of car A/C malfunctioning. The A/C must not be contaminated with air or moisture. If it is, it would not be able to work efficiently. Air reduces the cooling efficiency of the system while moisture can freeze and form ice that causes blockages in several parts of the system. Air and moisture contamination may be the result of unattended leaks in the system, or failing to vacuum purge the system prior to recharging it with refrigerant. Care must be taken to free the A/C for any kind of moisture on regular intervals.

Mechanical Problem
This kind of problem includes metering a compressor clutch that fails to engage, bad pressure switches, valve failures, compressor wear and tear, etc. Pinpointing the problem will require the skills of a competent air conditioner technician. If you guess that your car A/C has developed any kind of these mechanical problems, get it examined by a skilled technician.

Dirt in Condenser
The heat exchanger mounted in front of the radiator is called condenser. It cools the high-pressure refrigerant vapor after it exits the compressor. If leaves, bugs and road debris fill the condenser, airflow through the unit may be blocked to the extent when there would be little or no cooling. Cleaning the condenser would cure the problem. So get your condenser properly cleaned before going on a long journey.

Low Refrigerant
Any air conditioner needs a certain amount of refrigerant to cool properly. If low, it works not so efficiently and does not cool well. So you must make sure that the needed amount of refrigerant is present in the A/C.

Blockages
The orifice tube or metering valve that admits refrigerant into the evaporator could be blocked by rust or debris. If the tube is obstructed, the flow of refrigerant may be restricted or blocked causing a loss of cooling. It could also damage as well in systems that rely on oil circulating with the refrigerant for lubrication. Ensure that these kind of blockages are not in your system.