Your mechanic may bring up recharging your air conditioning with you if they notice your AC isn’t cooling your car properly. Your car may need that AC recharge if it is low on refrigerant, used by air conditioners to maintain cooling and pressure. A fresh batch of refrigerant, or Freon if your car needs it, will help your air conditioning system keep cool.
When you get your AC recharged your auto repairer will fill up your air conditioning system with a fresh batch of refrigerant to go along with any repairs your AC may have needed, and test your system to ensure your AC is cooling thoroughly. Typically your car shouldn’t need an AC recharge unless you’ve had other repairs to your AC system, but your mechanic will suggest a AC recharge to you if they feel your AC could use one.
Read Our Article: Car AC Not Blowing Cold Air: 12 Causes & Solutions
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Your AC not blowing cold air on a sweltering day can feel unbearable. Hot air blowing through your vents could signal a minor or major issue. You could have a leak, clogged filter, cooling fan problem or some other issue. By knowing all of the reasons, you can better explain them to a mechanic or even solve them yourself.
Understand the Air Conditioning System
AC systems all run the same way, no matter the make and model of your car. Some systems may be more complex than others, but the basics are the same. The three main parts of the AC system are the compressor, condenser, and the evaporator.
\Refrigerant is the high-pressure gas that is compressed into a fluid. Your car’s condenser removes the heat from the fluid using a series of tubes. A dryer or receiver removes excess water to avoid ice forming inside the car. Refrigerants are exposed to the heat [...]
Traveling in a car with no air conditioning
How to avoid overheating in summer
Sometimes it happens that you have to go on a trip in the hot season, and your car has no air conditioning or it is broken. What shall you do then? First of all, do not cancel your trip. Air conditioning may get broken in the middle of nowhere. You never know. Moreover, sometimes you cannot repair it as quickly as possible.
Air conditioning is one of those modern marvels most of us have grown used to by now—perhaps too used to. Believe it or not, people survived in the days before reliable, widely-available aircon, and you can, too. Here’s our guide on how to embrace the sweaty life without dying.
When the weather [...]
Top 3 Summertime Car Troubles
Salt In The Air, Sand In My Hair But I Can't Go Anywhere
Each changing of the season creates new stressors that can affect the performance of your automobile. Having automotive problems can make you second guess taking that road trip or even a visit to the local swimming hole. What many Portland, Oregon, and Idaho, drivers do is schedule a service appointment at Mac’s Radiator & Automotive Service.
When you schedule any kind of service at Mac’s, they let you know, as a courtesy, if there are any other weak spots in your vehicle that need attention before a failure. Often times, drivers forget to change fluids, fail to top off fluids, or have premature wear in spots that they can’t see. When it comes to summertime problems, it is common for drivers to experience weak batteries, transmission problems, engine stalling, A/C system failures, and overheating.
If the air conditioner in your vehicle doesn’t keep you cool anymore, you might be in for an uncomfortable ride even on a relatively mild day. Unfortunately, the problem might not stop there. Some air conditioners can malfunction in such a way that they blow out hot air. There are a few possible solutions to this issue, and it might be a good idea to schedule an appointment with a qualified professional to get your car in working order once again.
Our guide will take you through the two most common types of problems car air conditioners exhibit, what the symptoms of these problems are, and some tips that might help you.
The Air Conditioner is Blowing Hot AirIf your air conditioner seems to be working but not blowing cold air or seems to be weak, a leak in the refrigerant, a problem [...]
On some GM applications the high side service port is located past the condenser and before the orifice tube on the liquid line. This makes diagnosing by gauges deceiving. Usually, the high side port is found before the condenser. With the port in front of the condenser, it gives you a more accurate understanding of what the pressure truly is going into the condenser. With the high side after the condenser, you could show a pressure reading that is false, because the condenser could be partially blocked. Therefore, the only reading you are getting is what is exiting the condenser.
The correct way to diagnosis this type of system, with the service ports so close together, is through temperature testing:
- Check the temperature at the inlet and outlet of the condenser. *An acceptable temperature differential is 30°-50°F .
- A low [...]
Car giving you the summer time blues? From AC vs. rolling the windows down to keeping your pet safe, here are answers to your summer driving questions.
Like most people, chances are good that when summer time rolls around, you’re ready to get in the car and go. From a day trip to the beach to a weekend getaway, summer is all about traveling and having fun. With the snow gone and heavy spring rains in the past, you probably think nothing of getting in the car and taking off. But what you might not know is that the heat can be just as tough on your car as driving in winter. From keeping an eye on the coolant fluid to cooling off a parked car, here are some tips for safe and comfortable summer time driving.
![Car Summer [...]</p><div class=](https://macsradiator.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/car-summer-tips-ac-cooling-1.jpg)
Oil is an important part of the A/C system. Refrigerant charged oil circulates through the system while keeping 60-70% of the oil in the compressor at all times. This provides adequate lubrication to reduce friction (heat) and wear (metal particles that will cause premature compressor failure and clog condenser passages). When doing a compressor job, it is always advisable when removing the old compressor to drain the oil to see what sort of condition the system is in, and to see how much oil is inside the compressor. This will also help to determine if there is any oil left in the system or if the compressor failure was due to low refrigerant oil.
Never assume a compressor comes with correct amount of oil in it.
Safety First
Always Use Eye Protection!
- A/C system refrigerant must be completely recovered using approved equipment in accordance with local, state, and federal laws.
- Disconnect all hoses from components to be flushed. Remove the orifice tube which is located in the liquid line or at the condenser or evaporator, or the expansion valve.
- Remove the cap. Add gpd flush 8011256 (or equivalent) to cylinder. Replace the cap. All flush cylinder connections must be tight.
- Never Flush the A/C compressor, the orifice tube, the expansion valve, the accumulator, or the receiver drier
- It is generally advisable to first “back-flush”, flushing from outlet to inlet on condensers and evaporators, to dislodge debris. Then flush the component from inlet to outlet.
- To prevent spraying of flush, oil, and other debris, attach a hose or optional flush capture hose to the exit end of the component to be flushed. Place the [...]
