Category: airconditioner

In your vehicle, the automotive air conditioning compressor has the simple task of moving gas between the condenser and the evaporator. However, it is often considered to be the heart of the system and if this belt-driven piece of equipment fails to do its job, the entire system quits functioning as designed.

The automotive air conditioning compressor is typically attached to the engine of your vehicle and is belt driven. One of the primary causes of a failed automotive air conditioning compressor is a loose or broken belt as a loose belt may not operate the compressor properly causing lowered pressure in the system and the gas is not transferred to the system s other components efficiently. Similar to the air conditioner in your home or office, the vehicle s system has three main components, the automotive air conditioning compressor, a condenser and an evaporator.

The vehicles closed system contains Freon gas and the automotive air conditioning compressor pressurizes the gas, which converts it to hot, high-pressure gas and forces it into the condenser, which looks similar to the radiator in your car, to dissipate the heat condensing the hot, pressurized gas into a liquid. As it is forced through an expansion valve it evaporates into cold, low-pressure Freon gas.

Air Exchanged Inside The Vehicle

The cold gas, typically around 32-degrees, then is passed through coils in the evaporator inside the vehicle. A fan blowing across the coils sends the chilled air into the vehicle and the gas absorbs heat from inside and sends it back through the automotive air conditioning compressor to start the cycle all over again. Small leaks can cause the unintended escape of gas, which will also cause the system to work inefficiently.

Many times when the vehicle s air conditioner is in use, there will be water dripping from the condenser s drain visible under the vehicle, which is perfectly normal. The window air conditioning units in the house will also allow condensed water to drip to the ground and is a natural part of the unit s operation.

Similar to the home units, if an automotive air conditioning compressor is operated when outside temperatures are below about 60-dedgrees, ice can build up on the coils, which renders the units ability to cool the inside air ineffective. Simply turning the unit off until the ice melts will restore its function. The gas running through the automotive air conditioning compressor usually has a small amount of oil included to help maintain proper lubrication inside the compressor.

On a hot summer afternoon, you have probably come to take the flow of cool air coming from the vents in your car for granted. However, automotive air conditioning was not always a standard addition for a car. In fact, it wasn t until the 1940 s that automotive air conditioning was invented and added to cars.

Since then, many improvements and features have been added to automotive air conditioning to make it function better. However, this means that repairing automotive air conditioning is more complicated, and you are less likely to be able to do this difficult task without the assistance of a professional. However, if you understand a little bit about how automotive air conditioning works and what parts it is made up of, then perhaps you might be able to attempt this daring feat yourself.

The Seven Standard Parts of Automotive Air Conditioning

There are seven basic parts that you might encounter in your automotive air conditioning system. These parts are: the compressor, the condenser, the evaporator, the orifice tube, the thermal expansion valve, the receiver-drier, and the accumulator.

The compressor, or the heart of the system, is a pump that is attached to the engine. Its purpose is to compress and transfer refrigerant gas. The compressor has both an intake and a discharge side.

The condenser functions very much like the radiator and will often times have a similar appearance. The purpose of the condenser is to radiate heat, which means that anytime the automotive air conditioning is being operated, the condenser must have good air flow.

The evaporator is the part of the automotive air conditioning system that absorbs heat. Besides getting rid of heat from inside your vehicle, it is also responsible for dehumidifying the car. In order to regulate the temperature of the evaporator, pressure regulating devices have been introduced.

One of these pressure regulating devices is the orifice tube. The orifice tube is the most commonly used pressure regulating device. An alternative pressure regulating device is the thermal expansion valve.

The receiver-drier is used in automotive air conditioning systems that use thermal expansion valves to ensure that this specific pressure regulating device receives the liquid refrigerant that it needs in order to function. In order to do so, it must separate gas and liquid.

The accumulator is used only on automotive air conditioning systems that have the orifice tube as the pressure regulating device, and its primary function is to store extra liquid refrigerant. In doing so, it prevents any liquid from entering the compressor, which could do serious damage to the system.

Like A Pro

Despite the many advancements that have been made in the automotive field since the introduction of automotive air conditioning, you can still maintain your own system. All you need to do is learn a little about it first!