It’s everyone’s worst summer nightmare. It’s a scorching hot July day, and you’ve got errands to run. You sprint across the pavement that’s hotter than the Sahara and collapse into your car, firing the ignition and cranking the A/C up to 11. You slump down and wait for the cool breeze to envelop you.
It’s warm. You crank the dial around and open and close the fans, but your car is wafting the California heat into your car, while you melt faster than an ice cream cone. Your AC is fried. Your mind is racing. Why is this happening?
Fortunately, we can answer why. Let’s go through four main reasons your AC is blowing, but it doesn’t feel like it’s cool enough.
1. Your Refrigerant Is Low Or Leaking
A potential culprit is that your car is low on refrigerant. In car air conditioning systems, your refrigerant is converted from a liquid to a gas, which pulls heat from the air and leaves your car comfortably cool. Without this refrigerant, your car will simply be circulating warm air in circles, and you’ll be panting in your car.
In the hot summer months, it’s easy to burn through refrigerant. If you’re low on refrigerant, you’ll be wanting to get that refilled. However, it’s possible that a lack of refrigerant isn’t your problem. If there’s a leak in your tubing from refrigerant, the refrigerant may never be cycling through the air conditioning system, hence the warm air buffeting you in the face. If either of these are the case, you’ll want to be taking your car in to either have your refrigerant refilled or to have your tubing fixed.
2. Your Compressor Isn’t Working
Your compressor is what actually pumps the refrigerant through the system that generates cold air to fill your car. Simply put, if your compressor isn’t working, refrigerant will never be pumped, and your car is still left steaming hot. More often than not, this would be due to faulty wiring or a capacitor that’s busted. Alternatively, if your compressor has a faulty valve, your refrigerant won’t be able to be pumped through the compressor.
In a worst case scenario, your compressor might be completely dead. If this is the case, you will either need to replace the entire compressor, or the air conditioning system as a whole. While not ideal, it certainly feels better than being in a sweltering car on a hundred degree day.
3. Your Condenser is Failing
A third option is that your condenser is failing. The condenser is responsible for helping remove heat from the air as it is moved through your A/C system. Two options of failure for your condenser will be that it is clogged or leaking.
If your condenser is clogged, air will flow, but it won’t actually be chilled. Clogging can result from a buildup of debris or dirt from use over time. The same result will come about if your condenser is leaking. A condenser can start to leak for a variety of reasons: damage from an accident or even just from age. If your condenser is leaking, your refrigerant will be leaking out of the system, rendering your air conditioning useless.
4. Your AC Clutch Isn’t Firing
A final potential problem of your AC issues is that your AC clutch isn’t firing. The AC clutch is used in this system to power on the compressor in this cycle. If the clutch isn’t reliably firing, then the compressor won’t be able to push the refrigerant through your A/C system. Your clutch might not be firing for a variety of reasons, such as a blown fuse or a poor connection. Neither of these are severe faults, and can be easily diagnosed by a professional mechanic.
Trust the Experts
Thankfully, our fantastic mechanics at Escondido German Auto are more than able to help. At Escondido German Auto, we’re able to service your Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Porsche, Sprinter, or Volkswagen. Thanks to this, you can be cruising in your BMW through Escondido in style, comfort, and most importantly, the cold.
Escondido German Auto is committed to supplying car owners in Escondido, Rancho Bernardo, Valley Center, CA, with prompt and reliable service, getting your car up and running in no time. For your next trip, why not check in and make sure your A/C will be functioning before hand? Escondido German Auto offers preventative maintenance for situations from a faulty AC to engine rebuilding. Give a call to Escondido German Auto and get your AC fixed up and running, and keep your summers cool.