Why is My Car Air Conditioner Not Blowing Cold Air?

car air conditioner repair

Keeping cool on the road

The summers can get warm in Venice, Florida, so having a working car air conditioner is nice on the way home after a long day at work. Until it quits working anyway. This is when we realize how valuable car ac repair service can be!  What is car air conditioning service?

With regular maintenance routine on your car AC, repairs will be kept at bay and the  system will keep working all summer. If your car air conditioner hasn’t been checked in a while, or it isn’t blowing as cold as it should, it may be time to schedule a car AC repair appointment. What takes place with a car ac repair and service? Let’s review the parts of your car air conditioner first. There are 5 key parts to a car air conditioning system along with hoses and charging ports for the refrigerant. Those key parts are:

  • Compressor
  • Condenser
  • Evaporator
  • Orifice tube 
  • Receiver dryer 

The most typical problem that most car AC repair technicians are faced with are: 

  • Coolant: Many cars with air conditioner not working is because the car needs coolant. The car AC repair technician will top it off or replace it completely. The coolant is exposed to extreme engine and road heat, dirt, road debris, quick stopping, and vibrations. The coolant will evaporate eventually.
  • Compressor: The car AC repair technician will check for clogs and  leaks with the compressor. Clogged and leaking compressors can’t build up a pressure high enough to cool the refrigerant. 
  • Cooling fan: This will be inspected the replaced if needed. After a lot of use, a cooling fan can burn out, the blades get chipped, a fuse blows, or a relay gets burned. If the fan was poorly installed, or has come loose, a car AC repair technician will repair if possible or suggest a replacement. 
  • Electrical:  An electrical problem can be caused by faulty signals being sent that don’t let the air conditioner cool. This can be a bad module, bad sensors, or a  broken wire.

Why did my car AC stop blowing air?

If there isn’t any air coming through your car’s ventilation system, it doesn’t mean the air conditioning is broken. It may be the fan. The majority of cars on the road today have one multi-speed fan and it blows air through several ducts and vents that are selected by the driver. 

These different speeds are determined using the climate control system that consists of a small computer module. The fan switch sends signals to the computer module that tells the blower module when to activate the fan. A car AC repair technician will often determine that the fan is burned out and quit working or only works on one speed (usually the lowest or the highest). 

 An air conditioning technician may also find that the resistors themselves are burned out. This is an easy and fast car AC repair. Most cars that is two screws and disconnect the electrical connection. 

However, not all cars are the exact same, which is why taking your car in for professional car AC repair service is recommended.  Car AC repair technician has been trained with car ac repair how to make the repairs and has the proper car ac repair tools to do the job correctly, as well as recharge the system with freon. 

What does it mean when your car AC blows hot air?

If your car air condition is blowing warm air, it could be one of the following issues: 

  • REFRIGERANT LEAK: Most car AC repair needs are because the refrigerant (freon) has leaked. A trained air conditioning technician will check for leaks and if they can be repaired or if the unit needs to be repaired. 
  • FAULTY CONDENSER: The air conditioning system in a car pulls heat and humidity out of the car and is absorbed by the refrigerant. The condenser keeps the refrigerant cool and the cycle continues. If the condenser isn’t working, the entire car air condition process stops working. 
  • BROKEN COMPRESSOR: A car’s air conditioner main component is the compressor. It is what circulates the refrigerant so if the refrigerant isn’t circulating, the air conditioner isn’t working. 
  • ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: What if all the air conditioning components are working but hot air is still blowing out the vents? Most likely, the car AC repair technician will find a blown fuse or frayed wire.
car ac knob

Why does my car AC stop working after a while?

This is referred to as intermittent cooling and can be caused by any of the components within the air conditioning system. The more typical issue that a car AC repair technician will find is the evaporator is covered in ice. Once the evaporator thaws out and the ice melts, it can work again. Why does an evaporator freeze over? It can be because the cabin air filter is dirty, or it can be the system has been overcharged  with coolant. 

Perhaps the biggest concern is the air conditioner not working. The next biggest concern is when you take go to car AC repair shop. The question is, “How much does it cost to get air conditioning fixed in a car?” Car ac repair cost can vary from car to car and based on the problem the car AC repair technician finds.  The average cost can be as low as $175 and as much as $4,000, all depending on how big of a problem. Minor compressor repairs will be as much as $730 and major compressor repairs as much as $4,000. Call 941-493-6511 today for your car AC repair in Venice, FL.