Summers in Rowlett, Texas can be brutal. The last thing you want is for your vehicle’s air conditioning to go on the fritz. As a preventative measure, you should have your car’s air conditioning checked at least once every year in the late winter or very early spring. Accelerate Auto Repair located at 5201 Grisham Dr., Rowlett, TX, 75088, will check the heating and air conditioning system for you, including the compressor and hoses. Our ASE Certified technicians will check the pressures of the system to ensure your A/C doesn’t have any refrigerant leaks or mechanical problems.
Auto Air Conditioning Components
Your car’s air conditioning system is made up of several components:
- Air conditioning compressor
- High-pressure hose
- Low-pressure hose
- Accumulator or drier
- The orifice tube (O-Tube) or expansion valve
- Condenser
- Evaporator
The refrigerant constantly runs through the system. Once a mechanic fills the system, usually, with R134A or R1234yf (R12 is no longer used on new vehicles), the compressor compresses the gas into a liquid. When this happens, the refrigerant is very hot. It then goes through the condenser, where it cools down.
The outside air that passes over the condenser’s series of coils cools the liquid. If your vehicle has a drier, the refrigerant then goes through the drier to absorb any moisture in it. It then goes through the expansion valve, which restricts the flow of the refrigerant and turns it from a high-pressure liquid refrigerant to a low-pressure liquid refrigerant.
If your car’s air conditioning system uses an accumulator, you’ll have an orifice tube, which does the same thing as the expansion block. Then the low-pressure liquid goes through the evaporator. As it does, the blower motor pushes the air over the tubes in the evaporator, which are cold, then out into the passenger compartment of your vehicle.
The two systems have a slight difference in that if your vehicle has an accumulator, it is located between the evaporator core and compressor on the low side. The drier is located between the condenser and the expansion block on the high side.
If you sense an issue with your car’s A/C and think that you are in need of air conditioning repair in Rowlett, TX, schedule an appointment with us today!
Auto A/C Repair in Rowlett, TX
Your car’s a/c is made up of many components, so many things can go wrong with the system. It could develop leaks in the hoses or in any of the components, the compressor could fail, the o-tube or expansion block and drier or accumulator could develop a blockage, or the condenser could leak.
The only way to locate leaks is to fill the system with a combination of refrigerant and dye. The auto technician looks for the dye to locate the leak. If you require air conditioning repair, you must also replace the drier or accumulator.
Most technicians highly recommend replacing the orifice tube or expansion block at the same time since they are prone to blockages.
Modern A/C systems are computer-controlled and rely on many electronic components such as fans, relays, and temperature sensors. The control panel itself is a computer that networks with the other computers in the car to get the information it needs to cool the various “zones” in the car. Any of these components can fail, causing your car’s A/C to function improperly. Our technicians are fully capable of diagnosing issues with the control side of your air conditioning.
Vehicle Air Conditioning FAQs
When customers come in for air conditioning repair, they often have many questions. Our staff will try to answer some of them, including questions about auto A/C repair in Rowlett, TX.
Don’t hesitate to stop by Accelerate Auto Repair in Rowlett, TX if you still have questions. A certified air conditioning mechanic or one of our staff will answer all your questions about auto air conditioning repair.
A few of the common signs that the air conditioning and heating system in your vehicle needs A/C service & repair in Rowlett, TX include:
- Blowing hot or warm air
- Weird noises
- Bad or funky odors
- Water leaking on the floorboards
- Fan speed not changing
Several things could cause an air conditioner to not cool in Rowlett, TX, such as:
- Refrigerant leak
- Stuck blend door
- Blocked condenser
- Malfunctioning compressor
- Electrical problems (although this is rare)
The blower could stop working for several reasons, including:
- Blown fuse
- Bad blower fan motor
- Bad blower motor resistor
Loud noises generally come from the blower motor assembly. The squirrel cage could be damaged. It might have debris stuck in it, much like a card stuck in bicycle spokes. Or the motor could be ready to fail.
In some cases, you might hear the air compressor making a grinding noise, though it will most likely not be as loud as a problem with the blower motor since the compressor is under the hood and the blower motor is under the dash.
In most cases, if the dash controls are not working:
- The control module/head unit failed.
- One of the system’s sensors could have failed.
- The blend motors malfunctioned or failed.
You might hear different loud noises when you turn on the car A/C. If you hear loud screeching, the serpentine belt is most likely slipping across the pulleys. It might be worn out, cracked, or torn. The serpentine belt could also have a hard surface from constant temperature changes or because antifreeze got onto the belt at one time.
A buzzing noise when you first turn the A/C on could signify that the air conditioning system is overfilled with refrigerant. Knocking or clicking noises usually mean that bolts are loose. The looser they are, the louder the noise until the bolts fall out. And then the air conditioning system might not work, depending on which component is loose.
Finally, if you hear noises when you first start the vehicle or turn the air conditioning on, the bearings in the compressor could be going bad.
Vehicles have several sensors that tell the engine control module what you are doing, such as turning the air conditioning on and putting the pedal to the metal. One of those sensors is an idle air control. It tells the computer when to increase the air and fuel mixture, like stepping on the gas or turning on an accessory.
The air compressor takes a lot of power from the engine, which means it must have more air and fuel to stay running. If the idle air fails, it cannot tell the computer to adjust the air and fuel mixture. Thus, the engine doesn’t receive the extra air and fuel it needs. As a result, it idles roughly or could even stall.
You might notice that the vehicle tries to stall when you slow down enough to make a turn. This is the same problem. As soon as you give the vehicle more gas, it stops idling rough and does not stall.
If a vehicle is overheating when the air conditioning is on, the A/C fan is not working properly. Most vehicles have two fans to cool the radiator and the condenser. If one is not working, the radiator is not getting enough air to cool it off.
If you notice water on the front passenger side of the vehicle, the heater core is most likely leaking. Heater hoses bring hot water through the heater core, which heats the vehicle’s interior when you turn on the heater. The heater core is located under the dash.
For The Best Auto Air Conditioning Repair, Contact Accelerate Auto Repair in Rowlett, TX
If you are having trouble with the HVAC system in your car or truck, contact Accelerate Automotive in Rowlett, TX for an appointment. Our auto A/C repair techs will diagnose and repair the problem and get you back on the road in comfort as soon as possible.
Accelerate Auto Repair is located at 5201 Grisham Drive, Rowlett, TX 75088. Call the shop at (469) 501-5115 or visit Accelerate Auto Repair to schedule A/C service & repair in Rowlett, TX today.
