Sunday, August 9, 2015

Air Conditioner Not Working - Troubleshooting


Air Conditioning System Diagram

HOW IT WORKS:
Freon is compressed and flows through the condenser where it is cooled into a liquid. The freon passes through the receiver/dryer to remove moisture. Once the freon leaves and enters the expansion valve/orifice tube The high pressure liquid becomes a vapor and is extremely cold as it passes through the evaporator and on to the compressor to repeat the cycle.

HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT IT :
Check for Compressor Clutch Engagement - Turn the air conditioner to the "on" position and set controls to the coldest setting. Start the engine and allow to idle. Then open the hood and inspect the clutch at the front of the compressor, is it turning? "engaged" if so, the system has enough refrigerant to activate. If the system is low on refrigerant it will not work properly. In this case an air conditioner recharge kit is needed to recharge the system. If the compressor clutch is not turning proceed to next step.