Air Conditioner Service & Repair
The air conditioning system in a vehicle works by changing refrigerant back and forth between a gaseous state and a liquid state, As the refrigerant is changing its state it is absorbing heat and moisture from the vehicle and providing a cool,dry air into the passenger cabin.
Automotive air-conditioning systems have the following components that comprise the system:
AC Compressor-
- The ac compressor is mounted on the engine and is driven by the serpentine belt
- The compressor takes the low pressure gas and compresses it into high-pressure, high-temperature gas. The low-pressure side is kept separate from the high-pressure side.
- The compressor send the high-pressure, high-temperature gas to the ac condensor
AC Condensor-
- The ac condensor is mounted in the front of the vehicle's radiator
- The condensor receives the high-temp, high-pressure gas from the compressor and cools the gas. This process converts the gas into a liquid
- The liquid is then transferred to the ac receiver/dryer assembly.
AC Receiver/Dryer-
The ac receiver/dryer removes any water and impurities from the liquid refrigerant and sends it to the ac evaporator inside the vehicle.
AC Evaporator-
- The ac evaporator is located inside the HVAC box inside the dash board of the vehicle.
- The blower motor blows air over the evaporator changing the liquid into a low-pressure gas. This process removes hot air in the passenger cabin and leaves cold, dry air.
- The low-pressure gas is then sent back to the ac compressor to be changed back into a high-pressure gas and start the process all over again.