Compressor: functions and causes of failures
The compressor in a car air conditioner is the most important part in the whole system. So, it is with the help of the compressor that freon is compressed and moves inside the system, if the compressor freezes. cooling does not occur and the fans blow out only room temperature air.
There are only four reasons when the auto air conditioner compressor does not turn on:
- depressurization of the system, as a result of which freon leaks;
- Dirt clogging up inside;
- Electronics failure;
- Malfunctions of related units.
Looseness of auto air conditioner is the reason of 70 % of failures of auto air conditioners, it happens mostly because of loosened rubber seals. A freon leakage, as a rule, appears on pipes and on plastic pipes, passing on the left edge of a car roof. When the freon level becomes critically low, preventing the system from working, a fuse is triggered, which prevents the system from turning on. If the air conditioner compressor in the car frequently turns on, it can also be connected with insufficient quantity of freon in the lines of the climate system. Besides, the reason of a leakage can be a loose clutch or a defective bearing, which in most cases should be replaced at once.
Washing methods
Car air conditioner is cleaned chemically or mechanically. The chemical method involves the use of foam and aerosols. The second method is resorted to if the first was useless.
Special cleaners cost from 150 to 1000. Cheap cleaners often don’t have the desired effect. That’s why drivers try to build something from improvised materials. For example, unpleasant smells are removed with chloramine B, lysophormin 3000 and chlorhexidine. The solution is sprayed on the contaminated areas. Do not forget to air out the salon after treatment.
The air conditioner doesn’t work in your car: Causes
Every year it becomes more and more difficult to imagine a car without air conditioning. Driving in comfortable conditions regardless of the time of year and the air temperature outside the window has become customary.
But everything changes abruptly when the conditioner breaks down.
Why it happens so? What prevents this virtually immobile unit from being forever?
Let us review the main points at which it stops working.
Many car owners face the problem that air conditioner begins to cool less effectively. In some cases, it refuses to turn on at all after a long stay in the sun, but after some time after starting to drive it will turn on. The cause of this malfunction is a clogged condenser, which is located in front of the cooling radiator. It is a conventional heat exchanger radiator, which over time causes lint, insects, dirt, etc. to accumulate in its honeycomb.д.
A clogged condenser stops cooling the air conditioning system, therefore, it overheats, resulting in reduced efficiency of the air conditioner. In addition, overheating also increases the pressure in the system between the thermostatic expansion valve and the compressor. Therefore, the protection system is triggered, which disables the air conditioner and blocks its activation. When the car starts moving, the system cools down and the protection is disengaged.
To fix this problem you just need to clean the condenser. The easiest solution is to clean it with compressed air or high-pressure water. But, as practice shows, such a measure does not solve the problem for long. Therefore it is desirable to remove the radiator grill, unscrew the mounting bolts and turn the condenser sideways to provide good access to all its surfaces. It is desirable to apply the insect remover and let the radiator to dry within 20-30 minutes. After that, it can still be washed with gasoline to remove oil deposits and other contaminants.
To straighten the crumpled radiator honeycomb, use wooden toothpicks.
One more reason why air conditioner can work badly is the refrigerant leakage as the result of system depressurization. As it is known, conditioner cannot operate without freon, and its capacity is falling with the refrigerant evaporation. Leaks most often occur in air conditioners that are more than 5-7 years old. The matter is that stuffings, flexible gaskets, hoses of pipelines and other elements, which provide tightness of the system, lose their elasticity with the time and begin to crack and deform.
AC not working!!! The CAR WIZARD shows how to easily isolate the problem
Air conditioner is out of order? Frequent malfunctions of air conditioner
The main part of any climatic system is its compressor. Signs pointing to malfunction: clanking or rustling noise during operation; oily streaks. traces of refrigerant. Moisture and dirt gets in the system through the leaky casing. Other problems include breakage, natural wear and sagging of the compressor drive belt, its jamming.
Common breakdowns are damage or blockage of the line. This tube is a very fragile thing. Corrosion, unprofessional repair, poor quality components can disrupt the transport capability of the system. Defective compressor collects dirt from outside up to blockages in the main line. Sometimes tubes are spoiled because of small accidents that displace components of the air conditioner from their places. In a tight underhood space, even a few millimeters can be the last for delicate elements.
Condenser often fails. Dirt clogs the honeycomb, reducing efficiency of air conditioner that regulates the temperature more and more reluctantly. Over time, metal begins to rot under the dirty crust and the part becomes inoperable. A dirty radiator causes it to overheat. The first sign that it is time to wash. spontaneous switching off of air conditioner while driving in city congestion. The problem disappears at speed.
Malfunctions in the electronic system of the climate system can be added to the problems caused by dirt. Usually it’s broken contacts. Because of this the high pressure sensor can not work: it increases to a critical level and freon is discharged from the circuit of the climate system through the emergency valve. The air conditioner does not “blow” or cool.
Among other things. violation of system tightness due to damaged gaskets. Connecting elements must remain elastic to maintain working pressure. Over time, they “harden”, crack, and deform. Refrigerant begins to leak. To prevent this process will help (again!) regular cleaning and preventive maintenance that keeps all connecting elements in good working order. Therefore it is necessary to turn on the climatic installation also in winter. for 10 minutes once or twice a month.
Unpleasant odor is a gas released by colonies of microorganisms that have multiplied on the walls of the evaporator and lines of the system. Soot, smoke and contaminated air become a breeding ground for new “settlements. On top of that, the drain hole is often clogged and water starts to collect in the drain duct. If you feel that the car always smells “full of ashtrays”, the air seems “heavy”, cold, but not fresh, it means that it is time to clean air conditioner. This can be done by the service or you can do it yourself. Special sprays will help. They are sprayed inside the car with the windows tightly closed and the air conditioner running at full power in recirculation mode. A more effective option is to remove the evaporator and clean it. The main thing in this case is not to run the problem, sacrificing your health.
Belt slipping on the compressor pulley
The belt slips and the system pressure drops when the necessary pressure is built up. That is, the pump can’t create the necessary pressure. And the processes going on in the air conditioner are disturbed. The required refrigerant gas temperature is not reached. The refrigerant evaporates less intensively accordingly. Less energy is spent on evaporation. And as a result the required temperature of cooling is not reached. The manometer shows that the discharge pressure is below the allowable pressure.
Also other malfunctions that appear during a conditioner functioning can influence on a low cold conductivity.
How to check if there is Freon in the system?
It is impossible to check the freon concentration in the system at home. Special fittings and a pressure gauge are required to connect the high and low pressure circuits. You can only indirectly estimate with your own hands if there is pressure in the system.
For check it is enough to unscrew cap of one of connectors and press a thin object on a slide valve. To switch on air conditioner in the system must be at least 4-5 Atm. But even if you can judge the pressure by the air flow from under the spool you cannot know how many grams of refrigerant are in the system. In some circumstances pressure in system can be enough for starting of a compressor, but freon itself will not be enough for normal course of physical and chemical reactions inside of system. Therefore, it is best to contact people who are engaged in the diagnosis and repair of air conditioning systems.
Checking of air conditioner in a car. when and why it should be done
Nevertheless, customers usually say that they need to have their air conditioner checked only when they get the specific signals described below. It is necessary to note that it is possible to avoid them with timely servicing.
- Noisy operation of air conditioner. At the same time, its efficiency is reduced. the cabin is not cooled as much as required. Usually the condenser is the culprit. The fact is that it often accumulates a lot of dirt and salt from the road. Then it can have small holes or even cracks that lead to depressurization. If this happens, freon oil will drip from the condenser, and these traces can be easily detected.
- Unpleasant odor. When the air comes out of the deflectors with an unpleasant odor, and the system itself does not work efficiently, then most likely the evaporator has malfunctioned. However, it also can be caused by depressurization in other units, and therefore it is necessary to check conditioner as soon as possible.
- Unstable operation of air conditioner. For example, it is impossible to switch on the function, or sometimes the compressor may start frequently without need. The first problem is usually caused by problems with the air conditioner clutch. The easiest thing that can happen to it is an electrical problem. For example, a fuse blows or contact disappears in some places. Modern automobiles are capable to recognize such malfunctions and not to switch on air conditioner as a precaution. In the second case, when the air conditioner compressor in the car often turns on, the fault may lie in this part itself. Replacing the compressor will be quite expensive, but in our service experts will try to repair it. Besides, such problem can be caused by overloading, for example, when there is not enough freon in the system.
What to do, if air conditioner does not switch on in the car?
If your conditioner stopped working properly or stopped switching on, it is not necessary to resort to the help of specialists. You can solve this problem on your own. The information in this article will help you.
So, in order to understand what to tackle in the first place, it is necessary to study the main causes and symptoms. And only after that to take some measures, so that conditioner could work as before. Such are:
- Compressor breakdown. It is possible to understand that it is the compressor that is broken, if one can see noise and oil leakage on its casing. Often the compressor of the air conditioner does not turn on because there is a leakage of such substance as refrigerant. Causes of leaks are cracks in the body, breakage of the line, as well as the wear and tear of the rubber gasket. Less common causes can be: a loose tension belt, worn shaft gland, electrical circuit failure and dirt;
- Condenser breakage. It is designed to cool the refrigerant so that it cools the air in the car. The malfunction occurs when the condenser gets dirty. As a result, cooling does not occur properly, it is so that the air conditioner starts to turn off spontaneously, up to the point that it stops to turn on. When this happens you need to clean it immediately, otherwise it will overheat and increase the pressure in the cooling system;
- Evaporator failure. If you start to notice that your air conditioner stops working normally and there is water and strange smell in salon, be sure that the evaporator is out of order. The reason for such breakdown is simple. corrosion, which was formed because of dirt and clogging of the pipe for moisture drainage. This happens most often in the winter;
- Defective of filter-drier. This element is also called receiver-dehydrator. Its task is to remove moisture from the system, and to clean the refrigerant from the various waste products of the compressor. Reasons for such a problem can be non-observance of technology on charging of auto air conditioner. In order to define this malfunction, it is enough to check hoses, they should not be frozen, and because of this an auto conditioner can disconnect itself;
- Failure associated with thermostatic expansion valve. It is necessary to regulate and control the refrigerant in the air conditioner, depending on two factors: temperature and pressure. Valve failure symptoms: inconsistent supply of cooled air, the air conditioner operates intermittently, the hoses are frosted. Failure of the fan can be provoked by mechanical damage, incorrect adjustment or dirt in the system;
- Fan failure. Its function is to additionally cool the refrigerant. But since this element is not used in every air conditioner, this problem does not occur often. And yet such a breakdown can happen. The symptoms of malfunction are high noise from the fan, or the complete absence of its rotation. The reason why this trouble may have occurred can be as follows: worn bearing, electrical circuit malfunction and various mechanical damages;
- Pressure sensor failure. Its main function is to switch off the system in the event of critical pressure in the refrigerant level. In this case the breakdown can hide in the electronics. The first signs of failure will usually be unstable operation and the system switches off by itself.
Given the above basic breakdowns, you can proceed with full confidence to find the breakdown and repair. And after that your car will work as before, and the auto air conditioner will turn on.
