Auto air conditioning

Auto air conditioning is the most important part of summer driving to the automobile owner. When you're air-conditioning stops working on a hot summer day there is nothing more important then getting it repaired.

Read through this ac repair article and take a look at some of the tools now available to help you fix your own a/c problems. If you you think the repair might require professional intervention at least you will have the background to make sure you are not overcharged for the repairs.

If you do it yourself make sure to wear eye protection and safety gear. Freon can cause damage to the skin and eyes very quickly. Make sure to read the instructions and follow all directions that come with freon installation kits and devices.

Before we go over what you may be able to do yourself here is some recent history about the automotive air conditioning business and how the shop may use the summer heat against you.

Automotive air conditioning shops

Many times the a/c repair shop will replace additional parts in the air conditioning system that may not need to be replaced. When you're auto air conditioning stops blowing cold air, the most common cause of this is that the freon has leaked out. This is where the do-it-yourself mechanic can jump into action, and actually locate where the refrigerant leak is.

If the leak is small and the system looses a charge over weeks or months you may have luck with the do it yourself a/c recharge kit that comes with a system safe sealer for just such a condition. If the leak is large I would consider this a waste of time.

You may not be able to replace components or vacumm the air-conditioning system yourself. But you can diagnose the cause of the problem. Pinpointing the failure in the system will save you money when visiting your auto air conditioning repair center.

The most common cause of a refrigerant leak is a simple $.25 O-ring. These air conditioning O-rings are at every connection from the different components to the hoses. These connections can flex and move slightly during vehicle operation. The connection in the O-ring seal can either become loose or the O-ring can become nicked or worn, allowing the freon to leak out.

The repair for this very common auto air conditioning problem is to simply replace the O-ring and re tighten the connection. Then the air-conditioning system can be evacuated and recharged. In most cases, this repair would cost under $100. But if you take your vehicle into an air conditioning repair center, chances are, they will want to do additional repairs, because they are in the business of making money.

Auto air conditioning signs of trouble

When the auto air conditioning system is still cooling, but not blowing the ice-cold air that it used to and the compresor is clicking on and off.

This is an indication of a small leak and a further indication that there is still freon in the system. At this point, you can get a freon leak detector and diagnose the leak properly.

Freon leak detector

When you turn the leak detector on, it will begin a slow beeping sound indicating that the leak detector is sniffing for refrigerant leaks.

You then take the sensor and run it along the air-conditioning hoses and auto air conditioning components. You slowly move the sniffing sensor, carefully around all the joints and connections were the O-rings are located.

The freon is heavier than air and will usually sink to the lower side of the connection. When it leaks out. When the leak detector finds a refrigerant leak a warning buzzer or an audible warning will sound. You have just found your leak.

As a side note when you have a heavy freon leak it is even easier to find. The freon contains an oil charge that is used to lubricate the compressor.

When large amounts of freon leak out, of lets say an o-ring connection it will leave a sticky wet spot and dust and dirt will stick to it. If you find one of these areas it is most likely the source of the leak

Now when you take your vehicle to the automotive air conditioning repair center, you can notify the technician that you have performed a leak check and exactly where you have found the leak.

The auto air conditioning repair center in most cases will go ahead and just repair the leak that you have detected. This will avoid the shop selling you unneeded repair.

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