Troubleshooting a Faulty Air Conditioner

Driving around Idaho in the middle of a hot summer without a working air conditioner is no fun. Even if your air conditioner is technically “working”, it might not be functioning up to its potential – which means you will still be left feeling sweaty behind the wheel. In this post, we’d like to offer some basic troubleshooting advice for how you can try to get to the bottom of this frustrating issue.

If you need help with your vehicle’s air conditioner or any other component, turn to the team at Taylor & Sons Chevrolet for assistance. With plenty of experience and a great reputation throughout the area, you’ll be in good hands as soon as you come to see us. We are excited to serve you!

Signs of Trouble with Your Air Conditioner

Before trying to figure out what is wrong with your vehicle’s air conditioner, you’ll need to note that there is a problem in the first place. This might sound obvious, but it’s actually easy to miss signs of trouble if you aren’t paying close attention. Here are some things to watch for –

• No cold air. Okay – so this one is obvious and you won’t have any trouble noticing if your air conditioner simply isn’t working anymore. As you drive along, you’ll notice that the air coming out of your vents continues to be just as hot as the air in the cabin, and it will be clear that you need to make an appointment to have the A/C system examined.
• Slow to get cold. If your air conditioner is still working, but not as well as it should be, you might find that you will eventually get cold air – but only after a long wait. That’s better than nothing, but it’s still frustrating and you could find yourself feeling pretty sweaty before the air actually cools you off. This is a particularly frustrating experience if you are getting in a hot car that’s been parked in the sun and you are hoping for immediate relief.
• Only gets slightly cool. Another issue to watch for during the summer months is air that just gets a little cooler than the ambient temperature but never really gets cold. You might start to feel some cool air and assume that everything is working okay – but the temperature never falls any further and you stay pretty warm throughout the drive. This is another one that is particularly noticeable on a hot day, as the system won’t have the power needed to bring the cabin temperature down sufficient when outside temps are soaring.
• It’s loud. You probably know by now what it sounds like when your air conditioner is running. If there are unexpected sounds occurring after you turn on the A/C, there might be an issue that is going to get worse as time passes. When you hear unusual sounds, do your best to avoid using the air conditioning system until you can have it inspected by a qualified technician.

Many Possible Problems

One of the tricky things about dealing with a faulty air conditioner in a vehicle is that there are many possible issues that could be at the heart of the poor performance. While we tend to take them for granted in the modern world, air conditioners are rather complicated devices that require a number of parts to come together properly in order to produce ideal results. Here are some of the many potential issues that you could be facing –

• Lack of refrigerant. Your air conditioner won’t be able to produce any cold air if there is no refrigerant in the system. It’s possible to have a leak develop somewhere in the system that will allow the refrigerant to escape so you could wind up with no cooling power. This one can be tricky because there often is no sign of the leak and the car or truck will still be blowing air around – it just won’t be cold. Confirming that this is the underlying issue will require the help of a qualified technician with the right equipment. If your system is only producing modest cool air and never quite gets cold, it’s possible that you have some refrigerant left in the system but not enough to bring the temperature all the way down to where you’d like it to be.
• Blower problem. If there simply isn’t any air coming from the vents – cold or otherwise – the blower may be to blame. There would be a problem with the blower motor, and as a result, your vehicle won’t have any way to propel air into the cabin as you drive. Again here, it’s a visit to a service center that will enable you to confirm that this is the problem you are facing.
• Compressor failure. Should the compressor happen to fail in your vehicle’s air conditioner, you’ll be looking at a relatively costly fix – but getting the compressor back up and running is the only way to enjoy cold air once again. The compressor is an essential component in any kind of air conditioning system so this is something that will immediately be considered when you have your vehicle looked at for air conditioning problems.

The reality of air conditioning problems is that there isn’t much you can do as a car owner to address the problem on your own. Air conditioning systems are complex and they required a trained professional with the right tools to fix them correctly. The best thing you can do is pay close attention to the system’s performance and get help when something is wrong.

If you are getting tired of climbing into your vehicle and knowing you’ll arrive at your destination feeling hot and sweaty, turn to Taylor & Sons Chevrolet to get the cold air flowing once again. Whatever the required fix happens to be, we’ll jump into action and get you back on the road with proper A/C as soon as possible. We appreciate your time and hope to have the chance to serve you soon.

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