The Compressor:

The compressor is used to pump the A/C gas. It is driven by the engines & while the A/C is switched on the compressor will pump the gas as a high pressure vapour, the refrigerant vapour is heated up in this process. This is transferred from compressor via the discharge hose to the condenser. The most common cause of major system failure in the operation of an A/C system is low gas charge causing overheating of the compressor and subsequent catastrophic failure.

The Condenser:

The condenser is used to cool the A/C gas from a hot vapour to a liquid. They are mostly mounted in behind grill in front of the radiator. They look similar to the radiator with cooling fins. While you are driving the air flows through the condenser cooling the A/C gas.

The Receiver/Drier:

There are many different types of driers that function slightly different. Their names are Receiver/drier, Desiccant filter & accumulator. The A/C gas goes through these filters to remove any moisture from the A/C gas and act like storage tank for the A/C liquid. Any moisture in the A/C system can freeze and cause blockages in the system.

TX Valve/ Expansion valve:

As the system continues to pressurize from the compressor, the A/C liquid under high pressure travels through the receiver/drier via the liquid hose to the TX valve. This valve turn the A/C liquid back into a gas & in this process the gas vapour is icy cold.

The Evaporator:

The evaporator looks similar to the condenser and is located in behind the dash. As the TX valve turns the liquid back to gas the cold low pressure gas goes through the evaporator making it icy cold. The air that gets blown from the vehicle vents is circulated via the evaporator compartment going through the evaporator removing the heat from the air as it passes through.

The return of the gas:

cold low-pressure gas vapour travels from the evaporator back to the compressor to start the cycle all over again. This last section of hose is call the suction hose or cold return line, the compressor uses the cool gas return to keep compressor from overheating.

A/C Electrics:

Your vehicle A/C system is controlled by a variety of electrical component throughout the vehicle, sometimes when the A/C stop working it can be related to electrical failure and not the gas. At Autocool all of our technicians are qualified auto electricians, this allows us to be able to fully assess you’re A/C system & diagnose faults with both electrical & gas components of the system.
We also utilize the latest scan tool technology to diagnose faults in modern vehicle climate control systems.