how to get car\'s a/c blowing cold again

(AOL Autos)--
Car expert Tom Torbjornsen replied to a letter from a car owner: Dear Tom, I own a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup with 5. 3-V8 engine.
My air conditioner is broken.
Do you need to recharge?
Should I take it to the dealer or can I go to a separate repair shop?
If it\'s expensive, how long can I hold on without fixing it? --
When you say \"weak\", do you mean warm air temperature or low air volume?
The answer to this question will determine the correct diagnostic path.
The low air volume may be caused by the failure of the air duct system;
The warm air temperature may be caused by the failure of the refrigerant system in the air conditioner.
If a refrigerant leak is found, the system will need to be charged.
However, no charge is required if the problem is caused by a pipe failure.
If your truck is still 3-year, 36,000-
Mile warranty and then I will hand it over to the dealer as it may be covered by the warranty.
Otherwise, you can take it to anyone you want.
Don\'t leave the air conditioning system unattended because it will cost you more money on the road.
At this time of year, I get a lot of questions about air conditioning maintenance.
First of all, be sure to tell the technician exactly what happened when describing your air conditioning problem.
Is the air too warm?
Or is the air cold enough, but not enough?
Warm air may be caused by a refrigerant leak, system blockage, or faulty parts such as a compressor. (
The compressor is a pump that transports refrigerant chemicals through the system. )
Low air volume means that the air flow entering the car is hindered by something, such as a faulty air duct door or a blocked air vent.
Here are some of my common questions about air conditioning, do I need to charge the air conditioning?
If your air conditioner needs to be charged, it\'s because refrigerant chemicals leak out of the system.
Many people think that the air conditioner will naturally leak refrigerant, so they think they have to drive the car in and charge it every year.
This is not true.
Refrigerant should not leak.
Find and fix the leak if the refrigerant is low.
There should be no reason to recharge.
Should I take it to the dealer or can I go to a separate repair shop?
If the vehicle is still covered by the factory warranty then go to the dealer so that the repair can be covered by the warranty.
If it is out of warranty, go to any qualified store you want.
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What happens?
Here is my answer to this very familiar question: the air conditioning system will fail when anything of the following happens: refrigerant leakage--
The system is closed due to broken hose or poor connection.
Loss of refrigerant oil due to leakage can cause compressor failure. Dirt --
Anything other than refrigerant chemicals and oil in the air conditioning system is considered dirt.
Dirt can cause blockage of compressor bearing, failure of expansion valve, decomposition of refrigerant and oil and corrosion of metal parts.
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Restrictions --
There are many reasons why these things happen.
Most frequently?
Dirt, metal scraps, power desiccant (
Moisture absorbing material)
And foreign bodies from the atmosphere.
These substances cause high pressure, heat accumulation and loss of lubrication in the air conditioning system.
Deadly Duopressure, heat)
Causes the \"O\" ring to break down, the air conditioner hose to become brittle, and the compressor bearing to break.
The loss of lubrication will cause the compressor to malfunction.
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Combined with metals and refrigerants, moisture leads to the formation of oxides and acids, which is a positive death sentence for any air conditioning system.
In addition, moisture can freeze the expansion valve and the power desiccant.
All of these items cause the air conditioning system to fail.
How long can you use a system that doesn\'t work before the air conditioner fails?
As long as these conditions need to be set and cause failure, and the time is not long.
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How do I know if my car is using R12 (Freon)or R134A?
There are two kinds of refrigerant chemicals commonly used in car air conditioners: R12 (or Freon), and R134A.
If the system uses R134A, the input faucet will be clearly marked as R134A.
Does the air conditioner work the same as the heater, just the opposite?
The heater in your car is just a small radiator.
Hot water passes through the so-called heater core.
Heat is emitted from the core, and this hot air blows into the car to heat the cabin.
The operation mode of the air conditioner is very different.
The evaporator core is used in the air conditioning system.
Refrigerant chemicals are pumped through the core (
Very similar to small radiator or radiator core).
The evaporator brings refrigerant chemicals into the car for interesting exchange. . .
The cold air in the car was replaced with hot air.
Can you drive 1 million miles in your car?
Refrigerant chemicals drain hot air out of the car by absorbing and exchanging cold air.
The cold air radiating from the evaporator is blown into the ventilation system of the car to cool you down.
It will also be wet in the process.
Have you ever thought about where the water under your car came from?
It comes from the Dewet process when the air conditioner is running.