You rely on your car’s air conditioner to keep you as comfortable as your home’s air conditioner does. In fact, some people prefer to be in their automobiles when it’s hot and humid outside because the A/C is colder than it is in the house. LP & Sons Auto Care recommends that you bring your vehicle to us each spring for an A/C charge. What this means is that we test the A/C for problems and refill the refrigerant if it needs it. Here are three signs your vehicle’s A/C is running low on refrigerant.
The Air Just Isn’t As Cold
We run our vehicle A/Cs pretty much year-round here in Florida and you can tell when the air coming from the vents isn’t as cold as it normally is. If this is the case, or if the air is warm or even hot, your car, truck, or SUV’s air conditioner may be running low on coolant. The air conditioning system cannot cool the air if it doesn’t have enough refrigerant, so the first sign your A/C is running low on refrigerant is a drop in the air temperature when you turn on the air conditioner.
The AC Clutch Does Not Engage
When you first turn on your vehicle’s air conditioner, you hear a click, and then the sound and idle of your engine changes slightly. What is happening is the air conditioner clutch is engaging. The clutch works in tandem with the air conditioner pressure switch, and the pressure switch is responsible for reading the A/C system pressure. Low refrigerant levels reduce the pressure within the system, and if the pressure is low enough, the clutch will not engage.
The Refrigerant Is Leaking
Finally, it’s rare for refrigerant to leak out of the air conditioner but it has been known to happen, especially with older cars. If you see a pool of very greasy fluid underneath your automobile, it could be refrigerant. Usually, the fluid will also coat the air conditioner components and fittings with a greasy film. As the refrigerant leaks out of the A/C system, the air temperature blowing into your vehicle’s cabin will get hotter and hotter until such time as the clutch does not engage.
Bring your vehicle into LP & Sons Auto Care if you have A/C problems or if your system is due for a charge. We repair and service automotive air conditioning systems in our DeLand, FL, shop.