If your air conditioning is blowing warm, you are not alone. As everyone knows, rolling down the windows doesn’t help cool you; plus, without any fresh air flowing through your vehicle, it gets a little stinky (imagine yourself sitting in a puddle of sweat), and running on hot air from the exhaust fumes can lead to an unpleasant experience!
An air conditioner creates a “feeling” of coolness by “removing” hot air instead of blowing cold air into the cabin. An air cooling system contains both a compressor and a condenser, which extract heat from your vehicle, using a refrigerant to absorb heat.
One of the most common reasons why an A/C blows warm air is due to low levels of refrigerant. This is also one of the simplest fixes, and we will show you how to fix it and have you back to cool and comfortable driving in just a matter of days.
How Does AC Work in a Car?
The car’s air conditioning uses refrigerant in both a liquid and a gas state. The refrigerant absorbs heat and humidity while exchanging with the vehicle interior, thereby creating cool, dry air.
The car’s air-conditioning system manipulates both pressure and temperature to switch refrigerant from liquid to gas.
How Do You Know When Your Car’s Air Conditioning Needs to Be Charged?
Several indications can help you determine if your car’s air conditioning should be recharged or requires repair in case of a refrigerant leak.
- Warm Air From A/C: The best way to tell that the air conditioning needs to be charged is by the quality of air being blown from the interior vents; if the air blowing from these vents feels warm, this is an indication that your car’s air conditioning system has lost some of its refrigerant charge. Since the A/C relies on the pressurized refrigerant’s flow, a loss of refrigerant will negatively impact the system’s performance.
- A/C Clutch Not Engaging: Typically, as you turn on the A/C system to maximum cooling, you can expect to hear a slight click when you turn on the A/C. This click indicates that the A/C clutch has now engaged. If you do not hear a click from outside the car, this may also signify that the refrigerant charge is low and the system isn’t functioning properly.
- Visible Leaks: Another way to determine whether your A/C needs to be recharged or serviced is to look for thin, greasy pools of liquid under the front end of your car in the engine compartment. If you see this type of leak, it is necessary to get a qualified service technician to check your A/C system immediately.
Here’s how to charge the Auto AC
You can charge your A/C if you can follow all directions. Put on your goggles and gloves. Grab your refrigerant and charging hose, and let’s make it cold.
- Start your vehicle (make sure it’s in park and the park brake is set).
- Set your A/C to the coldest setting, set your fan to the highest speed, and push the button that circulates air through the vehicle.
- Open the hood and look for the A/C low-pressure service port between your compressor and evaporator.
- Remove the plastic cap from the port; A/C Pro has an online tool that helps find the service port if you cannot find it. Alternatively, you can use the fitting from the refrigerant hose, which will only fit onto the low-pressure service port.
- If your refrigerant hose is off the refrigerant can, connect the hose to the low-pressure service port.
- Once you have the A/C compressor on, check the gauge that was included with the charging kit and match the temperature dial on it with the temperature reading on the temperature gauge.
- If the pressure is in the red zone of the gauge, do not add any refrigerant; this indicates a larger issue (such as a faulty A/C compressor).
- If the PSI reading is below the lowest labeled “full” range of the gauge, add more refrigerant.
- Disconnect the hose from the service port.
- Take the safety tab off of the refrigerant can, shake the can, and reconnect the gauge and hose to the can.
- Connect the hose to the low-pressure service port and use the trigger to start charging the A/C system with the refrigerant. Continuously twist the can up and down to maintain a good flow of refrigerant.
- The built-in indicator on the charging can will show you when the system is at the full level.
- After you are finished, unplug and recycle all empty refrigerant cans according to your local recycling ordinances.
How Often to Recharge Your Car Air Conditioner?
While adding refrigerant to a vehicle’s air conditioning system does not generally appear on a manufacturer’s schedule for normal service, in principle the unit should be hermetically sealed and not require any periodic refills.
In actuality, though, rubber gaskets eventually dry out and become brittle, causing the refrigerant to evaporate over time, eventually leading to inadequate refrigerant levels for proper operation.
In addition, any number of elements in an air conditioning system could fail; however, recharging the system would be a recommended first step by most manufacturers, especially because it is an inexpensive and simple way to repair the problem so that it will operate again.
How Much Does It Cost to Recharge Car’s AC?
When it comes down to how much it costs to charge your car’s AC system, the average cost is between $20 and $155, depending on if you choose to go through a mechanic or do it yourself (DIY).
Mechanic costs average $123-$155 while DIY charging kits range from $20-$50.
Most people do not think about high maintenance costs, but this maintenance can help increase the longevity of the parts in your air conditioning system, so that you will continue using your vehicle like new every season.
A professional charging of your car’s AC system typically costs between $150-$300 and is necessary due to the loss of refrigerants over time. You should consider adding the AC service to your vehicle service intervals, having this service done at least once every 100,000 miles that you drive your vehicle.
If you want to save money on this cost, you may want to consider going the do-it-yourself route and charging your air conditioning system yourself, for between $40-$60 for an appropriate do-it-yourself charging kit.
Although going the DIY route might seem like less cost, it is essential to know exactly what occurs if you were to do the AC service at a repair shop versus doing the service on your own.
What Happens If You Overcharge Your AC?
If you want to do it yourself, make sure you buy a refill kit for your vehicle’s air conditioning system; this will show you how much refrigerant to add. Just make sure you don’t put too much in because this could cause an overcharge, and not enough cool air will come from your car’s air conditioning.
If this happens, the compressor won’t be able to provide enough cooling, and warm air will blow out of your car. Be careful not to assume that your air conditioner isn’t working because it’s low on refrigerant.
If the system has too much, you need to take it to an auto shop where they have a refrigerant recovery machine that will remove the excess refrigerant and then put in the correct amount.