Hours:
Mon-Fri	8am-6pm
Saturday	10am-2pm

517-316-7999 Lansing Michigan Automotive Air Conditioning Information with Question and Answers session.

Our automotive air conditioning page will help you understand your air conditioning system and how the components operate in your vehicle. This site will continue to grow and expand upon as many air conditioning related topics that could be a benefit to you.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to email them to us and we will post them to the page if they are well thought out and could help someone else.

At PFS Auto Air Conditioning Repair we not only have over 15 years in the A/C business but we also have developed a certified 6 step system that will guarantee your air conditioning system to be repaired right and your satisfaction guaranteed no matter where you go to have work performed on your air conditioning system, see below.

Air conditioning components with location, description and function.

HVAC or heater control assembly- This is the control panel usually located in the dash near your radio. They can be automatic or manually operated.

Automatic means you select a specific temperature you want and the vehicle blends the hot and cold air to achieve the correct temperature you choose. Most have a digital read out. They can also have dual climate controls. This allows both driver and passenger to choose separate temperatures and the a/c system will blend both perfectly.

Manual means you have to manually turn the knobs to achieve your desired temperature setting and manually adjust the speed, temperature and air flow with the 3 knobs or slides.

If the heater control panel fails symptoms can be anything from blower or air compressor not turning on to digital readout no longer displayed.

Blower resistor or module- This is usually located near the blower motor or heater control assembly which is normally under the dash on passenger side of vehicle. Function is to control how fast the blower fan spins. If this fails you will loose all or individual blower speeds.

Condenser- The a/c condenser is located at the front of your vehicle in front of the radiator. It is mounted there so it can get as much cool air as possible. The cooler the condenser stays the cooler your air conditioning will be inside the vehicle. Due to its location these condensers become plugged and filled with dirt and road debris. Clean them at least once per year at the car wash or at least with a garden hose. On average after it has been cleaned you will lower the vent temperature around 5-10 degrees!

Evaporator- The evaporator is located under your dash in a black box. Thanks to all of the vehicle manufactures the only way to replace one of these is to completely remove your dash, steering wheel and seats at times. This results into a very expensive time consuming repair. Vehicles equipped with rear a/c have an evaporator in the rear of the vehicle as well. Both of which can cause leaks during the life of the vehicle.

Compressor- The a/c compressor is located under the hood and mounted to the engine block in some manner or another. Your serpentine belt or if your lucky a/c belt will spin the pulley of the air compressor to pump the Freon and oil through the a/c system. This is also how the pressure in the system is created.

Receiver Drier or Accumulator- The receiver drier is located under the hood of your vehicle. It can be very well hidden and hard to find. Look for a round cylinder looking object that has 2 hoses coming out of it. Most likely aluminum hoses. Feel your accumulator when the a/c is on and has been running for 20 minutes or so. What ever the temperature of the accumulator is your air flow out of vents should be the same.

Orifice tube or Expansion valve- The orfice tube or expansion valve is located in the high pressure line between the evaporator and the condenser. The function of the valve is to meter the amount of freon traveling from the high side to the low side of the system. If this part fails it will cause a very high pressure issue on the high side of the system and cause the air in the vehicle to blow warm.

Sensors-

High side-

Low side-

Leak testing- There is 3 main ways to check for leaks on an a/c system.

Vacuum test-Initially you put the system under a vacuum. What you are doing is removing all the air out of the system and actually pulling "negative " air out. The reading on the gauge will say -30 Hg. If it holds here for 15-20 minutes you will be 99% sure there are no leaks in the a/c system. (Note: You can still have a leak after pressure has been built up in the system)

Dye test- Most newer vehicles now come with a dye tracer in the a/c system from the manufacture. Prior to recharging the a/c system you should always add a dye tracer to the system anyways to make leak finding easier. To locate the leaks use an ultra violet light and if possible yellow lensed glasses to find the florescent dye trace that was previously installed. As the Freon is pumped through the system dye in the oil is pushed through the system so the leak can be found.

Sniffer test- Many shops have purchased very expensive Freon gas sniffers. Basically this tool has the ability to take a sample of the air around a suspected leak area and determine if it is freon or not. These sniffers are very sensitive and can be very useful in hard to reach areas like your dash or rear seats.

Compressed air test- This test is to be performed with caution and should only be used when a very large leak is to be found. This will only take a few seconds to perform and allow the leak to be found without any special tools or equipment. Take an air chuck that is normally used to blow compressed air and put it into one of the a/c fittings on the vehicle. Put a couple of squirts of compressed air into system and listen for large leak. Should be very easy to find and cost nothing.

What is the correct process to recharge or refill your air conditioning system?

First perform a complete mechanical inspection of your air conditioning system which will include up to 1 pound of freon to test for leaks, make sure your air conditioning compressor, a/c condenser, a/c evaporator, a/c hoses, fittings and gaskets are all working correctly. If after this inspection all is well, you would then fully recharge your system to the exact factory spec that is supposed to be in your vehicle and recheck for leaks and correct operation again.

Cost on average to have your air conditioning recharged at a local repair shop is around $100-$175 vehicles with rear air conditioning are usually more.

Now lets say you do your inspection and find out it is going to cost you more than you want to spend to repair the leaks in your air conditioning system all you will have to pay a small fee and now you know for sure where the leaks are and what it is going to cost to repair.

Due to recent advancement in a/c tools and equipment many shops now have the ability to repair leaking sections of air conditioning lines without the need to replace the full hose assemblies saving you hundreds of dollars.

Last is if after initial inspection you find an electrical issue you will instead need to perform electrical diagnosis which is usually $80 – $100

Our proven 6 step air conditioning recharging process

1. Install an air conditioning machine to check pressure readings.
2. Remove all old freon, air and debris from system and check for leaks
3. Fill with one pound of freon to check correct operation of all a/c components.
4. Add dye trace to system to guarantee the ability to find any future leaks.
5. Either locate source of leak if one is present or fill to correct specification according to manufacture
6. Recheck for leaks and record duct temperature

Below is some common questions we receive from many customers who call in to our repair shop and a video we shot in HD on YouTube " How To Recharge Your Air Conditioning"

Q. I have a coupon and it says they will do the same thing for less money.

A. Read the coupon very carefully including the small print. Beware of the a/c inspection scams that include nothing more than lifting your hood and visually inspecting belts and hoses. Also many do not include complete removal of old freon and full recharge with new. Remember it’s not the price on the coupon that ever matters it’s the final price you pay when you leave!

Q. I have an older car and it takes the old R12 freon can you recharge it?

A. Yes, and it only cost around $40 more if you do not have the new style fittings. Contrary to what all other repair shops say R12 and R134a freon gasses are interchangeable. No flushing or replacing of additional parts are needed. What is not interchangeable is the oils that are used in the 2 systems. We have always used a synthetic oil so superior that it works with all a/c systems!

Q. How come I cannot just buy one of those cans or kits to charge my own air conditioning?

A. Only 1 in 10 air conditioning systems can be filled this way. There are many reasons why. #1 The freon leaked out somewhere, if leak is not repaired it will just leak out again #2 If you over fill the system it will not cool and you will damage components #3 If you under fill the system it will not cool #4 If there is air in the system which most do, it will not cool #5 if it is an electrical issue or under dash issue it did not need freon to begin with #6 There are many more but I think you get the point!

Q. How much does it cost to replace my air conditioning compressor?

A. Typical cost for most vehicles is around $800-$1000 newer vehicles and imports can be higher. Most of our compressor repairs have a 3 year warranty parts and labor.

Q. How much does it cost to replace an evaporator core?

A. The evaporator core is located under the dash and in most vehicles require the complete removal of dash, steering column and seats. Average cost is $800-$1000 and takes a full day. Most of our evaporator repairs have a 3 year parts and labor warranty.

Q. How much does it cost to replace my a/c condenser?

A The a/c condensor is located in front of your radiator and typically cost between $300 and $700 to replace.

Q. How long does it take to recharge or refill my air conditioning system?

A. Typically we like to plan for one hour but it can be much sooner especially if you are waiting for the vehicle.

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