Here at Whitty’z Houston Auto Repair, our AC repair experts are getting ready for the scorching Houston summer heat that we’ve already gotten a small taste of. We hope you are too and we understand that you may not be an AC repair expert, so we’re going to talk about how to recharge your car’s AC system.
Things You’ll Need
- Eye protection
- A charging kit with a pressure gauge
- R134a refrigerant (if your car uses R12 you yourself may not be able to LEGALLY recharge your vehicle’s system due to it’s harmful effect on the environment.)
- NOTE: If your car requires R12 you need to take it to AC repair experts, like the ones at Whitty’z Auto Repair Shop.
- A little experience in working on cars (suggested)
How Your AC System works
The compressor is the heart of the AC system. It compresses and pumps refrigerant that is in its gas form. The compressor is driven by the car’s drive Belt but also has a clutch to disengage if the compressor is not needed even when the engine (and belt) is running. You can sometimes hear a click coming from the front of your car when it is running especially when it is idling, this noise is probably the clutch activating the AC compressor. The pressurized gas refrigerant is pumped to the condenser, it’s something very similar to the car’s cooling system radiator. In most vehicles, the condenser is located directly in front of the radiator. The gas refrigerant expels its heat in the condenser and turns into liquid refrigerant by the time it reaches the bottom of the condenser. The liquid refrigerant is now pressurized and it is on it’s way to the evaporator. The evaporator is very similar to the condenser. The liquid refrigerant is warmed by the air in the car and boils (refrigerant has a very low boiling temperature). As the refrigerant turns into a gas, it sucks heat from the car’s cabin, cooling it in the process. The evaporator also acts as a dehumidifier, thus on humid days (we have our fair share of these) when a vehicle’s AC has been running, you will often find water dripping from under the passenger side of the vehicle. This is condensation and is perfectly normal. An accumulator is found on many AC systems. Its job is to store liquid refrigerant and make sure only gas refrigerant gets to the compressor. An AC compressor is designed to compress gas, not liquid, so if too much liquid refrigerant gets to the compressor, it may be damaged.
How to Recharge it!
You need to add more refrigerant to your system if the pressure in the system is in the 20-25 psi, every vehicle is different but your system is good if you have around 40 psi of pressure in the system.
- Find your Low Pressure AC Valve. Every AC system has a low pressure and high pressure side. The low pressure valve will be on the hose that goes from the accumulator or evaporator to the compressor. The high pressure valve will be on the hose that goes from the compressor to the condenser or the condenser to the evaporator. The low side valve is the blue cap in the picture. Attach the gauges accordingly, (instructions that come with the gauge(s) will help you with this part.
- Start the vehicle and turn the AC to max. It also isn’t a bad idea to roll down the windows so the compressor won’t shut off.
- Attach the can of refrigerant to the gauges (middle).
- Once the can is attached open the middle valve so the system will charge.
- Periodically Check the Vents to feel if the air is getting cooler.
- If after the first can of refrigerant, the air isn’t any cooler, consider consulting a professional. It should take about 1 minute to empty a 12 oz can of refrigerant.
Whitty’z AC repair
If for some reason, you want our AC repair experts to recharge your car’s AC system or your car has a problem either in AC or any other come out to Whitty’z and we’ll be happy to help.
We are owner operated and customer service oriented. Our goal is to build your trust so we can fix your vehicle and give you a great experience time and time again. We believe in REAL customer service So, at Whitty’z if you call between 8-6 pm Monday- Saturday you will get a conversation and not an answering service. Give us a chance to earn your business and your trust. You deserve quality service and integrity in your Houston Auto Repair facility. We know that your vehicle is one of your most important possessions and we treat it like our own.
