AC System

Troubleshooting
 AC System
Problems
• It can be very frustrating to have your car’s AC go
out on you, especially on a hot day when you
need it most. Luckily, there are just a few simple
steps that can assist you with diagnosing your
vehicle with a non-working AC.

• The reason for the customer's complaint about

the car's air conditioning is always:
 The car air conditioner stopped working

 Poor conditioning

 Colder than normal ?

 There are two main reasons why car air conditioning stops working
1. Electricity problem (Pressure Normal)
AC Stop Working 2. No pressure (Freon) in the air conditioning circuit Leak
AC Pressure gauge
•To check the low side pressure and high
side pressure of the refrigerant, a special
testing device which contains two
pressure gauges (one for low side and one
for high side) connected to a manifold
assembly. The high side pressure gauge
and its connecting pipe are usually
colored Red while the low side pressure
gauge and its connecting pipe are colored
Electricity
problem
• AC Switch
• Clutch coil Fuse
• Clutch coil Relay
• Electric Evaporator Thermostat
• Electric Pressure Switch
• Electric Harness
• AC ECM
• Compressor Clutch coil
• Electric Compressor Control Valve
Relay and Fuse

• Relays are used in many circuits

throughout your vehicle. One such
circuit is that of the A/C compressor.
The compressor has a belt driven
clutch which is cycled on and off to
keep your A/C blowing cool. Power is
supplied to this clutch through a relay.
Compressor Clutch coil
Electric Compressor Control Valve
Electric Evaporator Thermostat
Leak Problem
 It should be noted that the presence of a leak
means that there is often oil deposition on the
place where there is a leak
 There are many ways to detect if there is a leak
in the air conditioning circuit, the most
important of which are:
I. Use high pressure with soap
II. Using ultraviolet rays with dye
III. Use a nitrogen leak detector
IV. Use special leak detection tools
V. Use of a vacuum
High Pressure With
Soap

• spray the joints of the refrigerant lines

with the water. Find the places where the
lines are attached to the condenser. Once
you’ve located these joints, spritz over
them with a few squirts of soapy water.
Wait a few seconds to see if any large
bubbles start foaming along these joints.
Ultraviolet Rays
With UV Dye

• It’s a method in which a small

amount of fluorescent dye is
injected into and circulated
through an operating system.
The dye/refrigerant mixture will
escape and accumulate at all
leak sites. By then scanning the
system with a leak detection
lamp, all leaks will fluoresce
green or yellow, making them
easy to spot.
LOKTRACE gas, which is a mixture of nitrogen and

hydrogen, is filled into the air-conditioning

system for leak detection. LOKTRACE gas is non-

flammable, non-toxic, non-corrosive and doesn’t

harm the environment.

gas reaches the leak and will escape even

through small holes within pipes, condenser,

compressor, & evaporators buried behind the

dash.

NITROGEN
LEAK
DETECTOR
Special Leak Detection Tools
POOR
COOLING
PERFORMANCE

• Diagnosing an A/C cooling problem

is best done by connecting a gauge
set to the high- and low-pressure
service fitting on the system.
Though poor cooling is often due to
a low charge of refrigerant, it can
also be caused by many other
High and Low
Charging
Ports
Normal Condition • Start the engine and turn on the air conditioner. Actual readings will vary
according to ambient temperature. The low-side should be near 30 PSI = 2
(Average) bar and The high-side should be near 225 PSI = 15 bar
• Pressure that is too much lower or higher shows there is a problem.
Higher than
• Low and high-side pressures, higher than normal are very damaging. Air conditioner
compressors are designed to operate within a limited range. Higher than normal
pressure will distort the aluminum case and very quickly cause compressor failure.

normal • Two primary reasons for higher-than-normal air conditioner pressures include lack of
air flow through the condenser and an overcharge of the system. Lack of air flow can
result from a bad condenser-fan-motor.
THE LOW-SIDE is • The compressor lowers the low-side pressure and raises the high-side to remove heat

HIGH, and THE HIGH- from the vehicle. A damaged compressor will not accomplish as much change in the
SIDE is LOW two sides. When this occurs, cooling will diminish, especially at idle. Raising the
engine speed may bring the pressures closer to that needed.
 • On a fully charged system, insufficient low-side pressure is normally the result of a
The low-side is way too restriction. A clogged orifice tube is a common cause of such problems. The high-side
low and the high-side too pressure may be elevated as the compressor attempts to force the refrigerant past

high the obstruction. This will quickly starve oil flow to the compressor and cause a
catastrophic failure.
 • Lower than normal pressure, on both gauges can show a system low on charge. Such

Lower Than conditions can also be caused by a malfunctioning variable displacement compressor.

Normal The contents of the system should be evacuated and measured to learn which
condition exists. Adding additional charge may cause pressure to rise but may also
create overcharge damage.
Possible Cause Cabin Temp High Side Low Side
Cool Normal Normal
Warm Low Low
Warm High High
Warm Low High
Warm Almost Normal Too Low
Half cool / Half Warm Normal Normal
Cool at high speed / Normal at high Normal at high
warm at low speed speed / low at Idle speed / High at Idle
speed speed
References
• https://www.aa1car.com/library/ac98.htm
• https://www.electronicshub.org/ac-press
ure-chart/
• https://www.freeasestudyguides.com/a7-
ac-heat-test.html