Although the weather in Western Washington is often rather mild, there are undoubtedly those days when you want your car’s air conditioning and heating to function.
The best approach to ensure that your equipment is prepared when you need it most is to adhere to a regular program for automotive HVAC maintenance and to address issues as soon as they arise.
It also helps to have a basic understanding of how your heater and air conditioner operate.
Increase your chances of identifying issues before they get too serious by learning more about the two systems listed below.
How Does the A/C in a Car Work?
Ice was formerly used to keep automobiles cool, but modern technology is more advanced than that and can now force pleasantly chilly air out of your vents.
On a hot day, the cooling air you experience was formerly hot air that had though a multi-step process to lose its heat.
To comprehend a high-level description of how this process works, you don’t need to go too far into the science.
To begin with, it’s helpful to be aware of the typical components that make up your car’s air conditioning system and function to utilise the refrigerant.
- Thermostat control panel
- Compressor
- Condenser
- Accumulator
- Decompression valve
- Evaporator
- Pump Motor
When you activate the air conditioning system in your automobile using the HVAC control panel, all of those components start working.
As the refrigerant goes through the condenser after being constrained by the compressor, it starts to lose heat.
The refrigerant enters the expansion valve or accumulator after the receiver and dryer remove impurities and moisture.
The refrigerant continues to cool and depressurize while doing so.
The refrigerant then travels to your evaporator, where it evaporates any moisture left behind and further reduces the temperature.
The engine of the ventilation system then blasts air over the evaporator, cooling it, and forcing it out of the vents of your automobile.
How Often Should I Recharge the AC in My Car?
As the procedure described above demonstrates, the refrigerant is very necessary for an air conditioner to operate.
However, with time, your system is probably going to start losing some refrigerant and finally start to run low.
The air flowing from the vents will then start to seem less chilly than it did before.
That indicates that there is a problem with your air conditioning system and that the refrigerant has begun to leak.
Bring your car in for an examination, and a qualified technician will be able to identify the issue that caused the refrigerant to leak from your car.
From there, they’ll be able to address the issue and prevent it from occurring again.
Finally, they’ll recharge your car’s AC system by adding extra refrigerant to it.
The next time it becomes hot here in Washington, you’ll be ready for a cool, refreshing day.
When Should I Have My Car’s Air Conditioning Inspected?
Get the system checked out whenever you take your automobile in for other routine maintenance procedures if you want to be as certain as you can that the air conditioner will function the next time you need it.
Preventative maintenance may help you avoid larger, more costly issues in the future, just as it can with most other things.
If not, you’ll be able to tell when it’s time to get your car’s air conditioning system checked anytime it stops keeping you cool on the warmest days of the year.
This might indicate that the air conditioner in your vehicle never gets chilly enough or that it takes too long to become cold.
How Does the Heater in a Car Work?
Your heater is a component of a system that serves two purposes.
In addition to warming up your automobile, it also keeps the engine cool.
In other words, the heater in your vehicle plays a role in many crucial processes that go beyond merely ensuring that you and your passengers are comfortable throughout the trip.
Grasp how the heating in your car works requires an understanding of a few crucial factors:
- Heat source
- Pump Motor
- Warmth hoses
- Thermostat for a heater
- Thermostat control panel
The coolant, thermostat, radiator, and water pump in your car’s cooling system all communicate with your heater.
In order to prevent the engine from overheating and to keep you warmer, the heat produced by the engine has to be dispersed.
This results in a win-win scenario for the heating system in your automobile.
A large portion of the heat produced by your engine is expelled via the exhaust system.
The remainder, though, gets changed into the coolant in your HVAC system.
Similar to how refrigerant flows to produce cold air while the air conditioner is on, this coolant is transported.
The heater core, which essentially serves as a heat exchanger, receives heat from the engine via the radiator.
It permits coolant to pass through, and the heater control valve controls the coolant flow.
The heater core begins to warm up as the heat from the engine is transferred there by coolant.
The blower motor will propel air past the heater core and into your cabin at the proper speed depending on the settings you make on your HVAC control panel.
How Often Does My Car Need New Coolant?
The coolant level must be full at all times, and your heater lines must be free of leaks.
To ensure that your engine can be effectively cooled and heated, it’s also a good idea to have your coolant cleansed and replaced on a regular basis.
Generally speaking, we advise replacing your car’s coolant every 30,000 miles, although it definitely won’t harm to check on it more often.
How Frequently Should I Check My Car’s Heater?
Keep an eye on things since the heater is linked to the cooling system for the engine of the automobile.
As soon as you find a problem with your car’s heating system, take it to a shop so that it may be checked thoroughly to determine what the issue is.
When you take your vehicle in for routine preventive maintenance, even if you aren’t experiencing any issues, it may not be a terrible idea to have the engine cooling system and heater evaluated.
You may feel more secure knowing that your automobile is in good shape and everything is working as it should be thanks to these regular inspections.
Japanese Car Maintenance
Greg’s Japanese Auto is dedicated to giving Seattle and Western Washington’s automobiles the finest servicing possible.
We are exceptionally specialized since we solely handle Japanese imports.
In order to adhere to best standards and maintain your automobile in excellent condition for as long as possible, our crew has access to all the equipment and expertise they need.
When we do diagnostic testing on your car, we know what to look for in order to identify issues promptly and get you back on the road as soon as possible.
We’ll identify the issue, whether it’s with your heater, air conditioner, or something else completely.
