5 Common AC Issues

1. Your Fans Have Gone Bad

Faulty fans are potentially the most common car AC problem, whether you drive a domestic Ford or foreign import Mitsubishi. When the fans break, they stop blowing cool air over your condenser. As a result, your condenser begins to emit only hot air, which won’t help cool down your car.

Rocks and debris on the road could crack the fans and lead to poor cooling performance. Blown fuses, electrical problems, or worn belts can prevent the fans from spinning altogether. AC fan repair is complex electrical work, so if you notice your fans aren’t moving, bring your car in for AC maintenance and repair.

2. You Have Electrical Issues

Problems with your car’s electrical wiring can prevent current from flowing from the battery to the AC system components. Naturally, they can’t work without power and you won’t get any air from your cooling system.

Electrical issues can be very difficult to diagnose. Sometimes they’re caused by obviously frayed or broken wires, but even a seemingly intact wire could have broken inside the insulating surface. Discovering the cause of electrical problems requires a thorough, professional inspection.

3. The Condenser is Blocked

Your car’s condenser is responsible for cooling hot refrigerant after it finishes circulating through the AC system. The air flowing through the front of the moving car does most of the work to keep the condenser cool. But if dirt and debris clog the condenser, it will struggle to cool the refrigerant, leading to poor AC performance.

Luckily, you can usually fix this issue without extensive repairs. Simply check your vehicle’s front grille and clear any leaves, dirt, and other material that could be blocking it. It’s a good idea to clear the grille regularly to maintain your AC.

4. The Condenser is Broken

But what if you cleaned the grille and you’re still not getting cool air out of your AC vents? In this case, it may be that your vehicle’s condenser is simply broken.

Rocks and other objects on the road can fly into your engine compartment and punch a hole into your condenser. The condenser could have also given up the ghost because of regular wear and tear.

If your condenser is broken, there’s no easy method to fix it. In most cases, you will need to get an experienced auto AC repair technician to replace the component.

5. Your Compressor Is Dead

The compressor is the single most important component of your car’s AC. It’s responsible for circulating refrigerant through the system. If it fails, there will be no cool air coming through your vents.

Lack of regular use is the most common reason why compressors fail. This is a particularly common car AC problem in northern Virginia with our long and cold winters. If you let your AC stand idle for months and then turn it on in the spring, you can shock the compressor and cause it to break.

Unfortunately, the only way to fix a dead compressor is to get a technician to replace it. You can extend your compressor’s lifespan by running the AC at full blast for 15 minutes once a month — even in the middle of winter.

What Are Fleet Management Services?

Fleet management covers all the things that are required to keep a vehicle fleet operational. Both commercial fleets, like those belonging to a business, and non-commercial fleets, such as a public fire department’s fleet of fire trucks, require fleet management.

Fleet management services, then, are outsourced commercial services that take care of an organization’s or business’ fleet management for them. Some companies prefer to hold the reins of their fleets, but sometimes it’s a better idea to outsource fleet management.

For example, when setting up a new fleet, an outside fleet management services provider might have more experience in the smooth management of a vehicle fleet. Your business could hire them in the beginning, and then switch to internal management once you’ve built up a reliable team.

It may also simply be cheaper to hire outside services for fleet management. To keep even a few trucks functional requires a lot of money and expertise, from fleet managers to knowledgeable automotive technicians. Whether it’s less costly to hire someone else than keep these experts on your payroll depends entirely on your circumstances.

Check Engine Light On?

You see the bright colors of the check engine light pop on. Should you wait, go home and ignore? What if it’s serious? What if it’s not? What should you do? What could it mean?

In most cases you will need to have your car looked at by a professional. Do you need to call a tow truck or car service at that moment? Most likely, no. Unless your car is smoking, stalling or showing true signs of distress, the best bet would be to get your little rascals home and make an appointment with your trusted auto mechanic. They will be able to do diagnostic testing and tell you the cause of the problem. Basically, they will plug a little computer into your car which in turn will communicate the problem. Most auto mechanics in Northern Virginia will be able to help you with your make and model, but it is best to tell them the year and model car you are driving just to be sure.

Do-it-yourselfers can buy inexpensive code readers that connect to this standardized onboard diagnostics (OBD) port and search for the code’s meaning on the web. The Check Engine light can even be turned off by some code readers, even though this action alone does not actually repair the underlying problem. In many such cases the light will simply come back on later. Or your reader may indicate a problem that may not get to its root therefore leading you to buy and install an expensive part and yet not truly getting to the heart of the problem. Experts also say that many drivers confuse the “service required” light on the gauge cluster for the Check Engine light. These warning lights are unrelated. The service required light just means the car is due for an oil change or other routine maintenance. It is not the indicator of trouble that the Check Engine light is. While there are also those with older vehicles who prefer to ignore for fear of a large bill and wait until state inspections to do anything about it.

The answer is: DO NOT IGNORE. Yes, the check engine light may be an indicator of a minor problem or a significant problem. But it can also tell you that there is an overall problem with the life of your vehicle and ignoring can only make matters worse. As many as 9 out of 10 automatic transmission failures are a result of transmission fluid contamination and overheating; a simple fix if attended to quickly.