Car's AC Not Cold? Here are 4 at home checks | Accelerate Auto Electrics & Air Conditioning

So your car air conditioning not cold? Here are four things you can check at home.

PLEASE NOTE: Unfortunately we can not diagnose a fault without seeing the vehicle in person. Due to the complexity of Air Conditioning systems, it is extremely difficult to diagnose a fault without conducting a full inspection. If you are having issues with your AC System we would recommend getting your vehicle inspected by a licenced technician to get an accurate diagnosis.

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I'm Andrew from Accelerate Auto Electrics and Air Conditioning.
It's starting to heat up outside and soon you'll be reaching for the AC to keep it cool in the car. To prepare for the warmer weather, we recommend running through a few simple checks to make sure your air conditioning is summer-ready.
First, you want to check for any unusual noises. On most cars, when you turn the air conditioning on, you should hear a loud click, and that's the noise of air compressor cutting in. if you hear a rumbly sound once your compressor cuts in, this means it's on its way out and you'd need a replacement.
The other noise that you can hear is the hissing noise when it cuts in and out behind your dash as the gas flows through. This is a sign you're low on gas. The other thing you would get is your vent temperature won't be as good as it should be and you can get a difference in temperature between the two vents.
Second, you want to check for any unusual smells. If there is a musty or unpleasant smell coming out of the vents or your allergy symptoms are being triggered when the air conditioning gets switched on, there may be a bacterial or mildew buildup in the system.
The other thing that can happen is it can be a sign that your evaporator's leaking so it's leaking as in the car. That's sort of an issue.
The other thing you'll notice if your evaporator's leaking is the air conditioning will be low on gas, so it won't be as cold as it should be and will have that uneven vent temperature.
So thirdly, and probably the easiest to do at home, and the most accurate, is the performance test. What we've done here is we've put a thermometer in the vent. You can just use any old thermometer. We've set the fan to first or second speed and we've also got it on Recirculate. That's quite important.
What we should see is a temperature of below eight degrees. The temperature will fluctuate as the compressor cuts in and out. This is a natural part of the air conditioning system. What it will do is the compressor gets colder and colder and colder, as it gets down to a freezing point, so out here at the vents, it will say six degrees to five and a half degrees, the compressor will cut out, the temperature will rise to about seven or eight degrees, and then it will cut back in and the cycle will continue, it's called cycling.
The air conditioning system does this so that the evaporator doesn't freeze up inside the car. If you see a temperature going below five degrees, that is a sign that something's wrong. It's either gonna be faulty thermostat or thermistor, or more commonly, a blocked cabin filter. A blocked cabin filter will restrict the air flow to the vent so it will allow the evaporator to get too cold and freeze up to a block of ice. If you're quite handy yourself, you can get to the cabin filter and you can check it and replace it yourself.
Fourth on the list, have you ever noticed the pool of water under your car after you've driven it with the air conditioning on? This is normal for most cars.
The air conditioning system was designed to drain the condensation to the exterior of the car. If you've driven for a long time, you pull up, it will make a pool of water. The amount of water it discharges at the bottom actually depends on the humidity of the day, and what setting you've got your air conditioning on, so don't stress too much about having the pool. You just want to see it on the outside of the car.
One thing to look for is if the air con's cold, its a humid day, and you're not having water on the ground outside of your car, maybe just check the passenger floor of your car 'cause sometimes that drain tube can block up, the water can leak inside the car, and obviously, then you get mouldy, stinky carpet.
After completing these four checks, if you suspect your car had a gas leak, take it to a licenced auto technician to get it checked out. Here at Accelerate Auto Electrics, we have a team of licenced technicians who can diagnose and repair all types of air conditioning problems.
So comment below, give us a call on 1300-227-353 or email [email protected] if you'd like us to check out your car.