How To Tell If Car AC Compressor Is Bad – Expert’s Guide
Do you remember the fire from the movie “Final Destination?” It’s alright if you don’t remember because of the extremely hot weather and no AC will remind you all if it!
It’s summer and you are out with your family for a small tour. How about the car AC starts to act wrong! You do not want to face those fireworks on your whole body that drive you crazy, right?
They say better safe than sorry. And so, before the hot weather burns you, test the AC compressor. How to tell if the AC Compressor is bad?
Don’t worry; we are here to tell you the smallest details of car AC compressors. Go through our tips and tricks and you will know everything!
What causes AC compressor failure?
Before you know how to tell if a car AC compressor is bad or not, you have to know the reason behind the failure of AC compressors.
1. In most cases, dirty coils are the reason for the AC compressor failure. If the compressor gets overheat, it may stop working.
2. If the refrigerant lines are blocked or if they get damaged in any way, the AC compressor will not work at all.
3. On the other hand, if there is excessive refrigerant then also the compressor will not be effective.
4. Electric failure can buildup acids and ruin the compressor.
5. If the oil lubricant is not ample then the compressor will be unworkable.
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Symptoms of a Bad AC Compressor
When it comes to AC, we always take it for granted. We do not care about to until any problem arises. When it is summer, you cannot dare to step out with a car if you have a bad AC compressor. Not only your comfort zone but a bad AC compressor will also have an effect on your safety.
The worst part is not diagnosing that your AC compressor is bad! Look, before you fall into any serious problem, you have to find out and prevent it. So, what are the symptoms of a bad AC compressor?
There are people who suffer from not understanding if the AC compressor is working or not. For you, we are here. Just go through the following ways for diagnosing.
1. Air Temperature
If you are confused about how to tell if a car AC compressor is bad, this is the first trick you should know! The temperature of the air is a great way to understand if your AC compressor is working properly or not.
This is the easiest way to determine the situation of the compressor. When you turn the AC on but the temperature of the air does not get cool, be sure that the reason is AC compressor failure.
Sometimes, the AC works properly but it does not make the air temperature cool. Trust us; your car AC compressor can trick you easily. No matter the AC runs or not, try to stick to the fact that the AC is not affording you the cool temperature.
2. Visual Inspection
This is also a great way to know if your compressor is functioning or not. All you have to do is find the AC compressor of your car and then inspect it visually.
If the AC is not working then there might be some physical damage. You may also find some rust or paint damage. Usually, these may make your AC compressor ineffectual.
Oil leakage can also prevent your AC from working. If the AC is not getting adequate oil, the AC compressor will not work. Here, you may also see increased friction and this will be very dangerous for you.
If you turn the AC on in this situation, it can cause unpredictable temperatures. You don’t want this, do you?
3.Go through the Belts
Yes, you heard right! We are talking about the belts! Damaged belts can also influence AC. You have to certify that your belts have proper tension. Otherwise, the AC compressor will not work accordingly.
If you have splitting belts or if they are cracked, then you will not get whatever you are requiring from you AC! Here, a new compressor can help you out!
4. Examine the Clutch
If AC is not able to afford you comfort and cool air, there is no reason to invest your money there. And if you are investing money on an AC then make sure it works appropriately.
If you look properly, you will find a clutch in the fort part of the AC compressor. You have to examine this is your AC is ineffective.
The feature of a clutch is to rotate and if the rotation is prevented in any way, the compressor will not work. You have to ensure that the clutch is rotating without any difficulty.
If you turn the clutch hub you will see minimal resistance. If you have a bad compressor then the clutch will not work perfectly. Conversely, if you have a bad clutch then the compressor will deny working flawlessly. They both depend on each other.
You might not want to invest in changing the AC compressor but there is a life period of the compressors. Most of the drivers do not know about it.
So, how long does an AC compressor last in a car? An AC compressor in a car lasts around 8 to 10 years.
If you want to perfect combination of clutch and compressor then if any of them fails to work, replace both of them. It will deliver you better service than before.
5. Compressor and Clutch Engagement
Run the engine first. Now, turn the AC on and take it to its coolest setting. Switch the fans to the highest power.
Now you have to open the hood and examine the AC compressor. Now, listen for the clutch and the compressor and check if they engage.
If you have any problem with the AC compressor then they will not engage. Rather, you will see friction of the belts.
6.Refrigerant Leaks
The other cause of AC compressor failure is refrigerant leaks. The refrigerant should never be low. Here, you have to keep in mind that the AC system should not leak no matter what.
If you see low refrigerant then you should know that there is a leak in the AC system.
If you want to check the AC system then you can go for a leak detector for electric AC refrigerant. With this, you can easily understand if there is any leakage that’s disturbing your AC or not!
If you do not have any leak detector then you can also go for some DYE tests. With the help of this, you can understand if there is any leak or not under UV light.
How to Test Your Car’s AC Compressor
The duty of your car’s air conditioner or AC is to provide cold air inside the car but in any case, if your car’s air condition finds problematic or stops to provide cold air but rather only blows air then you can say that there is some problem in the AC compressor.
It can be low of the gas Freon or even you may have to change AC compressor.
Testing an AC compressor is easier than it seems or it sounds. You just have to follow certain very basic steps to check the AC compressor of a car. If you follow these steps give below then you can easily check your AC compressor :
Step 1
For this, first of all, you have to turn on your vehicle then you have to shift it to park and this is for the automatic transmission. And then you have to engage in emergency brakes.
Doing that you will have to turn on the AC and then you have to connect the pressure gauge to the low side of the air compressor.
This you will basically find on any firewall passenger side in the compartment of the engine. Now you have to add two oz. a gas called Freon to figure out that your compressor kicks on or not.
But it does kick on then it will let you know with a clicking sound and also some puttering sound.
Step 2
In this second step, you will have to discontinue the process of giving anymore of that Freon.
You can choose a day of 75 degrees of heat then pressure around 38lbs (per square inch) and this day can be known as the blue zone for any gague and if the compressor has not kicked on yet then you can definitely check the fuses which may be basically located in the glove box.
But sometimes you can have problems while finding out these points, as a result, you will have to check a manual book of the car. You can also check the leads to the compressor which can be the magnetic clutch and also the operation.
Now to check if the clutch engages or not you will have to grab a lead to figure out this. You can also check the high and low-pressure switch of it.
You can also check the AC control on the dash of the car. Now for the results, if you see that you cannot find any way to kick on the compressor or also problematic troubleshooting then the answer is that you will have to change your car’s compressor.
AC compressor basically is the reason for your AC to supply cold air. But if you see that you AC is supplying air but it is not cold then you may guess that there may be something wrong with the air compressor.
And to check whether your AC compressor is working or you will need to change it, you can easily find out by checking by following these steps.
Wrapping Up
You can’t believe how much a bad car AC compressor can depress you! So, to save yourself, you have to know how to tell if a car AC compressor is bad or not.
If you get to know the possible ways to determine the condition of a car AC compressor then it can never harm you!
There are loads of solutions for making the car AC compressor back to normal but do you want to risk? When the compressor starts acting weird, the best option to go for is changing it!
How much does it cost to replace an AC compressor in a car? It depends on your car, my friend! Depending on your car, it may cost $250 to $500. Go for safer options when it comes to electric devices! Thanks a lot to stay with Electorstrust.
