How to Test Auto Air Conditioners & Condensers
Air conditioners are found in almost all vehicles made today. They work like air conditioners in a house or building. The main job of the air conditioner in the car is to cool down the vehicle, but they are also useful for eliminating condensation in winter. Like any other part of a car, the air conditioner can run into problems and not work correctly. If this happens, you can try a few things to test the air conditioner to try to detect what the problem is.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Temperature gauge
- Refrigerant
- A/C vacuum pump
- Voltmeter
- Jumper cables
- Electric leak detector
Instructions
-
-
1
Sit down in the driver's side of the car and locate the air conditioner on the dashboard. Find all of the air vents and turn them so they are facing out. Normally, there will be an air vent on each side of the dash and two in the middle. Turn on the car and turn the air conditioner to maximum.
-
2
Insert a temperature gauge into either of the two middle vents. Slide the skinny end in between the bars on the vent and record the temperature reading on the gauge as a reference point. You will test the temperature again later to determine if it has dropped at all.
-
-
3
Pop the hood of the car and locate the air compressor. The air compressor is circular with a small nozzle on top and a threaded end on one side. Turn on the car, if you haven't already, and check to see if the air compressor is clicking on and off. If it is, adding refrigerant should solve the problem.
-
4
Follow the low pressure switch coming out of the compressor leading up to the accumulator, typically a metal cylinder. Unplug the switch at the accumulator. Place a jumper wire on the connector and see if the compressor switch kicks in. If it does not, check the battery voltage at the connector with a voltmeter. If it reads 12.68 volts, it is fully charged. A reading of 12.45 volts means it is 75 percent charged and 12.24 means it is 50 percent charged. Charge the battery if it is reading below 100 percent.
-
5
Connect an A/C vacuum pump to the low pressure port. Attach the gauges from the vacuum to the port and run the vacuum for 30 minutes. Check the gauge until it reads 27 Hg. Turn the pump off for 30 minutes and check to see if the reading is still at 27 Hg. If it is lower, then there is a leak in the system that must be found with an electric leak detector.
-
1
