| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | evaporator, through a condenser and expansion valve, |
| Not only do we depend on our cars to get us where | | | | right back to the evaporator. The evaporator is right in |
| we want to go, we also depend on them to get us | | | | front of a fan that pulls the hot, humid air out of the |
| there without discomfort. We expect the heater to | | | | car's interior. The refrigerant makes the hot air's |
| keep us warm when it's cold outside, and the air | | | | moisture condense into drops of water, removing the |
| conditioning system to keep us cool when it's hot. | | | | heat from the air. Once the water is removed, the |
| We get heat from the heater core, sort of a | | | | "cool" air is sent back into the car's interior. Aaaaaah! |
| secondary radiator, which is part of the car's cooling | | | | Much better. Newer cars have R-134 as the |
| system. We get air conditioning from the car's | | | | refrigerant, but work in the same way as R-12. |
| elaborate air conditioning system. | | | | Sometimes we worry when we catch our car making |
| Despite its relatively small size, the cooling system has | | | | a water puddle on the ground, but are relieved to |
| to deal with an enormous amount of heat to protect | | | | discover that it's only water dripping from the air |
| the engine from friction and the heat of combustion. | | | | conditioning system's condenser (no color, no smell, and |
| The cooling system has to remove about 6,000 BTU | | | | it dries!). |
| of heat per minute. This is a lot more heat than we | | | | Note: Refrigerant is extremely dangerous. Many |
| need to heat a large home in cold weather. It's good to | | | | special precautions must be taken when it is present. It |
| know that some of this heat can be put to the useful | | | | can freeze whatever it contacts (including your eyes), |
| purpose of keeping us warm. | | | | it is heavier than air and can suffocate you, and it |
| Air conditioning makes driving much more comfortable | | | | produces a poisonous gas when it comes in contact |
| in hot weather. Your car's air conditioner cleans and | | | | with an open flame. |
| dehumidifies (removes excess moisture), the outside | | | | The above information is directly from the Auto Insight |
| air entering your car. It also has the task of keeping the | | | | program, which you can buy online from |
| air at the temperature you select. These are all big | | | | Common Problems: |
| jobs. How do our cars keep our "riding environment" | | | | - From time to time the A/C system needs to be |
| the way we like it? | | | | recharged to bring it back up to maximum efficiency. |
| Most people think the air conditioning system's job is to | | | | Sometimes a leak may cause loss of refrigerant and |
| add "cold" air to the interior of the car. Actually, there is | | | | will need to be fixed before refilling. It's difficult to tell if a |
| no such thing as "cold," just an absence of heat, or | | | | leak is present without specific test equipment so let it |
| less heat than our bodies are comfortable with. The | | | | up to a professional. |
| job of the air conditioning system is really to | | | | - Corrosion will cause the heater core (secondary |
| remove the heat that makes us uncomfortable, | | | | radiator) to leak. This will manifest itself by leaving |
| and returns the air to the car's interior in a "un-heated" | | | | steam into the passenger compartment and fogging |
| condition. Air conditioning, or cooling, is really a process | | | | your windows. You will know there is a leak by the |
| of removing heat from an object (like air). | | | | sweet smell coming from your vents. Unfortunately |
| A compressor circulates a liquid refrigerant called | | | | changing the heater core is usually not the easier job in |
| Refrigerant-12 (we tend to call it "Freon," a trade name, | | | | the world, as engineers tend to squeeze them into |
| the way we call copy machines "Xerox" machines). | | | | some pretty tight spaces under the dash. |
| The compressor moves the Refrigerant-12 from an | | | | |
