Car A/C Not Cooling
When your car is left to bake in the sun, for even a short period of time, heat is allowed to store up in significant quantities. Your car can only feel cool on the inside if the heat is removed. What happens if your car A/C is still not cooling after five minutes? Unfortunately, an array of factors affects the actual output temperature at your car’s dash A/C vents.
Possible Reasons Why Your Car A/C is Not Cooling
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Low refrigerant levels
Today’s lower capacity systems can account for a significant difference in performance. A five-ounce loss is substantial as a majority of systems have up to 32 ounces.
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Air leaks in HVAC case
There are seals located between the cowl and case. If they are damaged, air from the hot engine compartment gets blown into the case and the passenger’s compartment. If this happens, it usually takes a long time for the car’s A/C to overcome the heat.
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Malfunctioning radiator fan
Faulty radiator fans may indicate an electric fan coming on late or a clutch fan engaging late. In either case, they reduce airflow and affects your car’s overall ability to cool, especially in idle operation or low speed driving. A/C cooling and condensing improves when the fan successfully engages.
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Heater coolant valve not closing properly
On some systems, there may be hot coolant trapped in the core. This effect contributes heat to the HVAC case and slows down cooling. You need to ensure that the temperature door may be in the right position.
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External air flaps not closing completely
The air flaps need to be closed when the system is in max A/C. If not, hot air from the outside dilutes the effects of A/C, leading to slow cool down.
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Weak A/C Compressor
Weak compressors allow pressure to build up. When that happens, a higher RPM is needed to produce normal pressures. This will take a while to achieve adequate cooling. The problem can be identified via a pressure test.
Try These Methods Before Sending Your Car for a Check Up
Not cool enough? You should point the A/C vents directly at you. Try pointing one to your mid body and the other to your head. Alternatively, you may wish to avoid putting the pedal to the metal. When the accelerator is fully engaged, you are taking away essential power for the A/C to run efficiently. On hot and sunny days, external temperatures inside a parked car can rise up to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. You should block the sun entering your car’s windows. If you do not have a window sun blocker, consider parking your car under some shade.
When you enter a hot car, you should start your engine, switch on the blower fan, and set it to maximum speed. Next, turn on the A/C and open all the windows in your car. You may wish to also select ‘Outside’ air mode to push the hot air out of your car and the A/C. You can then close all the windows after driving for a minute or two. To achieve maximum A/C, you should turn the know to ‘Recirculate’ mode. Don’t forget to set the air flow to lower and upper vents as well.
If the above methods do not seem to be the right fix for your problems, and you are not feeling cool in a reasonable time frame, take it to your service professional for an A/C check-up.