Back to all

Full of Hot Air (Air Conditioning)

November 17, 2024

In warm weather, you want to be in a cool vehicle. When we're talking cool, we don't mean stylish or trendy, but cool as in not sweltering inside.  And if your vehicle's air conditioner stops working correctly, it seems to always break at the worst time—during a heat wave. 

Automotive air conditioning problems fail for a number of reasons:

  • Blower motor not working.  No air comes through the vents, even though the rest of the system could be working fine.
  • Refrigerant leak. When the gas that cools the air off escapes from the air conditioning system, your air conditioner can no longer cool off the outside air
  • Condenser and compressor. These are parts of your AC system that compress and expand a refrigerant gas to cool off the outside air. They are fairly complex.

When you bring your vehicle into our service center, we'll run a series of diagnostic tests to figure out what isn't working correctly.  The air conditioning system has a lot of parts. There are electrical and mechanical components plus a series of hoses and tubes that all can wear out over time.  Any one of these can fail.

A lot of drivers think they have a "Freon leak" and believe that if they get their AC system recharged with the refrigerant, everything will be fine.  But AC systems are so complex, it usually takes a trained technician to accurately figure out where the problems are.

Sometimes the solution is simple.  If your blower motor wears out or there's a fuse that has blown, the technician can replace the bad parts and you'll quickly be back to enjoying your rolling refrigerator. But when compressors or condensers go bad, those are much more involved and expensive to fix.

For instance, electrical problems can sometimes lead to acid to build up and corrode other parts of your AC system.  Sometimes that causes so much damage, your whole air conditioning system has to be replaced. That's why it's always a good idea to have your AC regularly maintained.  Our technicians can find a problem early and prevent more expensive repairs down the road. That's really the cool way to go.

Tuffy Elyria (Cleveland St)
165 Cleveland Street
Elyria, Ohio 44035
440-322-3713
http://www.tuffyclevelandst.com

More articles from Tuffy Elyria (Cleveland St.)

I'm Cool With That (AC Exchange)

September 14, 2025

On a hot day, you want your vehicle's air conditioning to work. When the air blowing out of your vents isn't cold, it's easy to think, "I'll just take it by the shop and have them top off my refrigerant." But while some people think air conditioning is that simple, it's actually not. If your ref... More

The Cable Guy (Battery Cables and Maintenance)

September 8, 2025

If you've ever noticed your vehicle's lights are dim or not working at all, the problem could be many things. But one possibility is your battery cables aren't doing their job. A power outage in your vehicle is similar to one in your house and needs to be repaired to get things back to normal. ... More

H20 No! (Driving Through Standing Water)

September 1, 2025

In a year marked by unusually heavy flooding in North America, drivers are very aware of the possibility they may find themselves driving where water has come over the road. It can be a daunting and frightening situation. Flooding waters can move quickly and unpredictably, so you have to keep y... More