When your car’s AC is on, it’s supposed to keep you cool and comfortable. But sometimes, it can cause the car to shake and vibrate. This can be a really frustrating problem, but don’t worry – we’re here to help!
In most cases, your car shaking when AC is on is caused by low refrigerant levels, which causes compressor overload. Be sure to check your car for any leaks, and if you don’t find any check if the condenser coils are clogged up.
A dirty evaporator core also doesn’t help, so make sure your mechanic cleans your AC unit well!
In this blog post, we’ll discuss the causes of this issue and how to fix it. Keep reading for more information.
In a car AC system, the refrigerant goes through a compressor. It is compressed and the heat generated during the operation of a compressor allows it to get hot. During this process, pressure increases in the sealed system.
The hot gas is transferred under pressure from the compressor to the condenser by means of an expander or turbine vanes attached to which then transfers its heat out into the atmosphere.
Once the job of the compressor is done then this high-pressure gas flows into an expansion valve where it gets reduced into liquid form with help of absorbing more heat but only at lower pressure.
Now that low-pressure liquid flows back into the receiver-dryer where moisture captured in low-pressure liquid gets removed so as to provide cool essential oil desired for the operation of the compressor.
After this, a capillary tube is attached to the receiver-dryer which further transfers cool essential oil into the evaporator where it absorbs heat from air being blown by the car’s fan for supplying cool air inside the car cabin.
Once all these things are done then finally that cool air is passed through several vents in the car and you feel fresh and relaxed again after a hard day at work for a drive home. All modern vehicles are equipped with electronic expansion valves.
When your AC is low in refrigerant, the compressor will overload in order to compensate for this loss. This causes the whole system to heat up, which then reduces its cooling efficiency when it is turned on again.
Basically, when you turn on the air conditioner when it is very hot outside, even though cool air comes out of the vents, it doesn’t push enough air through your car’s vents. All that means are that are not getting enough cool air inside your car even with the AC running.
The reason for this is because if too little refrigerant exists within your AC than usual so letting some warm engine bay air enter into the AC via condenser and diluting whatever refrigerant exists already would result in less effective cooling.
All of a sudden, your AC would stop working even with the compressor on.
As a result, your car will feel like it is shaking or vibrating due to poor air conditioning performance because the compressor has to run harder than usual. This will also cause excessive noise inside the cabin which can be frustrating for drivers and passengers alike.
However, more often than not, you would only experience all these symptoms if your AC had gone out completely but starting up your car’s engine wouldn’t make any difference because you are still getting regular airflow instead of a refrigerated one.
So in order to get coolant-free fresh air inside your cabin again, you need a recharge first which means that a certain amount of new refrigerant needs to be added after the old one has been completely removed.
There are additional reasons which most commonly include:
The best way to determine the root cause of your specific issue is by taking it to a professional mechanic for diagnosis and repair.
When your car’s AC is low in refrigerant, it would not work efficiently and can cause these symptoms:
Now that we’ve discussed how an AC works and what you should do if your car’s AC isn’t cooling properly, we’ll show you how you can recharge a car’s AC yourself.
First off, take out the fuse for the AC and turn on the heater so that the condenser fan and blower fan would start working until everything cools down; meanwhile, open the hood of your car and find where the AC refrigerant tube connects to the receiver/drier.
Once there, make sure to use a wrench in order to drain any remaining amount of liquid from this specific connection point. Then, put dye (we recommend black dye) within the AC refrigerant hose and connect it to the low side of your car’s AC. This way, you can easily find any leaks via dye color change.
Take out the high-pressure switch located on the under-hood fuse box (somewhere near the air filter beneath your hood) and attach a drill bit with an adapter (included in the AC recharge kit we bought from Amazon ) into this space.
Startup your drill and let it run for about 10 minutes while holding down the trigger; meanwhile, make sure that all valves inside your AC aren’t locked.
Turn off the engine, remove the dye-filled hose from the other end, and drain all remaining liquid using the wrench again. Put back everything you’ve removed from the vehicle.
Take out the new refrigerant can and attach it to the high side of your car’s AC. After you’ve done this, start up your engine immediately. Open the valve at the top of the new refrigerant cylinder using a wrench and aim this towards the low side port.
Turn on your AC to the maximum level when everything is connected, then let it run for about 5-10 minutes. Then, turn off your AC. Make sure that all valves are opened by turning them counterclockwise.
Close both valves Shut down the engine again Then close up all other parts which should be closed before opening. Check if the dye is visible somewhere else (low-pressure switch).
If yes, open these hoses as well. Drain out the remaining amount of liquid via a wrench. Afterward, release refrigerant from the receiver/drier connection point with the wrench.
Now that you’ve drained all remaining amounts of liquid from your car’s AC, you can close up all other parts by turning them clockwise. Using the wrench, open the refrigerant cylinder valve. Then turn on your engine to maximum cooling level.
Use a voltmeter to ensure that there is no power outage while using your AC Startup your AC at full speed. Check if everything is working correctly inside your cabin.
If it doesn’t cool down, drain out any nasty-looking green-colored liquid which might have appeared inside the low-pressure line connector.
If there are no leaks after checking the whole system, then let’s get started with adding a new R134A into your car’s air conditioning unit. Open up both valves and apply dye towards the high side port. Fill up the low side port as well, then start up your engine and let it run for about 10 minutes.
Shut down the engine. Now, check for any leaks, especially within the receiver/drier connection point If there are no visible leaks, then let’s set the pressure of your car’s AC Check if there is a leak anywhere after setting a proper amount of refrigerant inside.
Open all valves from high to low side. After doing so, turn on your AC system to full power level. Make sure that both green and black LEDs light up simultaneously. Open the air conditioning unit using a wrench.
Start your engine and let it run until the green LED lights go off. Turn off your AC And check cooling levels by pressing the automatic climate control mode button. While at it, pay attention to whether there is any nasty leakage coming out of your AC (if your engine is still hot)
If everything seems to be in order, close the valves on both sides using a wrench, Turn off the engine and close up all other parts. Now, you can add dye towards the low side port And pump in some fresh refrigerant if necessary. Wait for 10 minutes before starting your car.
Make sure that both green and black LEDs light up simultaneously. Check whether there are no leaks after starting up your car again.
If everything goes well, then we’re done! You can disconnect all hoses and purge refrigerant from the receiver/drier connection point with a wrench one last time. Then, you can close it back up by screwing it clockwise.
That’s all there is to it. Congratulations on completing your replacement!
You can now disconnect the hoses with ease Check for any visible or invisible leaks. If there are none, then you’re good to go; otherwise, repeat the whole process using new parts.
If you’re seeing any liquid leaking from your AC system, then there’s a good chance that it’s leaking. Make sure to fix the leak as soon as possible to prevent any further damage.
Yes, it is safe to use an AC leak detector. In fact, it’s highly recommended in order to find any potential leaks before they cause further damage.
AC problems can be a real pain, but with the help of this guide, you should be able to take care of them on your own. Make sure that you follow all the steps carefully and double-check everything before starting up your engine. If there are any leaks, make sure to fix them immediately,
It depends on how often you use your AC and the climate conditions in your area. In general, you should refill your car’s AC every two years or so.
No, using R12 instead of R134A will void any warranty that you might have on your car’s air conditioning unit. Make sure to only use R134A unless otherwise directed by a professional mechanic.
You should replace your AC oil every two years or so, depending on how often you use your AC. Make sure to consult with a professional mechanic if you’re not sure what type of oil to use.
If you see condensation on your windows, then there’s probably a leak in your AC system. Make sure to get it fixed as soon as possible before any further damage occurs.
It will take approximately two hours to complete the replacement, depending on how fast you are at completing tasks like this one.
Yes, you can replace your AC system yourself, but it’s highly recommended that you consult with a professional mechanic first. Make sure to follow all the steps in this guide carefully to avoid any potential problems.
AC problems can be a real pain, but with the help of this guide, you should be able to take care of them on your own. Make sure that you follow all the steps carefully and double-check everything before starting your engine.
If there are any leaks, make sure to fix them immediately, or else you might end up causing further damage to your car’s AC system. With a bit of patience and some essential tools, you should be able to get the job done in no time!
