AC System Basics - EricTheCarGuy
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- This is a kind of video response to a question I got from RadicalComedy about servicing her AC system. Keep in mind that this is a very basic overview of the components and operation of the AC system. In future installments I plan to get more in depth about the operation and function of these parts but for now I think 6 minutes of your time is enough.
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ETCG 
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What a fabulous explanation by using a simple can of dry air to demonstrate the theory of an Air Conditioner, Thank you Eric the Car Guy.
+Henry Gonzalez It goes deeper then that tho, expansion creates a cooling effect. Compression creates heat due to the friction between the molecules moving around (function of ignition in diesel engine), expansion does the opposite. The refrigerant comes from the pump as a hot gas, condensates in the cold condenser then goes as a liquid to the evaporator where it is evaporated back to a gas, the expansion of the evaporation creates the cooling.
Coi
Eric, I just wanted to share with you that today we watched this video in my machine maintenance class in college. If college professors think your videos are good enough to teach a class, I think you're doing something right! Keep up the great work, Eric!
This was a very well explained tutorial. Thank you. Your videos are excellent. You explain things and express yourself better and more coherently than 99% of all the University Professors I’ve had while in college. It’s clear that you’re well educated and very intelligent.
Sir, your instructions helped my son a lot to save money by doing service by him on his car : 1) A/C , 2) Brake jobs, 3) Oil change , 3) Ignition system service etc, etc , etc. Thank You Mr. ERIC THE CAR GUY. May God Bless you and your Family for the free public educational service given by you.
Thanks for taking time to create such informative video and sharing your knowledge with the world.
The cooling is from the refrigerant changing from a liquid to a gas (phase change) in the evaporator located in the car's cabin. It gets cold in this evaporation process (just like the aerosol can spray). Incoming air is blown over the cold evaporator and it absorbs the heat of this air or the cabin air when on recirculate mode. Being a closed system, unlike the aerosol can, the compressor compresses the refrigerant gas and the opposite happens, it gets hot. It then goes to the condenser in the front of the radiator and it is cooled by the fans or airflow of the moving car. The refrigerant condenses back to a liquid and the cycle is repeated. Refrigerators work the same way.
Why does the Freon have to be recharged?
@@goldwolf0606 Because it tends to leak out
Eric, for a while now,I've been taking automotive technology. I stumbled across your videos one day when trying to understand quite a few different things, and even when I needed to hear it a few times. you've helped me perform my first parasitic draw test, to many other tests and helped me better understand how vehicles work. I very much appreciate that you're doing these videos, and hope you'll continue. I'm currently in auto heating and air and this is exactly what we're currently going over, and aside from leaving out the accumulator as an optional component in place of the receiver/drier, it's spot on. once again, thank you for your awesome videos, they've truely helped a lot.
Always appreciate your advice, Eric. I was thinking about taking on this project, but changed my mind after seeing this video. Thanks.
Hey Eric i know this is an old post but here goes. I'm putting together a land rover defender-parts from different vehicles. I purchased the ECU, key fob, speedo, main and chassis wiring loom from a donor car that was not ac equipped. Then I purchased the engine and tranny from another donor car that was ac equipped-comes with the compressor. The engine loom fits the ECU. I think my question is after I figure-out the wiring of the ac will I have to download software into the ECU to run the system?
The real cooling is done by the evaporation process not the pressure change. The pressure change is allowing the evaporation, but the pressure change alone won't cause much cooling. It the phase change, from liquid to gas, that absorbs heat. The high pressure liquid in that can is allowed to escape through the spray nozzle "expansion valve" into the lower pressure atmosphere where it boils into a gas and that phase changes absorbs heat.
Sometimes you can feel or hear the fluid inside the air can boiling. I had one actually frost up before. Letting the air out of the can lowers the pressure inside the can, which allows the fluid to boil in order to equalize the pressure back to what it was.
First of all I want to say thank you for being here for us. A months ago I had a new condenser installed in my 1997 lexus lx450 . The mechanic used the die colored refrigerant . When I got home I took a look under the truck and I could see some green die liquid dripping from the bottom of the receiver dryer .I wiped it up and could tell it was coming from the top . He said wait till it stopped getting cold in side the truck and bring it back. I took about 1 month for the refrig to leak out .
Great video,Just subscribed! just bought a used 2004 Chrysler town and country as a daily driver to and from work. I had planned to add to the low side with a 134A refrigerant kit and I decided to take a look at the condition of the AC system before I started. I found that after the low pressure fill port the line was terminated and ty-wrapped to another terminated line. I have a trusted mechanic and I will now leave this to him to do this job. This is a warning to the DIY's who might try to add refrigerant to their system.
WEAR SAFETY GEAR, Glasses and gloves, You can get frostbite from the refrigerant. If I was not able to see that the connection was open and started to do the fill I could have been injured.
@shoja30 Sounds like a restriction in the system, I recommend taking it to a professional.
Hi , thanks for video
does covering for low pressure pipe after the evaporator to the compressor with thermal insulation material can increase the efficiency of the system
Qusay Al-Nassir I second this question. will insulating either hi or lo pressure pipes help the ac run cooler, by keeping the heat from the engine off the pipes?
Qusay Al-Nassir
Yes, The side that you would want to cover is where you see condensate(moisture) collecting on the low side pipes. I own a 1992 Buick Park Ave and they put what is called an orifice tube in the low side from the condenser. This is what replaced the expansion valve. Covering the high side lines will not help due to the fact that you are only making the compressed refrigerant that is heated up to stay heated all the way to the condenser. Hope this answers your question. Also R152a is a good replacement for r12. Just do your homework when considering the change.
I found myself coming back to this video after 10 years. I am now in HVAC school partly because of this video.
This explanation was perfectly clear. I have been trying to understand the difference between the condenser and evaporator for a while now. Thanks a lot.
The only problem with taking it to a professional is that they will charge you $800 to $1500 no matter what is wrong and it may still not work right. The auto repair business, and especially AC repair is one of the biggest consumer scams and rip offs.
Cool Eric, thx !
Whatatay T amen
You have obviously had bad experiences with auto repair shops, but don't label all of us as scam artists.
Give me a break. the auto mechanic who doesn't rip you off is the exception and not the rule. some are just dumb especially when it comes to electronics and computers.
What you can do is to bring it to an AC specialist for them to diagnose what the exact issue is (you DO NOT actually have to actually go ahead with the work they suggest...most wont be offended if you say no thanks and take your car home).
Unless you are concerned that the shop is going to intentionally damage something that isn't damaged when you brought it in (I guess it's possible but that really would take a real ass of a shop), at least you'll know what the issues could be. If you feel that the diagnosis is questionable you can bring it to another shop and see what they say. If the 2nd shop says the same thing then chances are it is what it is.
NOTE: you can usually find coupons for AC diagnostics service for pretty cheap (i just saw a $9.99 ac diagnostics coupon for Firestone).
Once you know what the issue is you can then decide on what to do (with AC's you're kind of stuck unless you live in Alaska or something since you will need it).
If it's something like the compressor motor (expensive) you could mitigate the cost by actually shop around online to find a cheaper compressor motor (you want to make sure that you call them personally and give them all the details of your car..year, make, model, trim, engine, auto/manual, etc. so that it's the right part) and then just have the shop do the labor. Could save you anywhere from a $100-$400 right there. The labor probably will still be hefty but at least it's more reasonable if you can save on the part.
The shop may have an issue with installing a part you brought in but you can ask the shop if they are ok with that. At the end of the day, they will be making money off the labor so I would be surprised if too many shops would not take on the labor only work.
Let's say I wanted to make an ac system using car parts and a 12v electric motor connected to a solar panel for using inside a van while the engine is not running. All I would have to do is mount the condenser outside on top of the roof (with a fan?), and place the rest of the parts inside?
hed420 and the fan is not enough to make the condenser cool bcuz your condenser is in the roof haahah sunlight create a lot of heat hahahahahahahahahaahahahahahah
hed420 Some hybrid vehicles run their A/C compressor electrically, from their battery pack. One of those compressors could be your answer. The catch is that you can't use normal A/C lubricant. You have to use a special non-conductive lubricant with an electric compressor. There are also ways to charge your car's battery from a solar panel, and the "engine not running mode" of your system could simply run the existing condenser fan.
TL;DR: Your idea's best implementation would be a complete rebuild of your entire A/C system.
+Justin This would never work, it is made to cool a cubic foot highly insulated box like a mini fridge, these junctions are very inefficient as well.
it will be only work so long as ram air was hitting the condensor or if you are constantly moving the vehicle
hed420
you would need several horse power to turn the compressor.
one horse power equals 745 watts. point is, youll never do it. at least not easily. buy a small used rv system and install that. power it with a generator.
good luck
Your videos are very insightful. I just started working in parts and I'm needing to understand a lot of the basics. Thanks bro!!!
I'm in an AC class right now and your method of teaching is very helpful
Hi Eric I have a question for you. I have a honda civic 2008, my air stop working so I went to a auto part and got me a can of coolant but when I tried to service the system would take the fluid. so I took to an ac tech and he told me that is a small leak on the compressor and want to charge me 975 bucks to fix or replaemt of the componant I just toth that the price was incene a 180 buck part. i was just woundering if you could give me or opinion on it. I am an aircraft mechanic and I know I can do the work. thank you
+mr42ndstblvd that's illegal, you moron.
+Jose Servin Trump will change that! Lol
Jose Servin
What isn't illegal these days? Besides, you only get in trouble if you get caught.
An illiterate aircraft mechanic...great.
mrfrankcastle083
Worse than an illiterate President?
Hey Eric explain why you are showing these A/C video on charging your system, when you are constantly telling us to don't work on it and take it to an A/C professional. So are we just watch the video and then let someone else do the work. They can't be for professional because they wouldn't need them. So do we learn how to do with these videos or do we just forget about them and just take our cars to a mechanic.
Maybe so you have some idea of what the hell you're talking about when you take your car in for repair? Ignorance may be bliss, but it's also expensive. Or liability reasons? Or 700,000 views, so maybe the knowledge, capability, and skill set of his audience varies quite a bit?
Should I keep going?
Your barking up the wrong yet tree I wasn't knocking on the video just some the comments that he made. In one sentence he is telling you you how to do it
And on the other he telling to leave to the professionals.
And I'm saying there is value in knowing how it's done even if you don't do it yourself. If you're going in for surgery, you want to know all you can about the procedure, right? Will you ever do it yourself? Probably not...
Ray Cruz were is the orfice tube on 2005 Buick ."."".?diagram showing it b helpful since it looks it can b anywhere in line
You rock! I am studying for my liscensing exam and refrigeration of buildings is one part of it. Your analogies and showing parts really helped me understand the components and what they do. Thanks!
@MrKidd1551 Glad I could help, thanks for the comment.
I noticed on the diagram of the ac system during the first 2 minutes you identified the orifice tube, and then the receiver dryer. Orifice tube systems use an accumulator, and thermal expansion valve systems use a receiver dryer. Just to clarify for the viewers so they don't get confused, the accumulator is located on the low side of the system on an OT system. The receiver dryer is on the high side with the TXV located right before the evaporator. Just trying to help out Eric.
excellent video once again. I like your analogy of the expansion valve being compared to a spray can.
I'm putting a heater core in my wife's dodge D150, decided to put in a new evaporator since I already had everything apart. thank you, very helpful!!
Your videos are great something I would be interested in seeing in the future is how the ecm/pcm reads engine sensors and adjusts gas flow timing etc also a video about transmissions like this one of the a/c it was fantastic with the diagrams and actual parts
Thanks
Simple explanation, and one of the best videos regarding the auto AC system..
Your knowledge has become such a great help. You're the Man.
Many thanks Eric. Very informative & helpful - particularly good for laymen such as myself. Excellent.
WHAT A LECTURE, COLLEGE LEVEL . I CAN'T UNDERSTAND SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE IT. I TOOK HVAC CLASSES IN COLLEGE SOME YEARS AGO I JUST NEED TO TAKE MY EPA TEST TO BE CERTIFIED, BUT I HAVE NOT DONE IT BECUASE MY JOB PROVIDES ME WITH A DECENT SALARY AND SECURED RETIREMENT, BUT SURE TAKE IT BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR. THANKS A TRILLION.
Have always found your videos both interesting and informative.And you cane up the HARD way,just as I once did. Good to see that you have now managed to become quite the celebrity guy,but more important is that you have not allowed this to cause your head to swell and become disgusting. Stay humble buddy and wish your much more success along your path in this life. Keep up the good work,since there are many of U.S. out here that need to hang on to as much as we can and don't mind staying Dirty.
Wow! Thanks Eric! There are so many videos about AC system. But, this is so easy to understand and well detailed! Thanks!
@stikOplus63 I'm happy to help, thanks for the comment.
Great vids Eric keep up the good enlightnig work and many thanks.
They are explained in simple terms and with diagrams or photos and close ups.and with a touch of wt ..
Brian UK
You make good videos.....you get to the point and don't bore the viewers in the process with unnecessary chatter - good work! Thank you...
Awesome video. This is the kind of information worth the time we spend on You Tube. Thanks.
Very good. The spray example makes it very intuitive!!
@SuperDriver101 It depends on the heat load an humidity, the rule of thumb is that it should cool about 25º-30º from ambient temp. I covered that in the AC performance test video.
@5000Engineer I'm glad you like the video and my explanation, I consider myself a 'simple' person that needs a 'simple' explanation to understand things so making these videos seems to come easy to me. Thanks very much for your comment.
great video!
you always stay on point, unlike some of these other videos where they drone on, and on, about nothing.
Dude you are so freakin awesome, You explain so well and clear I now understand how this works, I was always curious and other guys want to make it sound like rocket science. Thanks for what you do
Happy New year ErictheCarGuy
Thanks 👍
From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧
I like your videos, I’m a new mechanic and get a lot of tips from you! Keep the good work
Great A/C video's, You've answered a lot of questions others have not taken the time to explain.
I hope sometime you show how to replace leaking Schrader Valve's.
Great job!
Thanks for your basic information on the air conditioning systems I love it so much
I love the videos you post, I have learned a lot thank you Eric
Thanks for the video, just what I was looking for, how it functions, keep it up.
Great information and I love the illustrated graphics...thanks
Great videos ETCG, very informative and thorough. Had a guy buy a 12oz can of Freon for his AC. From my experience the low side pressure line port is smaller than the high side. He hooked it up to the smaller port but the gage showed in the red! I figured he over charged his system. I then noticed the high port and low port were on the same line only separated by a coupling. He did although get the entire can into the system. Can you explain please. Thanks in advance.
@crudeoilsystems Glad you like it, thanks for the comment.
nice to see this for the first time Eric
Good auto AV overview. Thanks Erik. Fine job!
@YTBYTBTB Glad you liked it, thanks for your comment.
greatly informative video, dumbed down just enough, thanks dude, great work.
One of the bestest video about AC system thanks
Thanks a lot for this video. I studied mechanical engineering for 5 years and I got 3-5 courses but I can not explain it as simple as you simplified it in the sprayer example.
Nice explanation. Thank you. What is the role of condenser fan in the system? Is it just to make the process of throwing heat out faster?
@spelunkerd At the moment I don't have a recovery machine and as a result I take it to a friends shop for evacuation if I need to. I'm not sure what you would need besides what you described for recovery but I know that recovery machines also have filters in them as well. When working at the dealer we actually reused some of the R134 and I don't recall them ever emptying the tank. With this in mind you might consider the machine to save on the cost of refrigerant.
Your analogy with the duster can made so much sense.
Hi Eric,Great video.I have a question maybe you can help me with,I know you can. I have an '80 camaro z-28 and it has that radial 8 ,huge compressor on it.Can you advise me as to how to change it over to the lighter sanyo type? I think I got the components named right.The comp. that's on the car is way too BIG and heavy.I would like to be able to enjoy cold air while cruising without the extra weight.Thank You.
3 years ago today, you uploaded a video to help me on this day. Awesome.
Good video with a lot of useful info.I agree that this is one area that's best left to the pro's.It's way to easy for things to go wrong and turn bad and if you're not ready for it you can get into a world of trouble.That is not the way to spend a weekend.I've been a tech for 35 years and I admire someone who does there own repairs,but some things are best left alone unless you have all the right equipment to do it safely.
good video, and explination! I'll be installing AC units as part of my job on new vehicles, and I know nothing about them. This gave me a basic idea
I'm glad you liked it, I hope this helped you. To do AC work accurately and responsibly, you really need one of them there 4 thousand dollar machines. I'm going to post a video on common AC problems in the not too distant future as well as a couple of AC "tip" videos.
ETCG
Yo Eric...thanks again on the breakdown...ima save & show this cool video to strike more intrest for my son to get into it aswell...
very good advice and explanation, its true if your not a professional dont touch your system components because you can not only damage your system or the enviroment but you could also hurt yourself . and also as soon as you open the system moisture contamination becomes a big issue as the oils used with the refrigerant act something like silica gel . it absorbs a bitchload of moisture. im an HVAC student gonna get certified in december.
It was helpful. My Honda CRV (110K) air conditioning is at about 30-40% efficient/cold. My Saturn (125K) is still near 80% of it's coldest.
Glad to know that I should let a shop do this.
Damn those special tools. :D So many people make a mess of things when they think they "do not" need special tools.
@jsdhesmith2011 I'm glad you liked the video, thanks for the comment.
@jiujitsukiller9 I'm very happy to be your study guide. I'm actually working on making more like this too to cover electricity and engine performance issues. Thanks for the comment and good luck in school.
Great video as always Eric!
LOL good opening.
The major reason of A/C failure is not using it during cold seasons. This leads to dried up seals/O-rings, which releases refrigerant (intentional release is illegal in many states). Newer cars probably don't have this trouble as much, since DEFROST automatically turns on the compressor.
Some recharge kits are available, but I still recommend having it done by a shop.
Eric thank you so very much for making these videos!!
On my *99 Civic HX*, I just replaced the AC compressor belt, that had been missing for several years...
Then when I cranked up the car, sure enough the AC blew super cold, just as I had hoped it would.
Then, went to show my wife how great I am, it still worked great, ice cold for about a half an hour or so.
Then, inexplicably, it stopped blowing cold, despite the *Green AC Button Light* being on.
So checked under the hood, to see if the *Compressor Clutch* was engaging, sure enough, it was not, despite the *Condenser Fan* coming on when it should.
So to recap, the *Compressor Clutch* should engage whenever the *Condenser Fan*
comes on, yet it does not now despite doing so earlier in the day.
Or is this symptomatic of a system that simply needs to be recharged?
Any ideas?
*THANKS IN ADVANCE SIR !!*
Great speech man,very clear and esay to get the first time. Keep up the great work. Thanks
excellent video Mr Eric the car guy. But you got one little teeny weeny part of the expansion valve wrong. when you press the button on that pressurized can, the liquid inside evaporates and thus wants to absorb heat. the same thing happens when the refrigerant passes through that thermostatic expansion valve at the inlet of the evaporator coil
Great video man ... i love all your stuff
Love these old RUclips videos.
@MARCOZR1 It's probably mildew on the evaporator. They make products to spray into the vents to help with this, they work for the most part but if you have a persistent problem you would need to remove the evaporator and clean it with soap and water as well as clean the inside of the HVAC system.
thanks sharing good information with us...
I have one question how I convert LS 600 ( witch is hebird vehicle )
battery to engine mod at idle position ???
Hey Eric, good video, explained clearly for dummies like me, thanks.
great video. i have watched many videos about AC and so far i have found two that tell you using a heat sensor gun to find out where the blockage is located(great) however no videos on how to remove the refrigerant to a container because it can be reused once the blockage is fixed. like whatatay T said they charge you an arm and a leg and still does not work properly, next is the dealer and those guys are expensive. I like to learn so i will do it myself. thanks for your advice though.
This is awesome, thanks! I got the big picture now.
Thank you very much for posting!
Awesome explanation
intro, tooo funny...yah, I was feelin it vicariously,lol....sooo glad you did this...thank you!! I will be rewatching this over and over but I actually understood alot which is mind boggling. ~Raven
I replaced my compressor, dryer (accumulator) and the condenser last summer. It was a lot of work especially with the condenser and getting the vacuum pump and gauges to refill the system. Wouldn’t recommend but it did go from $1000 that a shop told me to like $350 after I returned the things I rented. I hadn’t ever done it before, and now I feel like I can do about anything car related but all I can say is to take your time and read up on how to do it if you choose. Plan to spend more than it looks.
Eric, thanks a lot for this great video (as always). Each time I try to charge my 2000 protege using the one gauge kit and I connect it to the lower line, turn the ac to max, the pressure goes up to 70 psi even if the system pressure is 0 before releasing 4 oz can,. The ac even after recharging still doesn’t blow cold air. Any idea? Btw the clutch got engage as soon as the the pressure reached the blue range (20 psi)
Great video. I remember,I saw a little light bulb mounted on the evaporator,if im not mistaken. What does it do?
Great video.
I have installed a Vintage Air system in my 68 Chevy pickup. I am having the system charged on Monday. I have a concern about any debris or moisture left in the system. Is there anything that can be done about that?
This video really wasn't meant to cover much beyond basic AC operation,I wanted to keep it sort. I think I will make one or two in the future about some problems associated with AC to cover topics like fan operation. I love your comments Les, it's like your my editor. :D
Thx for the information very well illustrated 👍
i still cant believe there is two dislikes on this video, thanks eric, u are a teacher to a million ppl
we love your demonstration on the first level that you spotted us with a spray can experiment .... there we got the principal
thks
very helpful...and easy to understand...
hey uh, my a/c spits our some nasty air when it starts running and the metal parts in my dash are rusting a bit. now i remember you saying something about that and said youd put a video up for that. this would help me out a lot. seriously. your my go to guy when it comes to cars
Eric, any idea what a typical coolant flow rate is for a passenger car? I need a flow rate for a CO2 system in order to calculate thermal heat transfer coefficients.
@lenzposa Thanks for the comment and good luck on your test.
Hi Eric, thank you for the great AC tutorial;
On BMW M3 E46 2001 i can only locate one AC charging valve so not possible to hook up both high and low site gauges...any ideas??? thanks
@whoyadady Like with most AC problems you have a leak and you need to address that before you can fill the system again. In addition if it's been empty for a while you need to put a receiver dryer on it as well as vacuum down the system before charging.
Nice video eric....very good explanation..Thankful to you verymuch