The air works fine in the early AM and evenings. What is the problem here? Prius AC is as strong as any other car I've owned. Air conditioner not working Chances are. But in the afternoon drive home, the A/C normally quits and I get hot air blown inside the cab. A/C doesnot work when its hot outside. Has anyone had this experience? (2007 Honda CR-V) AC works fine when air is cool. My air conditioner works well until the weather gets humid and above 90 degrees. There are several reasons that your AC will not cool on a hot day. after that i turned it back to cool and turned on the ac ( a few hrs into the day when the temp was rising) and it only blew hot air. Blower works fine, but only warm air blows from all vents. This occurs whether it's the air conditioning or the heater is switched on. If your A/C flip-flops from hot to cold and back again, your expansion valve could be failing. Air conditioner compressor is a significant part of any AC unit, which is placed outdoor and does the pumping of refrigerant through the system. Phoenix guy agrees 100%. When it gets hot outside it also causes the pressure to rise which can cause this issue. A number of problems can go wrong with a car’s air conditioning system, and it isn’t always a costly repair. The compressor on a car air conditioning system can break, which is the most costly repair on a car’s air conditioning system. It relies on the principle that expanded matter absorbs heat (it’s cold) and by removing the heat from the compressed refrigerant (matter heats up when compressed) and then expanding (chilling) it, it will by using a heat exchanger absorb the heat energy from the cabin. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled. However if you take it to a shop, that becomes their problem and not yours. But today I saw the outside temperature was about 55 degrees and I turned the A/C to the blue color (cold side) midway and it starting blowing warm air. The AC seems to be dependent on outside temperature: on very hot days ~95 degrees the AC will only work for ~5 minutes before blowing hot, 80 degree days the AC works longer, limited testing in cooler weather (at night ~60 degrees) AC always blows cold. High exterior temperature may be causing excessive low side pressure which will keep the compressor clutch from engaging. When I pull the car into my garage and let sit for a few minutes, AC works again. TLDR: AC not working when hot outside, but system is charged. Warm Air is Coming Out Instead of Cold. The fact that it sometimes blows nice cold air, doesn't drip water inside, has had the filters cleaned regularly, no ice build-up, and was serviced last year baffles me. And that heat has to be released to the ambient air, otherwise the whole process quickly comes to a halt. When I take the car out of garage the A/C cools well but as I start driving and if the weather outside is hot, the A/C stops cooling after some time. When the A/C does work it cools well. i have a 2000 Toyota, sienna, the ac was working super cool until something punctured the ac pipe under the car which supplies Freon to the back evaporator and all the gas leaked out. What to Do If Your Car Air Conditioner Stops Working October 7, 2015 In 1969, only 54% of domestic automobiles included air conditioning, and those of you who were around in the pre-AC days can attest to the sticky, sweltering discomfort of driving on a hot summer day. is high. . More than likely it’s low on refrigerant. I've had my baby for almost 22 years now, but this is a fairly new issue. The cooled refrigerant is then expanded to drop its temperature and sent back to the passenger cabin heat exchanger to once again absorb the cabin heat. This is done using the airflow that comes through the front of your car as you drive. I own a 2010 Ford fusion and have the problem that the car only blows hot air when it's hot outside. With A/C problems what really needs to be known are both the low and high side pressues; at idle and at elevated RPMs. When outside air is above 80 degrees, AC makes an intermitten humming sound and stops working. 5. Author: floodm   |, © Copyright 2019 Stonum Automotive Repair Longmont, A Hose May Be Loose Within the Air Conditioning System. 4. whenever the ac is blowing hot air, the fans were working and also the compressor was engaged and working. Like many other maintenance issues, the signs that the AC is failing may be hard to notice over the years, prompting many drivers to assume everything is fine. Blower works fine, but only warm air blows from all vents. This is an easy repair, and one that many car owners can do on their own. I never heard a follow-up story on what finally happened but I’d think 5 years in the pen and a 100 grand is a bit much; especially considering that many murderers don’t even get whacked that hard. The engine compartment fans are there to facilitate this heat transfer, so part of this diagnosis is for your AC shop to check that those engine compartment fans are working like they should. It can be very frustrating to have your car’s AC go out on you, especially on a hot day when you need it most. When I stop the car at a red light or just parked, hot air starts to comes in with some kind of clicking sound from engine (might be from this belt that I have seen that rotates then just stops and … Turn the air conditioning on while the car is running. When outside air is above 80 degrees, AC makes an intermitten humming sound and stops working. This will quickly cause the A/C unit to only expel hot air. Had symptoms sort of like what was described a while back, would seem cold if it was coolish outside, but no perceptible cooling when it was hot. December 17, 2015   |   If the day temperature is generally high and the garage is hot then the A/C will not cool right from the beginning. However,it doesn't seem to be dependent upon outside temperature.Today was very hot and humid and it worked at first,then stopped,then when TB reached 60mph,started working again. When a car’s air conditioning system doesn’t work, and the weather is hot, it’s time to find the right auto repair shop in Longmont, Colorado. You will save money by having the problem properly isolated and repaired. 5. The air conditioner won’t run properly unless your engine is running. That could point to a frozen evaporator. Sometimes, the compressor might completely stop working due to overheating, which is one of the most common problems plaguing an AC. I had my AC in my car flushed and a freon charge last summer. But when it is hot outside or the engine is hot (normal operating temp, not overheating) the a/c does not blow cold at all, compressor is not kicking on, air blowing out is at least 85-90 degrees. Its principle is simple. When the A/C does work it cools well. If this isn’t the case, the next car air conditioning troubleshooting tip is to see if there are any leaks. My comment about licensing was in reference to this, but as db pointed out not everyone out there is actually licensed. Sometimes they’ll just stop rotating b/c they are broke, but they can appear to be working but not rotating as fast as they should too. Driving around in a hot car all day can make it difficult on the driver, and the problem can be a rather inexpensive one. It engages fine a works for a while. A/C doesnot work when its hot outside. When the a/c is working, and compressor is kicking on, it will switch from max to regular a/c no problem & have no issues with changing the vents. It will be really hot to the touch it the fan isn’t working properly due to the motor overheating. The repair should be fast and inexpensive when there is just a loose hose. The A/C works great when it's, say, 70F outside. Science information about stratospheric ozone layer protecting humans and earth from ultraviolet (UV) rays, In all seriousness, many, perhaps most, of my colleagues had no idea you’re supposed to be 609 licensed in order to work on automotive ac systems, The shop owners probably know about the regulations, but I think in some instances they don’t bother to have their guys become certified. Make sure to have no water on the condenser while putting back on the ac unit again. Why does the air conditioner stop working in very hot weather but ... 38. Does it fail on the highway or in stop-and-go traffic? But when stopped in traffic AC stops working and will turn back on when car is running for a period of 15+mins in expressway. Solution: Due to the complex nature of the electronics in this system, an experienced and trained technician will need to evaluate the components to diagnose the true root … 2006 X3, 3.0i AC works perfectly up to about 80 degrees. With the A/C inoperative and after being parked, wait about 15 minutes and look underneath the car on the passenger side to see if there is a considerable puddle of water or condensation drip. This will let you clean small openings like car ac fins with proper pressure. AC systems work – not by cooling something directly – but by transferring heat from one place to another. However, in Parker Co the causes behind such overheating may differ. It will be working fine,driving along and then will stop cooling.If you then speed up,it can start to cool again. . And it will then not cool again till I park the car in a garage and the engine has cooled down. If the condenser is blocked by some type of debris from the road, then it will be unable to properly cool the refrigerant and your car’s system will continue to operate with overheated refrigerant. Answer. I could make a wild guess that the evaporator is freezing up and that can go back to pressures. The expansion valve distributes the proper amount of refrigerant to your evaporator. Try bleeding the system a bit while compressor is off. There’s nothing worse than being stuck in sticky humid weather when the AC unit fails to release cold air or stops working altogether. In the case of a car, the heat is transferred from a heat exchanger in the passenger compartment to a heat exchanger in the engine compartment. I bought a used car and its the first winter since I had this car. When it is really hot out mid-day and I make frequent stops it starts blowing hot air. '95 Jeep Wrangler A/C stops working when it's hot outside. Ozone Layer Protection | US EPA As a result, your car's AC could start to perform inconsistently, or even stop working altogether. This repair is more expensive than a loose hose, but it is still worth the repair costs to fix a broken ventilation fan. This is my wife's car so I'm rather baffled as to why this behavior is occurring. If this is the case, be sure to take it into a mechanic as quickly as you can. It might help readers to understand that cold does not travel, heat does, “heat” being a measurement of atomic activity. The fan that blows air from the cooling unit into the car can break, causing the cold air not to reach the inside of the car it is trying to cool. For the OP’s edification, we’re talking about the EPA’s regulations for handling refrigerants containing HFCs. When one doesn’t know a thing about air conditioners in a car, this can be done quickly at an auto repair shop by a mechanic. most of the guys I’ve worked with over the years were/are not, But it’s a very easy test to pass, so I don’t know what the big deal is, Presumably, there is a general lack of awareness. Depending on the age of the car, and how hot the area is in which it is driven will determine if fixing the compressor is worth it to the car owner. As you get in your car and turn on your AC, you probably expect it to be blowing hot air for the first minute or two until the system cycles through enough to cool it. Since heat flows faster if the temperature differences are greater, as the ambient temperature increases, it becomes harder and harder to transfer that heat in the engine compartment heat exchanger fast enough to the outside air. Someone ratted him out for illegally servicing the A/C on a company van. 2006 Honda Civic, 150k miles. The hot air problem on hot days started one morning when it was cold and i turned on the fan and raised the temperature to warm up the car. It is a split-system A/C unit and the compressor unit is on the balcony. Once the outside temp rises compressor stops engaging and AC start blowing hot air. When I take the car out of garage the A/C cools well but as I start driving and if the weather outside is hot, the A/C stops cooling after some time. This fan is the same one that works to blow hot air into the car during the cold winter months, so it’s essential to have the ventilation fan fixed. That helps clarify the entire process. An AC shop will have the expertise and equipment to do the job properly… and the license to work with the refrigerant. +1 to missileman’s post. It seems that once it gets hot outside, say over 90 degrees or so, and the car is sitting in the Texas sun the blower motor won't kick in. borisd89 in Newton Center, MA on July 09, 2014. When it is blowing hot air, the clutch on the compressor hasn’t engaged. To make it easier to record the information, download our air conditioning diagnostic sheet; this will guide you through the process. The refrigerant is then recompressed, and the heat from the passenger cabin along with the heat created by compressing the refrigerant is then transferred by the heat exchanger under the hood to the ambient air. Trying to fix this yourself will only lead to frustration. George, excellent explanation, but allow me to suggest it be reworded to say that the heat in the passenger compartment is transferred BY the heat exchanger to the expanded, cooler refrigerant in the AC system. Cold isn’t added to the cabin air, heat is removed. The best setting for diagnosis is “fresh air” (not recirculated) with the air blowing out of the center vents in the dash and the AC turned on. It only does this from June to Sept each year. We will test the pressure and use special dyes to pinpoint the leak. It is worth getting the air conditioning system checked out by a professional to determine why the system is broken before giving up on the repair completely. The list goes on and on. Why Has My Car’s AC Stopped Working? This type of repair is usually required on older cars, and some people find that it is not always worth fixing their compressor in order to have the air conditioner work again. If the compressor turns on then instantly stops it could be either you are lacking freon or there is too much in the line. Db, I’m inclined to think lack of awareness isn’t nearly as common as lack of willingness. AC works perfectly up to about 80 degrees. Regarding licensing, there was a story in the paper here about 15 years ago about a fleet mechanic in Kansas City who was about to be hammered for 5 years in prison and a 100 grand fine. If it’s hot in a situation of car air conditioner blowing hot air , then it’s an engine problem. I have a Subaru forrester 2009. A simple loose hose is all it takes for an air conditioning system to have a reduced flow of cold air. 1. If you over charge most compressors will turn off if it notices the pressure is above a certain limit. US EPA – 15 Feb 13 While the car is in movement A/C works fine in all weatheer conditions. Or if stop in a parking and AC is on, when you start moving it stops working. air-conditioning stops cooling when outside air temp. Turned out to be a compressor failure in progress. For me that helps to understand the process of heat being transferred from the cabin to the refrigerant and the refrigerant to the outside air. Hope, this guideline on how to fix car ac blowing hot air helped you out to get done with the issue of car ac blowing warm air intermittently. Inclined to think lack of awareness isn ’ t engaged him out for illegally servicing the A/C fine! 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