NAME INTAKE SUBJECT CODE LECTURER

KUMARESAN A/L MANIAM 1304C 1302 MR. HARUN

1) Describe the main differences between air conditioning and climate control. Explain the advantages of climate control compared to air conditioning?

Most modern cars come with air conditioning as standard. You may think climate control is the same thing but it is not! The two systems work in different ways, and theres a price difference between them as a result (air con is cheaper than climate control). Air conditioning cools air and allows the inside of the car to be colder than the outside. This is why cars with air con are so welcome in summer as the sun blazes, chilled air from a compressor offsets it within the car. To get the maximum blast of air conditioned flow, press the air con button (usually depicted by a snowflake-like symbol) and turn the temperature dial to C or the blue zone of its range. If you want it warmer, turn it towards H or the red zone: this gradually mixes in warmer air with the air conditioned charge. As ambient temperatures, the amount of sunshine and even the speed of the car all change, youll need to alter the temperature dial to maintain an even temperature inside the car. This means drivers have to sometimes adjust it quite frequently and 2

this can even lead to battles with their passengers who prefer a different temperature! Even so, air con is invaluable: it is why you now rarely see modern cars with their windows down when the sun is shining. Whereby, Climate control still cools the air in summer, but does so intelligently. You set a specific temperature on the dial (say, 22 degrees) and a computer uses sensors to vary air con output to maintain this.No matter if it is +30 degrees or -10 degrees outside, the interior of your car will always be kept at the temperature you set. It does this by smartly blending cold and warm air, constantly adjusting the balance to maintain an interior climate. Its real set and forget stuff some owners say they set the temperature once, when they had the car new, and havent touched it again in all the time they've owned it. Climate control also often offers dual zone control: the passenger can set a different temperature zone to the driver. Really expensive cars have multi-zone control, so those in the back can create their own temperature cocoon too.For this reason, climate control is more expensive than standard air con. It requires sensors, digital displays and complicated algorithms to juggle fan speed, temperature flow and air con usage.There is an added benefit to climate control though it has the potential to save you money. Because it only uses the air con when needed, it may consume less power than standard dumb air con which simply runs unchecked all the time. Some modern climate control systems also have an economy setting that do all the climate-controlling work without using the air con system (or using it only minimally). The car wont be as cold in summer but you probably wont notice when its colder and youll save a lot more fuel as you go, too.

2) Describe the purpose of the following with illustrations: a) Condenser The function of the condenser is to act as a heat exchanger to dispel the heat energy contained in the refrigerant. Superheated vapour enters the condenser at the top and subcooled liquid leaves the condenser at the bottom. The condenser must be highly efficient but as compact as possible. The pressure and temperature has been raised by the compressor. There is a need to lower the temperature of the heat laden refrigerant to change it back into a liquid enabling it to act as a cooler again later in the system. To do this the refrigerant flows into the condenser as a vapour and gives off heat to the surrounding area and most of the refrigerant (depending on system load) condenses back into a liquid which then flows into the receiver/drier. The condenser is located at the front of the vehicle where strong air flow through its core can be achieved when the vehicle is in motion. To aid the removal of heat when the vehicle is stationary or at a low speed the condenser is fitted with a single or double fan system. Shrouds are often used to direct the air flow over the surface of the condenser.

Function of Condenser

Condenser b) Evaporator The evaporator is very similar in construction to a condenser. An evaporator will have a serpentine,tube and fin or parallel type construction.The function of an evaporator is to provide a large surface area to allow the warm often humid air to flow through it releasing its heat energy to the refrigerant inside. The refrigerant by this time will have just had a large pressure and temperature drop coming through the expansion/fixed orifice valve causing it to want to boil and just requiring the heat energy to do so.The evaporator absorbs the heat energy from the air flowing over its surface.The energy is transferred and the refrigerant reaches saturation point. At this point the refrigerant can still absorb a small amount of heat energy.The refrigerant will do so and become superheated. The superheated refrigerant will then flow to the compressor (TXV system) or accumulator (FOV system). The evaporator is extremely cold at this stage and any moisture in the air flowing through the evaporator will adhere to the evaporators surface.The water droplets on the surface help clean the incoming air by trapping dirt and foreign particles. The humidity content is also reduced so cleaner drier air is delivered to the interior of the vehicle.This improves the comfort level especially in high humid conditions and allows perspiration to evaporate more quickly.The moisture drips off the evaporators surface into a drain which directs it to the outside 5

of the vehicle via a duct. Dehumidified air is very effective for window defogging due to a large number of passengers in a vehicle and/or humid conditions.

Condenser

Location of an evaporator inside the heater box

c) Compressor This compressor is constructed from the components shown in the illustration. The piston completes a 360 cycle when power from the engine causes the shaft and swash plate to rotate. One piston is comprised of cylinders on both sides. The ends of the piston intake pressurize and discharge refrigerant.

In the cylinder shown in the right of the illustration, the suction valve is opened when the piston moves to the left. The pressure difference between the suction shaft within the housing and inside the cylinder causes refrigerant to enter the cylinder through the suction valve. Conversely, when the piston moves to the right, the suction valve is closed and the refrigerant is pressurized. Continued pressurization increases the pressure of the refrigerant in the cylinder, causing the discharge valve to open. The refrigerant then flows to a high-pressure pipe. (The suction and discharge valves prevent flow back of the refrigerant.)The balance of characteristics and reliability in this compressor make it suitable in a wide-range of vehicles around the world, such as small vehicles, mini-vans, large busses, and construction equipment. d) Expansion valve To control the amount of refrigerant volume flowing through the evaporator a metering device must be used. The function of the metering device is to separate the high pressure and low pressure side of the system. It also helps to meter the volume of refrigerant and hence the cooling capacity of the evaporator. Expansion valve also helps to ensure that there is superheated refrigerant exiting the evaporator. Currently there are two main categories of metering device used, a Thermostatic Expansion Valve (TXV or TEV) and a Fixed Orifice Valve (FOV). The pressure drop across the evaporator is used to determine which type of valve is the most appropriate. Simple airconditioning systems will generally use only one of these metering devices. 7

Dual air-conditioning systems may use both a TXV and an FOV within the system.

Thermostatic Expansion Valve

e) Receiver / drier Receiver/driers (also sometimes called filter/driers or receiver/dehydrators) look like small metal cans with an inlet and outlet. They are only used in A/C systems that use expansion valves. Receiver/driers are located in the highpressure section of the system, usually in the plumbing between the condenser outlet and the expansion valve inlet, although some may be connected directly to the condenser. They act as a temporary storage containers for oil and refrigerant when neither are needed for system operation (such as during periods of low cooling demand). This is the receiver function of the receiver/drier. Most receiver/driers contain a filter that can trap debris that may be inside the A/C system. Receiver/driers contain a material called desiccant. The desiccant is used to absorb moisture (water) that may have gotten inside the A/C system during manufacture, assembly or service. Moisture can get into the A/C components from humidity in the air. This is the drier function of the receiver/drier.

Operation of a Receiver drier

f) Accumulator An accumulator is used when an FOV metering device is used. The accumulator is fitted between the evaporator and the compressor. The function of the accumulator is to ensure that the refrigerant leaves the accumulator as a vapour and not a liquid state for the compressor to induce. It also helps ensure it is free from dirt to stop any excessive wear or premature failure of components. Accumulator remove moisture ensuring no ice can form on any components within the system which may cause a blockage and to ensure no internal corrosion can form. Accumulator act as a temporary reservoir to supply the system under varying load conditions and add lubricating oil for system components like the compressor.

Accumulator g) Lines and hoses To carry refrigerant between the air conditioning system components, special types of hoses and pipes must be used. They must be capable of withstanding the high pressures and temperatures that are found inside the system, as well as being able to flex and withstand the vibrations and movement of the engine. Hoses are used to connect the inlet and outlet ports of the compressor to the air-conditioning system. The hose connections are crimped to the hose and use special unions that must be carefully assembled to avoid leaks. Pipes are rigid tubes of metal often found connecting components that are fixed to the body of the vehicle. All pipes must have

properly formed bends and must be secured to the vehicle body to prevent fatigue cracks. The connections can be made with flared flanges, or threaded unions that are welded to the pipe.

h) Blower motor The AC Blower Motor works in conjunction with the AC Evaporator to remove heat and cool your vehicle's interior. The AC blower motor is usually located underneath the dash and connected to ducting where it pulls-in the warm air from the vehicles interior and pushes it across the cool coils and fins of the AC Evaporator. As the warm air is drawn across the evaporator coils, heat is collected by the refrigerant inside the coils and at the same time, the air is cooled by the coils before it re-enters the car's interior. As is the case with all other AC Components, the Blower Motor must be in operable condition for the AC System to function properly.

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i) Ambient temperature sensor The cabin air temperature is continually measured by the cabin air temperature sensor. When the cabin air temperature has been changed to be within 2C or 35F of the desired selection, the fan speed is gradually reduced. When placed in automatic mode, the electronic control unit uses the last operator desired cabin setting. For this example 24C [or 75.2F]. The electronic control unit checks the temperature of the outside air - called the ambient air temperature. This is registered by the ambient air temperature sensor at 28C [or 82.4F]. The car is parked in bright sunlight so the radiation from the sun has heated the cabin air temperature to 45C [or 113F]. The sun load sensor registers that the vehicle is in bright sunlight. When the engine has started and the climate control system is functioning, the electronic control unit switches on the air-conditioning compressor and increases the speed of the interior ventilation fan. Air is drawn into the fan either from outside the vehicle, or from within the cabin. The air then flows through the air-conditioning evaporator core where heat is removed. The cold air-conditioned air is directed by flaps and ducts throughout the cabin of the vehicle, absorbing heat from the vehicle cabin and occupants, and thus lowering the temperature. The cabin air temperature is continually measured by the cabin air temperature sensor. When the cabin air temperature has been lowered to within approximately 2C [or 35.6F] of the desired selection, the fan speed is gradually reduced. To achieve final control the heater circuit may be opened and a blend door may be moved to direct some of the cold air-conditioned air through the heater core to provide fine temperature control. Both the fan speed and blend door openings are variable.

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j) Solar sensor The solar sensor is placed on top of the dashboard. It measures mainly infrared radiation (heat radiation). In the event of an increase in solar radiation and an outside temperature exceeding 15C the ACC control module increases the ventilation fan speed since more cold air must be supplied. The fan speed is immediately changed in the event of a change in the solar radiation. The fact that the solar sensor measures mainly heat radiation means that it cannot be tested with fluorescent light, only sunlight or light from a bulb must be used. k) Interior temperature sensor Precise regulation requires temperature sensors that record the temperature of the air stream as far as possible in every air outlet designed to carry air to the feet or body of the driver and passengers in order to enable an automatic regulation process. The temperature sensors should ideally measure the average temperature of the air current. An integral sensor measures the temperature over the entire length of its metal plate, thus recording a good reference value and giving it a critical advantage over point sensors that measure the temperature only at specific spots. Because of the difficulty of predicting the air currents due to the various temperatures it is almost impossible to define a corresponding reference point for a point sensor. l) High Pressure switch A single normally closed pressure switch de-energises the compressor if excessive high pressure exists within the A/C system, approximately 3035 bar .The switch is normally positioned in the high side of the system. m) Low pressure switch Reacts to the pressure in the low side (suction side) of the system, generally the accumulator and disengages the compressor clutch if the pressure drops below approximately 1.5 bar. On an FOV system the low pressure switch and cycling switch are often the same device.

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3) Describe the TWO refrigerants commonly found in automotive air conditioning systems and explain the difference. The refrigerant used for many years in automotive air-conditioning systems is a substance known as Dichlorodifluoromethane - commonly referred to as Freon or R-12. It is one of a group of gases called CFC's. R-12 has the following properties. It is non-flammable, non-toxic, is stable at all temperatures, does not react with aluminum, steel or copper, and it is soluble in mineral oils.It also has a low boiling point and vaporizes at minus 30C. However it was found to be harmful to the environment and a number of alternative refrigerants were considered to replace R-12. The most practical of these being a liquid known as R-134-A. R-134-A is a refrigerant suitable for use in automotive air-conditioning systems. It is an HFC or Hydrofluorocarbon. It does not contain the ozone depleting Chlorine atom. R-134-A has a boiling point of minus 26.2C. All its other refrigerant characteristics are similar to R-12. The only difference being that its operating pressures and temperatures in the evaporator and condenser are slightly higher than for R-12. There are important differences in their chemical properties. Unlike R-12, R-134-A is not soluble in mineral oils, so new compressor lubricating oils have been developed. To prevent the wrong lubricant or refrigerant being installed during servicing the service ports on air-conditioning systems have been changed so that the service equipment for an R-12 system cannot be connected to an R-134A system.

4) Describe the effect of refrigerants to the environment Fluorocarbon refrigerants impact the environment in two main ways: ozone layer depletion and global warming. i) Ozone Depletion Potential of Refrigerants (Fluorocarbons).

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Destruction of the ozone layer allows more harmful ultraviolet rays to reach the Earth's surface, resulting in the increase of skin cancer and other problems.The ozone depletion potential (ODP) is the ratio of the potential impact on ozone of a chemical compared to the impact of the same mass of CFC-12, with the latter having an impact of 1. Since CFCs contain no hydrogen in molecules, they are stable in the atmosphere. This means they cannot be easily broken down until they reach the stratosphere and thus have a high ODP. Since they contain hydrogen in molecules, HCFCs can be broken down relatively easily in the atmosphere and thus have a low ODP. Since they contain no chlorine or bromine, HFCs have an ODP of zero.

CFCs

HCFCs

HFCs

ii)

Global warming refers to a phenomenon in which infrared rays are absorbed by molecules in CO2 and methane, as well as air conditioner refrigerants like CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs. This prevents heat from escaping the Earth's surface.

The Earth radiates infrared rays from being warmed by the sun's rays in the daytime.

These infrared rays should be absorbed in outer space, but before they get there they are instead absorbed within the Earth's atmosphere.

The Earth's surface gets warmer.

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5) Explain the procedures of retrofitting and describe what is retrofitting. The term "retrofit" describes special procedures required to convert an R-12 system to use an alternative refrigerant. Below are the procedures : Conversion from R12 to R134a 1. If the R12 vehicle air-conditioning system is optional, run it at idle with the A/C blower on high speed for 5 minutes to maximise the amount of oil in the compressor. 2. Recover all R12 refrigerant from the vehicles A/C system. 3. Remove the compressor from the vehicle. 4. Remove the compressor oil plug and then drain as much mineral oil as possible from the compressor body. 5. Drain mineral oil from the cylinder head suction and discharge ports while turning the shaft with a socket wrench on the clutch armature retaining nut. 6. Remove the existing R12 receiver-drier or accumulator-drier from the vehicle and discard. Allow as much oil as possible to drain from the A/C hoses. 7. Change any O-rings on the receiver-drier or accumulator-drier joints to approved HNBR O-rings; replace any other O-rings that have been disturbed. 8. Replace the receiver-drier or accumulator-drier with a new R134a compatible one containing XH7 or XH9 desiccant. 9. If a CCOT system is being repaired due to compressor damage, or foreign material is found in the oil drained from the system, this foreign material must be removed from the system. At this time an inline filter should be installed in the liquid line. Allow as much oil as possible to drain from the A/C lines when installing the filter. Change any O-rings disturbed in the installation of the filter to approved HBNR O-rings. 10. Perform any necessary repairs to the compressor or A/C system. 11. Using the original refrigerant oil quantity specification, add SP-20 or SP-10 oil to the compressor (SP-10 for TR, SDV-710, SDB-705, SDB-706 and SDB-709; SP20 for all other SD compressors). 15

12. Replace the compressor oil plug O-ring with an HNBR O-ring. 13. Reinstall the compressor oil plug. The plug seat and O-ring must be clean and free of damage.Torque the plug to 1115 ft lb (1520Nm, 150200 kgf cm). 14. Change any seals at the compressor ports to approved HNBR seals. 15. the compressor to the A/C system. Evacuate the A/C system for at least 45 minutes to a vacuum of 29 inHg, using R12 equipment, to remove as much R12 as possible from the residual mineral oil. 16. Remove all R12 service equipment and disable the R12 service fittings to prevent any refrigerant other than R134a from being used. Permanently install R134a quick connect service fittings to the A/C system. 17. Connect R134a service hoses and other equipment. Re-evacuate the system for 30 minutes using the R134a equipment. 18. Charge the A/C system with R134a. Generally, about 5% (by weight) less than the R1 charge amount is required. Leak check the system per SAE J1628 procedure. 19. If the A/C system is a CCOT type, which has been repaired due to damage or the discovery of foreign material in the oil drained from the system, run the system for 60 minutes to capture this material in the filter installed in step 9. Recover the refrigerant, remove and dispose of the filter, reconnect the lines, evacuate for at least 45 minutes, and recharge the A/C system. This step should not be necessary for TXV systems, since the drier is fitted with an internal filter. 20. Check the A/C system operating parameters. The system should function correctly within acceptable limits of temperatures and pressures. This will ensure that the correct amount of R134a has been charged. 21. In extreme circumstances when expected cooling performance cannot be achieved and high discharge pressures are experienced, it may be necessary to add more condensing capacity to the A/C system. An electric fan(s) and/or larger capacity condenser can be used. 22. Replace all R12 compressor labels with retrofit labels per SAE J1660 in order to provide information on the R134a retrofit which has been performed.

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6) Describe the safety precautions of air conditioning with illustrations. i) HFC-134a AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM

Component parts of the cooling system, refrigerant, compressor oil, and other parts are not the same for the HFC-134a system and the older CFC-12 system. Do not interchange parts or liquid. Vehicles with HFC-134a air conditioning systems, use only HFC-134a parts that are indicated on a label (A) attached to the vehicle. Before performing any maintenance, verify the type of air conditioning system installed in the vehicle.

ii)

Do not handle refrigerant in an enclosed area or near an open flame. Always wear eye protection Be careful not to get liquid refrigerant in your eyes or on your skin If liquid refrigerant gets in your eyes or on your skin. (a) Wash the area with lots of cool water. CAUTION : Do not rub your eyes or skin. (b) Apply clean petroleum jelly to the skin. (c) Go immediately to a physician or hospital for professional treatment.

iii) iv)

v) vi) vii)

Never heat container or expose it to naked flame Be careful not to drop container and not to apply physical shocks to it Do not operate compressor without enough refrigerant in refrigerant system. 17

If there is not enough refrigerant in the refrigerant system oil lubrication will be insufficient and compressor burnout may occur, so take care to avoid this,

necessary care should be taken. viii) Do not open high pressure manifold valve while compressor is operating If the high pressure valves opened, refrigerant flows in the reverse direction and could cause the charging cylinder to rupture, so open and close the only low pressure valve. ix) Be careful not to overcharge system with Refrigerant If refrigerant is overcharged, it causes problems such as insufficient cooling, poor fuel economy, engine overheating etc.

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7) Describe the procedure of the following with illustrations. A. Performance testing 1. Confirm that vehicle and environmental conditions are as follows. Vehicle is not exposed to direct sun. Ambient temperature is within 15 35C (59 95F). 2. Make sure that high pressure valve (1) and low pressure valve (2) of manifold gauge set (3) are firmly closed. 3. Connect high pressure charging hose (4) to high pressure service valve (5), and connect low pressure charging hose (6) to low pressure service valve (7). 4. Bleed the air in charging hoses (4), (6) by loosening their respective nuts on manifold gauge set (3), utilizing the refrigerant pressure. When a hissing sound is heard, immediately tighten nut.

5. Warm up engine to normal operating temperature (engine coolant temperature at 80 90C (176 194F)) and keep it at specified idle speed. (Radiator cooling fan should not be working when checking temperature.) 6. Set A/C switch to ON position, blower speed selector at H (4th posi tion), temperature selector at COOL, air flow selector at FACE and air intake selector at RECIRCULATION. (Confirm that A/C compressor and condenser cooling fan are working.) Keep all windows, doors and engine food open. 7. With dry bulb thermometer (1) inserted into center ventilation louver and another one set near recirculation air inlet, read temperature indicated on each thermometer.

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8. Check for each pressure of low side and high side if it is within shaded range of graph. If each gauge reading is out of specified pressure, correct defective part referring to PERFORMANCE DIAGNOSIS TABLE in this section.
Performance diagnosis condition

9. Check for crossing point of center ventilation louver air temperature and recirculation air inlet temperature if it is within shaded range of graph. For example, if inlet temperature is 25C (75F) and center ventilation louver temperature is 8C (46F), their crossing point is within acceptable range as shown in graph. If crossing point is out of acceptable range, diagnose trouble referring to PERFORMANCE DIAGNOSIS TABLE in this section.

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B. Evacuation and charging of refrigerants Evacuation Procedures 1. Connect high charging hose (1) and low charging hose (2) of manifold gauge set (3) respectively as follows : High charging hose (1) High pressure charging valve (4) on condenser outlet pipe Low charging hose (2) Low pressure charging valve (5) on suction pipe 2. Attach center charging hose (6) of manifold gauge set (3) to vacuum pump (7). 3. Operate vacuum pump (7), and then open discharge side valve (Hi) (8) of manifold gauge set (3). If there is no blockage in the system, there will be an indication on high pressure gauge (9). In this case, open the other side valve (Lo) (10) of the set and repair the system. 4. Approximately 10 minutes later, low pressure gauge (11) should indicate 10 kpa (1.0 kg/cm2, 760 mmHg, 14.7 psi) providing no leakage exists.

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NOTE: If the system does not indicate 10 kpa (1.0 kg/cm2, 760 mmHg, 14.7 psi), close both valves, stop vacuum pump and watch movement of low pressure gauge. Increase in the gauge reading suggests existence of leakage. In this case, repair the system before continuing its evacuation. If the gauge shows a stable reading (suggesting no leakage), continue evacuation. 5. Evacuation should be carried out for a total of at least 15 minutes. 6. Continue evacuation until low pressure gauge (9) indicates 10 kpa ( 1.0 kg/cm2, 760 mmHg, 14.7 psi) and then close both valves (8), (10) 7. Stop vacuum pump (7). Disconnect center charging hose (6) from pump inlet. Now, the system is ready for charging refrigerant. Checking system for pressure leaks
After completing the evacuation, close manifold gauge high pressurevalve and low pressure valve and wait 10 minutes. Verify that low pressure gauge reading has not changed. CAUTION: If the gauge reading moves closer to 0, there is a leak somewhere. Inspect the tubing connections, make necessary corrections, and evacuate system once again, making sure that there are no leaks.

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 Procedure of charging of refrigerants CAUTION: Always charge through low pressure side of A/C system at after the initial charging is performed from the high pressure side with the engine stopped. Never charge to high pressure side of A/C system with engine running. Do not charge while compressor is hot. When installing tap valve to refrigerant container to make a hole there through, carefully follow directions given by manufacturer. A pressure gauge should always be used before and during charging. The refrigerant container should be emptied of refrigerant when discarding it. The refrigerant container should not be heated up to 40C (104F) or over. Refrigerant container should not be reversed in direction during charging. Reversing in direction causes liquid refrigerant to enter compressor, causing troubles, such as compression of liquid refrigerant and the like. NOTE: The air conditioning system uses HFC-134a (R-134a). Described here is a method to charge the air conditioning system with refrigerant from the refrigeran service container. When charging refrigerant recovered by using the refrigerant and recycling equipment (when recycling refrigerant), follow the procedure described in the equipment manufacturers instruction manual.

Procedure : Charge proper amount of refrigerant accurately in accordance with the following procedure. Specified amount of refrigerant : 500 30 g (17.65 1.05 oz) The initial charging of the A/C system is performed from the high pressure side with the engine stopped. And next, this method must be followed by charging from the low pressure side with the engine running. 1. Check to make sure that hoses are routed properly after evacuating the system. 2. Connect Low charging hose (1) and High charging hose (2) of the manifold gauge set (3) in position. Thus open refrigerant container valve (4) to purge the charging line. 3. Open the high pressure side valve (5) and charge refrigerant to system. 4. After a while, open the low pressure side valve (6) and close the high pressure side valve (5). 23

WARNING: Make sure that high pressure side valve is closed securely. 5. Start engine and keep engine speed at 1500 r/min. Then, operate air conditioning at DEF or DEF/FOOT air flow mode. 6. Charge A/C system with refrigerant. At this time, refrigerant container (4) should be held upright. 7. Remove manifold gauge set as follows : WARNING: High pressure side is naturally under high pressure. So, care must be used to protect your eyes and skin. a) Close low pressure side valve of manifold gauge set. (The high pressure side valve is closed continuously during the process of charging.) b) Close refrigerant container valve. c) Stop engine. d) Using shop rag, remove charging hoses from service valves. This operation must be performed rapidly. e) Put caps on service valves.

Ilustration of charging of refrigerants procedure

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8) Describe in a specific manner the theme of intermittent problem.

If the air conditioning is blowing cold air before shooting out a warm breeze, the system may be freezing. Ice can build up in the system if there is too much moisture, causing the tubing to clog. Generally, air conditioning systems should only contain 2 percent of air by weight. Cooling performance is lowered when any more air is present. Special refrigerant identifier equipment is required to test for this. This can be expensive, however, and is better performed by mechanic. Electrical problems can also cause intermittent issues. Check that the AC control switch inside the car is working properly. If it feels loose, it may not be reading its setting properly. Also check the contacts behind the control box to make sure they are properly connected. Check the fuse box to see if any of the fuses connected with the air conditioning have blown out.

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