Portland Auto Repair

You hit the A/C button, hear a little click under the hood, and wait for that blast of cold air. When the compressor is healthy, it all happens so smoothly that you barely notice. When it starts to fail, though, the system usually gives you a few subtle hints long before it stops cooling completely. Why the A/C Compressor Matters More Than You Think The compressor is the heart of your A/C system. Its job is to pressurize the refrigerant and push it through the condenser, lines, and evaporator so heat can be pulled out of the cabin. If it cannot build the right pressure or it stops engaging, the rest of the system has nothing to work with. Inside the housing are pistons or scrolls, valves, and seals that rely on proper lubrication and correct refrigerant charge. Once those parts start wearing out, you get poor cooling, strange noises, or intermittent operation. From our side of the bay, most “no cold air” complaints on hot days involve the compressor or s ... read more