You may have heard that a automotive ac repair near you has a number of parts, but you might not know what they all do. Here's what makes up the air conditioning system of your car

1. HOW DOES A
CAR'S AIR
CONDITIONING
WORK?
SCOTT TIRE

2. How does a car's air
conditioning work?
The air conditioning system cools the air in your car. It uses a compressor,
condenser and evaporator to do so. The compressor compresses refrigerant gas into
a high-pressure liquid state; the condenser dissipates heat from this compressed gas;
and then an expansion valve releases some of that liquid back into its gaseous form
so it can flow through your car's vents--and keep you cool on hot days!

3. HOWDOESACAR'SAIR
CONDITIONINGSYSTEMWORK?
Air conditioning is a complex system that requires
several parts to work together in order for you to enjoy
the cool air on a hot day.
Here's how it works:
• The compressor, which is powered by the engine,
compresses refrigerant gas and forces it into an
expansion valve where its pressure drops. This
causes heat energy to be removed from the
refrigerant gas, which is then condensed into liquid
form by passing through coils filled with cold water
or other liquids such as freon (a mixture of
fluorocarbons).
• After being condensed, this liquid travels through
another valve where its pressure increases again
before returning back into its gaseous state inside
your car's cabin--and voila! You have cooled air
flowing through vents located throughout your
vehicle's interior! 3

4. THE
COMPONENTS OF
AN AUTOMOTIVE
AC SYSTEM
When you turn on your
car's AC, there are a
number of components
that work together to
provide cool air. These
include:
4
• Compressors
• Condensers

5. COMPRESSORS
Compressors are machines that use a
piston to compress refrigerant gas
into smaller volumes and increase its
pressure. The higher the pressure,
the more heat can be removed from
an evaporator (the cooling device).
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6. CONDENSERS
Condensers remove moisture from
compressor discharge gases so they can
be recycled back into the system as liquid
refrigerant. In other words, condensers
help keep things running smoothly by
keeping moisture out of them! They also
serve another important role: providing
heat in winter months by acting as an
engine block heater (EBH). Ebhs are
used when temperatures drop below
freezing outside so that your vehicle
doesn't start having problems like
freezing up or not starting at all due to
low temperatures affecting its systems'
ability to function properly
6

7. How DoesACar'sAir
ConditioningPumpWork?
• The compressor is the most important part of the
system. It's a high-capacity machine that
compresses refrigerant at a very high pressure,
which allows it to be cooled down and liquefied.
• The compressor is powered by an electric motor,
which draws power from your car battery or
alternator. If you notice that your air conditioning
isn't working as well as usual, check that your
battery hasn't died--that could cause problems
with your A/C!
• The compressor is usually located in the engine
compartment (behind where you sit), but some
newer models have compressors located
elsewhere on their undercarriages so they can be
cooled more efficiently or used more efficiently
elsewhere in the vehicle (like on trucks).
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8. How DoesACar'sAir
ConditionerCondenserWork?
The condenser is the part of the system that cools the
refrigerant. It's mounted to the front of your car and
looks like a finned tube with fins extending from it
(see picture).
The compressor pumps hot, high-pressure gas
through this tube and into your engine compartment
or trunk area. The heat transfers into air flowing
through the other side of this finned tube, cooling it
down so that it can condense back into liquid form
without overheating or freezing up.
When you turn on your ac in hot weather, coolant
circulates through all these parts:
• A/C compressor
• Condenser fan motor (if equipped)
• Expansion valve(s) * evaporator core
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9. THANK YOU
9
Scott Tire
973-772-3626
scotttire@yahoo.com
www.scotttires.com
If you have any questions about how a car's
air conditioning works, please contact us at
(973)-772-3626. We're here to help!