Dear Driving for Dollars, I don't know if I'm just getting old or what, but it seems like my car air conditioner takes forever to get cold. Is there any way to make it get colder faster? -- EddyDear Eddy,The reason for your problem probably isn't you getting old. It's likely that your car air conditioner is showing its age.Car air-conditioning units create cold air by using a system that takes liquid refrigerant and turns it into a gas, which in turn makes the air cold. After awhile, the refrigerant isn't as effective and the system needs to be recharged. It seems like the car isn't getting cold as fast because the air blowing into the car isn't as cold as it was when your car and air conditioner were new.You'll want to take your car to a franchised dealer for your car's brand or to an independent shop that specializes in car air-conditioning systems to have the system serviced. Be sure to call and ask for estimates and get a thorough description of what the shop is offering with the service, as prices and the exact service can vary widely from one shop to another.

.Get more news, money-saving tips and expert advice by signing up for a free Bankrate newsletter.Ask the adviserIf you have a car question, email it to us at Driving for Dollars. Read more Driving for Dollars columns and Bankrate auto stories. Follow her on Facebook here or on Twitter @SheDrives.Bankrate's content, including the guidance of its advice-and-expert columns and this website, is intended only to assist you with financial decisions. The content is broad in scope and does not consider your personal financial situation. Bankrate recommends that you seek the advice of advisers who are fully aware of your individual circumstances before making any final decisions or implementing any financial strategy. Please remember that your use of this website is governed by Bankrate's Terms of Use.Your car’s heating and cooling system operates using a few basic principles and some pretty rudimentary physics and chemistry concepts. However, that same system is constructed out of so many components that are buried within the hood and bowels of the vehicle that it’s sometimes difficult to know what may actually be causing a malfunction or performance problem.

Because it is so difficult to see every little thing going on with your car’s heating or AC, the best way to diagnose a problem is to rely on your senses and trust your instincts. There are many issues you may notice related to the system’s temperature and functionality. buy outside air conditioning unitThey are the least ambiguous to recognize as heating and cooling problems because they include things like the AC not blowing cool air when turned on or the heater not actually doing anything to warm the car when activated.natural gas powered ac unit The most common reason that a car air conditioner in otherwise good shape would start to blow hot or temperate air that is clearly not cooled, is due to a lack of coolant. why would my ac unit freeze up

Most often this means Freon, or whatever refrigerant your compressor uses to evaporate heat, has depleted. If your coolant was recently filled, revisit the shop that did the recharging to see if anything was overlooked. However, if you can say for certain that your level of coolant should be good, but you see that it now isn't, chances are you have an actual leak. If you have a leak, simply recharging the AC system won’t fix anything. Most of the time, your problem lies in at least one of the three big components or your AC system: the compressor, the evaporator, or the condenser. It also has a small metal can containing desiccant, which should be changed whenever the system is opened. The components are in different locations in the car, so there really is no such thing as replacing the whole air conditioner as many people think they have after a major repair. Depending on the vehicle, there are several feet of hard and flexible lines that can become damaged and cause a leak.

The best thing to do now is to have it evacuated and recharged with the addition of dye to aid in finding and sealing the leak. WARNING: It is especially important to deal with any electrical problems that may have occurred if there is a leak. Any fluid leak in your car's engine or electrical system can be dangerous and lead to larger problems. On the other side of the coin is heating. A malfunctioning thermostat could be the reason that your car is not heating up. For example, if you’re driving on a particularly cold day and the temperature display in your dashboard claims the motor hasn’t reached its operating temperature, it means your thermostat is stuck open. You can further test for this issue by seeing if the ventilation blows heat when the car is idling but not when you’re actually driving. By opening and closing, the thermostat helps keep the engine at correct operating temperature. When it goes bad, it will either stick open or closed. If it sticks open, your engine will be slow to warm up and won't stay at operating temperature.

If it were to stick closed, the car would overheat because the coolant can't flow to the radiator. Thankfully these thermostats are both cheap to replace and easy to access physically within the vehicle. Another issue that could leave you without car heat during the winter months is the heating coil, even if you’ve already flushed it out. Since turning the heater on removes heat from the cooling system, it actually cools the engine. Often, heater cores plug up again even after they are flushed. if it goes away, great. However, it may only be temporary. If it’s being particularly stubborn, there are products that claim to help flush cooling systems that you may want to try. Even when your vents are actually blowing cold air properly, if you hear something like repeated or intermittent clicking, it could indicate a problem. The air conditioner dries, as well as cools the air. This allows it to absorb the moisture (fog) as it blows over the glass and clears the windshield.

The clicking sound is a magnetic clutch, which allows the compressor to run or be turned off. The high or low limit switches usually cause the cycling of the compressor. These temporarily shut off the compressor to prevent damage to it. If this clicking and stopping occurs when the defroster is used as well, your problem is likely related to low pressure in the component. You should take it to a specialist and get a full diagnosis. These symptoms are easy to spot, as they usually affect what you see and do in the car’s cabin, but the solutions aren’t always straightforward If your controls are unresponsive and won’t switch between vent or defrost, for example, but the system is still functioning and blowing cool air, you need to find a way to reset the climate control head. It involves pressing and holding certain buttons, though the specifics vary from vehicle to vehicle. Try calling the local car dealer for details or consulting an online manual now that you have a specific goal.

TIP: If you’re concerned that a local dealer won’t want to give you such technical information over the phone when you have no intent of buying from them, tell them you are a tech from another local dealer working on a used car. If the system is functioning but your HVAC control speeds aren’t working, or if you’re unable to cycle between the “1” and “2” settings, it means your resister stack is bad. The blower motor resistor is located on the passenger side, under the dash. You need to remove the closeout panel under the glove box. Look up in there and you will see the blower motor, and just over and off to the left you will see the blower motor resistor. Two or three screws secure the heater box - they are 5.5mm (7/32). If your air conditioner stops working and you’ve already checked the compressor and recharged the coolant, it’s possible you may notice a colored discharge, sometimes blue or green. Unfortunately, this means you are leaking refrigerant from somewhere.

Do not be alarmed by the color. It’s likely just a UV dye that has been intentionally added so that you could detect leaks more easily. Alternatively, you may witness strange things being discharged inside the vehicle as well. If your vents ever start to blow out a white mist or vapor, check the vehicle’s undercarriage after you turn off the car from your drive. The mist you’re seeing is water vapor, and if the under carriage is dripping water, what you’re witnessing coming from the vent is essentially the cooling system making its own miniature clouds. If there is no water dripping underneath, then it means your drain tube is clogged and condensate is accumulating in the heating and air box. If you unclog the tube, the clouds should go away. An air conditioner giving off a stench of syrup or hot antifreeze should be a tip that there’s either mildew on the evaporator or something wrong with your heater core. An additional test you can run to be sure is to see if your windows fog up especially easy while you’re driving at night.