AWS Automotive offers a wide range of automotive HVAC repair services at our Ojai ~ Ventura auto repair shop. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system in your car or truck is designed to maintain a comfortable environment in the vehicle's interior when driving in and around Ojai ~ Ventura and provides the safety feature of defrosting your windows when operating your vehicle in difficult Ojai ~ Ventura driving conditions.

How does the heater work in my car? What does the ventilation system in my car do?

Unlike auto air conditioning, the heater and ventilation system is standard in all North American automobiles. Taking air in through a duct at the base of the windshield, the "flow through ventilation system" passes the air through a heater core before distributing it to the vehicle's interior via the dashboard vents. Vents in the rear of the auto serve to exhaust stale air from the interior when in motion. The heater core is actually a small radiator that is connected to the cooling system. The heated engine coolant warms air directed through the heater core. The temperature in the auto interior is regulated by controlling the coolant flow and/or by mixing colder air from outside the vehicle. Automatic or manual controls are then used to adjust the temperature and air flow inside the car.

How does the air conditioning work in my car?

The auto air conditioning system works in a very similar manner to those that cool homes and other buildings. A gas - such as freon - is placed into a system that is sealed. The gas is then heated as a result of being pressurized by a compressor. Once pressurized the heated gas then travels to the condenser where it gives off its heat to a flow of cool air and condenses to a liquid. This liquid is then transported to the receiver-dryer tank where the excess fluid is stored and any water removed. The liquid in the receiver-dryer tank then flows to the expansion valve which meters it into the air conditioning system's expansion valve inside the car. The cool, high pressure liquid then expands into a cold, low pressure gas. This evaporation process is what ultimately provides the passengers in the vehicle with a cool flow of air during the hot Ojai ~ Ventura summer months.

What can cause a car’s heater to stop working?

1. Low coolant level.
2. Thermostat is stuck open.
3. A defective control valve.
4. A plugged heater core caused by accumulated crud in the cooling system.
5. An inoperative airflow control or inlet door in the heater ducting or plenum. If the defrosters aren't working either, you've found the problem.
6. If the blower motor has no sound or air, it may be defective. Or, there may be an electrical problem such as a blown fuse, defective power relay, heater switch or resistor, or loose wire.
7. A pinched, kinked, or misrouted heater hose.
8. A weak water pump (one with badly eroded impeller blades), or one that doesn't turn fast enough because of a slipping drive belt.
9. An electric cooling fan that remains on all the time, or a clutch fan that's locked up and overcools the radiator (excessive fan "roar" at highway speeds would probably be noticeable).

What can cause a car’s air conditioner to stop working?

1. Overheating
2. Lack of air flow across the condenser
3. Low Freon levels
4. Loose or broken drive belt
5. Inoperative compressor or slipping compressor clutch
6. Defective expansion valve
7. Clogged expansion valve, receiver-drier or liquid refrigerant line
8. Blown fuse
9. Leaking component: any of the parts listed above or one of the A/C lines, hoses or seals
10. Low refrigerant charge
11. Clogged condenser
12. Clogged evaporator
13. Slow leak in system