Two clues to a condenser’s identity
August 24, 2021
There are two steps to determining what type of condenser is in a vehicle.Read Article >
What type of condenser is in that vehicle?
August 17, 2021
What type of condenser is in that vehicle? It's a frequent question in the mobile A/C industry.Read Article >
Mysterious servicing issue in R-1234yf systems
August 11, 2021
Recently a 2017 R-1234yf Honda system, with 72,099 miles, encountering a loss of cooling (slow leak) over time would not pass the equipment charge procedure and the production amount could not be charged.Read Article >
Field study: Incorrectly installed condensers
August 10, 2021
I have handled numerous tech calls involving older GM trucks with incorrectly installed condensers. In preparation for this series of MACS blogs, I discovered a salvage truck with one of these condenser repairs. This gave me the opportunity to duplicate the incorrect installation and look for pitfalls and solutions.Read Article >
Finding right side up
August 3, 2021
Most condensers have different fittings on the inlet and outlet. The locations of the inlet and outlet on most condensers will not allow lines to be connected incorrectly, even if the fittings do happen to be the same size. Lastly, the designs of the mounts on most condensers prevent a unit from being installed upside down. However, none of these characteristics apply to the condenser the technician had installed.Read Article >
Top three tips on orifice tube behavior
July 20, 2021
In the last four MACS blog articles we covered a lot of detailed information about orifice tube system behavior. We examined a system with a full refrigerant charge verses a 25% undercharge. Now it is time to condense it all down into three important takeaways.Read Article >
Low refrigerant charge and the search for real data
June 22, 2021
I had read about how low refrigerant charges could increase compressor operating temperatures and decrease the amount of oil flowing to compressors, but I had never been able to find results from any tests. After discussing this with MACS, we decided to do some testing to get some real data.Read Article >
What is your temperature testing data telling you?
May 18, 2021
If air conditioning systems were transparent where we could see inside them, then diagnostics would be faster and easier. We could look at the systems and see things right away that affect system operation, like restrictions and liquid levels in evaporators and condensers.Read Article >
Do you have the essential tools for success?
May 17, 2021
Using the correct tools to service and repair vehicles is so important that the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) creates standards for some service tools to meet. Requirements for their use by service professionals is included, as well. Some examples include refrigerant recovery and recycling machines, refrigerant identifiers and leak detectors.Read Article >
Temperature Matters
May 11, 2021
In addition to having good contact with connectors and getting accurate readings, there are some other important things to remember when doing temperature testing.Read Article >
Pass the temperature probe
May 4, 2021
The first step is to run the A/C system for a few minutes to let it stabilize. Then both probes should be connected side by side at both points that will be temperature tested in the system. For example, if you were testing the temperature drop across the condenser, this would need to be done on both the discharge line and the liquid line.Read Article >