If you turn the air conditioner on in your car and warm air starts coming out of your vents, there is a good chance that it’s being caused by a refrigerant leak. You can fix this problem right up in most cases by locating the leak, fixing it, and making sure your car has enough refrigerant in it. But what should you do if your car AC is not blowing air from the vents at all? You might be confused as to why this is happening and wonder what in the world you have to do to fix it.
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It can be tricky getting to the bottom of this particular problem since there are a number of reasons why it could be happening. Let’s learn more about why your car AC is not blowing air from the vents and talk about how to fix it so that you don’t have to drive around in a hot car anymore.
How to Tell When a Car AC Is Not Blowing Air From the Vents
When your car AC is not blowing air from the vents, it’s going to be pretty easy for you to tell that it’s happening. When you turn your car’s air conditioner on, you’re not going to be able to feel much air coming through the vents in your car. You won’t even feel warm air coming through the vents, which is what will happen when you have something like a refrigerant leak.
When your car AC is not blowing air from the vents, it’ll often lead to your car getting very warm on the inside despite your air conditioner running. It’ll also often lead to stale air building up in your car since the air in it isn’t going to circulate. For both of these reasons, you should figure out what’s going on with your car’s AC system when it’s not blowing air from the vents for one reason or another. It’ll help you make your car more comfortable again and prevent dirty air from lingering around on the inside of it.
The Most Common Causes of a Car AC Not Blowing Air From the Vents
One of the tough parts about dealing with a car AC not blowing air from the vents is that it’s not usually all that easy to diagnose what’s going on with it that’s leading to it not blowing air. There are a number of different things that could be causing it to happen. Your No. 1 goal is going to be trying to find out why you aren’t feeling any air coming out of your car’s vents when you have the AC running. Here are some of the most common causes of a car AC not blowing air from vents.
1. Blown Fuse
When you first realize that your car AC is not blowing air from the vents, you should try not to panic. The truth is that the problem you’re experiencing could be caused by something as simple as a blown fuse. There is a fuse that’s in charge of supplying power to the blower motor that is used to push air from your AC out through your vents. And if that fuse ever goes bad, it’ll usually result in your car AC not blowing air from vents.
The good news is that fixing this problem is relatively easy in the grand scheme of things. You might even be able to do it yourself. All you’ll need to do is find the fuse box in your car (it’s usually under the dashboard on the driver’s side), locate the fuse for your blower motor, and replace it. If the issue that you were experiencing was caused by a blown fuse, doing this should get your blower motor working like usual again and result in cool air coming out of your car’s vents like normal.
2. Bad Relay
Another common cause of a car AC not blowing air from vents is a bad relay. There are a number of relays in your car that are used to take a small electrical current and turn it into a larger electrical current for your car’s various systems. One of these relays is used to help power up your ventilation system, and it could possibly be to blame if your car AC is not blowing air from the vents.
Unfortunately, fixing a bad relay might not be something that you can do on your own if you don’t know your way around your car. Replacing a relay isn’t quite as simple as replacing a fuse, which is why you’re probably going to want to leave this particular repair up to a trained car AC technician. But you’ll be happy to know that it’s not going to be a repair that’s going to set you back too much in terms of time or money. A good technician should be able to pinpoint this problem and fix it in a hurry so that your car AC starts blowing cold air through your vents again.
3. Damaged Blower Motor
While your car’s AC is responsible for creating the cold air that you need to cool it off, it’s the blower motor in your car that is responsible for actually delivering the cold air to you through your vent. This blower is designed to take the cold air from your AC system and push it out through all the different vents in your car. It works just like a fan in your house does, and when it’s working like it should, it’ll provide you with a steady stream of cold air at all times.
The problem, though, is that your blower motor can get damaged over time. It can also simply wear down on you as your car starts to get up there in age. And when it does, it’s going to stop pushing the cold air from your AC out into your car. Even though it’ll sound like your AC system is working, a bad blower motor is going to prevent it from cooling your car off.
A car AC technician might be able to make repairs to a blower motor if it’s not in too bad of shape. But oftentimes, you’re going to have to go ahead and replace a bad blower motor altogether—and this could be a costly repair. On average, people pay somewhere between $350 and $400 to replace bad blower motors in most cases. It’s among the most expensive repairs you could face when your car AC is not blowing air from the vents.
4. Damaged Blower Resistor
When you have the AC turned on in your car, you can control how cold that it gets. You can also control how much cold air that it sends out through your vents. You have the ability to decide how hard you want your AC to blow. There is a part called a blower resistor that works in tandem with your blower motor to help you control how much cold air you’re getting at any given moment.
But just like with your blower motor, there is a chance that your blower resistor could go bad over the years. And when it stops working, it could result in your car AC not blowing air from the vents. It could also result in your car AC blowing more air than you might like through your vents. Either way, you’re not going to be able to get your car comfortable and keep it that way when your blower resistor is damaged.
Replacing a bad blower resistor won’t be as expensive as replacing a bad blower motor. But it is a repair job that could cost you somewhere between $100 and $150. Fixing it is the only way that you’re going to be able to regain control over how much cold air your car’s AC sends out through your vents.
5. Broken Hoses and/or Belts
The air conditioning system in a car contains a series of hoses and belts that are used to keep it up and running. As you might imagine, there are times when these hoses and belts will begin to show signs of wear and tear. In some cases, these hoses and belts might even break on you, resulting in a leak in your AC system or stopping your AC system from working as intended.
If any of the hoses and/or belts in your car’s AC system stop working for one reason or another, you’re going to need to have them replaced. They could stop cold air from coming out of your car’s vents even though you have your AC turned one. An AC technician will need to do some digging around to see which hoses and/or belts are giving you fits before replacing them accordingly.
6. Blocked Air Intake
You might not realize it, but there are two different places where air is allowed to enter your car at all times to keep the air inside of it circulating. There are vents located right beneath your windshield that let air in. There is also a recirculation system in your car that keeps the air in your car moving. If these air intake areas ever get blocked up for any reason, you might find that your vents will stop working.
This might actually end up being a best-case scenario for anyone who is experiencing a car AC not blowing air from vents. All you’ll need to do to fix the problem will be to identify a blocked air intake and clear it out to get your vents working again. It’s often a quick fix that won’t cost much money or take much time.
Who Should You Trust to Fix Your Car AC When It Stops Blowing Air From the Vents?
You might be able to fix your car’s AC system when it stops blowing air from the vents in your vehicles yourself. If you feel comfortable enough swapping out an old fuse for a new one, you might be able to get your vents working the way they should without the help of a professional. But generally speaking, you’re going to want to take your car to an experienced car AC technician to have them take a look at your car anytime you have problems with the AC system.
As we mentioned earlier, diagnosing the problem that is causing your car AC to not blow air from the vents in your vehicle can be challenging. While there are some instances when something as simple as a bad fuse will cause the problem, there are other times when a car AC technician will have to rip your AC system apart to get to the bottom of the issue. It’s why you should find someone who knows what they’re doing to lend a helping hand.
Do You Have to Fix a Car AC Not Blowing Air From the Vents?
If you have a car AC not blowing air from the vents, it’s not necessarily a problem that you have to fix right away. You’re welcome to continue driving around in your car without a fully functioning AC system. But you should know that you’re probably not going to be all that comfortable doing it. Your car is going to get to be unbearably warm on hot days. This could put your health at risk if you’re not careful.
You would be better off addressing the issue with your car’s AC system sooner rather than later. The problem that you’re having could be caused by something that is easy to fix. It’ll help you avoid having to drive around with a car AC not blowing air from the vents.
Can You Sell a Car That Has an AC Not Blowing Air From the Vents?
If your car is on its last legs and the AC breaks on you, you might not see much sense in trying to get it fixed. But at the same time, you might not know whether or not you can sell a vehicle when it has a car AC not blowing air from the vents. You’ll be happy to know that you can sell your car, bad AC system and all, to a company like Cash Cars Buyer.
At Cash Cars Buyer, we pay top dollar for all makes and models of cars, regardless of what kind of condition they might be in. You can skip the expensive car AC repairs and sell your car to us instead. We’ll give you cash for it and arrange to pick it up from you so that you don’t have to worry about doing a thing. Contact us to find out more about how much your car could be worth.