If you notice any of the following five symptoms of a bad AC condenser, you should inspect it and replace it immediately if needed:
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- AC system blowing warm air
- Weird burning smell
- Vehicle overheating
- Coolant leak
- High-temperature gauge reading
The AC condenser is one of the very critical components in your AC system. Without this condenser, your vehicle won't be able to cool down your car, and this becomes extremely challenging if you're driving in extremely hot environments.
While the air condenser is expected to last for quite a good time, there will be a point of time where you must deal with some breakdowns. That's why every driver needs to familiarize himself with the different symptoms of a bad AC condenser. Once you detect these symptoms, you can easily predict the problems and get them resolved without dealing with other complications.
This article highlights five symptoms of a bad AC condenser to help you detect the problem as early as possible to get it resolved with the lowest repair costs possible.
What is the AC condenser, and what does it do?
Before we dive into the details about the symptoms of a bad AC condenser, we must understand what this condenser is and what it does do in her vehicle.
These conventions are part of your vehicle's AC system. However, it can be unclear what exactly this condenser does. Your vehicle's AC systems work by running a cold refrigerant inside the dashboard to cool down the cabin. However, before this liquid becomes cold, it is used to cool down the engine. Therefore, how come this heated liquid can cool down the car simultaneously as it gets very hot when it runs around the engine?
Thanks to the AC condenser that absorbs any excess heat from the refrigerant when it comes back from the hot engine. Once the condenser absorbs this heat, the refrigerant turns from a gaseous into a liquid phase, allowing it to cool down your vehicle's cabin.
Since the condenser is the primary component in your AC system responsible for maintaining the cold temperature, you immediately understand that once this condenser goes bad, you won't be able to have working air conditioning. Therefore, it is critical for you as a driver to maintain the condenser and replace it every time it goes bad.
How long does the AC condenser last?
The good news is that the AC condenser in your vehicle is expected to last between eight and ten years. It is designed from a relatively durable material to serve you as long as possible. However, this doesn't mean that the AC condenser won't go bad before them. You need to familiarize yourself with the different symptoms of a bad AC condenser listed in the section below.
Five symptoms of a bad AC condenser
When the AC condenser goes bad or before it even completely fails, your vehicle will communicate with you by showing you some of the common symptoms of a bad AC condenser.
Whenever you notice any of the following symptoms, you must take your vehicle to the nearest repair shop and get the AC condenser fixed; otherwise, you'll keep dealing with the problems, which can be critical if you're driving in very hot environments.
1. AC system blowing warm air
The first and most obvious symptom indicating that you might have a failing AC condenser is when the air conditioning is just blowing warm air. Have you ever tried setting up the AC system to cool down your vehicle, and all you're getting is just that warm air?! That is what we're talking about.
It could potentially be related to a long list of potential culprits when this happens. Therefore, you cannot immediately replace the AC condenser, thinking that's the actual culprit. Instead, your mechanic needs to go through the entire air conditioning system and check for potential issues. For instance, some more, a low refrigerant could be an issue or probably a problem with other components involved in the system that might also lead to similar consequences.
2. Weird burning smell
The second potential symptom indicating a failing AC condenser is when you notice some weird strong burning smell. This smell could mean that the temperature increases significantly inside your car, and some rubber components might get burnt.
The burning smell is another symptom that could be linked to other components, and that's why you must take it seriously because it might lead to other complicated issues that might cost you the entire vehicle.
As a rule of thumb, whenever you notice any weird smell or behavior from your car, you should immediately check with your mechanic because if you detect problems early, there's a chance that you get them fixed without needing to install new components. However, ignoring minor problems might lead to catastrophic outcomes that will cost you thousands of dollars on repair.
3. Vehicle overheating
Sometimes a bad AC condenser might lead to vehicle overheating. Overheating is one of the very critical enemies that could impact your vehicle. Even if the AC condenser causes the temperature to increase slightly once you start your car, as you drive, heat can build up and lead to many negative consequences in no time.
4. Coolant leak
Another thing you might experience is a visible coolant leak underneath your car. Again, if you looked under the car and performed a quick visual inspection, we'll see a puddle of fluid sitting on the floor. However, sometimes initial damages in the AC condenser might lead to minor fluid leaks, which means you won't be able to visually notice it unless you look closely for signs of evaporated fluid on the engine compartment parts.
Coolant leak is extremely important, and they can in no time damage the engine. Your engine relies on this coolant to cool down as it gets hot. If there isn't enough coolant in the vehicle, the engine will not receive the right amount of cooling, and that's where we'll deal with engine problems that are more complicated than issues related to the bad AC condenser.
Therefore, if you notice that engine overheating is occurring, you'll have to pull over and stop your car as soon as possible. Allow your vehicle to cool down for at least 30 minutes before checking any portion underneath the vehicle's hood because everything will be hot, and there is a very high risk of burns and other hazardous situations.
5. High-temperature gauge reading
Another thing you will notice when the AC condenser goes bad is the high-temperature gauge reading on the dashboard. The vehicle communicates with you through these warning lights on the dashboard, and the temperature gauge is an important warning light because it tells you how hot the engine is fear in
When the engine overheats, it is not surprising to see a high-temperature gauge reading on the dashboard. However, note that the temperature gauge will read very high for many other reasons like a problem with the gauge itself or probably some low oil level and other potential reasons. Therefore, your mechanic needs to look closely and confirm what's going on first before moving forward with replacing the AC condenser.
How much does it cost to fix the bad AC condenser?
If your mechanic confirmed that you're having an issue with the AC condenser, unfortunately, the only solution would be to replace it. Replacing an AC condenser should cost you somewhere between $585 and $773. Of course, this price range differs significantly depending on your vehicle type and where you get the job done.
Can I drive with a bad AC condenser?
In theory, you will be able to continue driving your car with a bad AC condenser. As long as you're comfortable with the temperature and you're OK with having no AC, you should be able to do so.
However, as we mentioned before, ignoring the problem for a very long time, especially if the temperature is extremely hot outside, might lead to negative consequences that could be extreme in some scenarios. Therefore, the best and safest decision is to get the condenser replaced as soon as possible to avoid dealing with these complications that will eventually cost you more money than you can afford.
What causes AC condenser damages?
Many potential causes could lead to damaging your vehicle's AC condenser. Let's take well so look at some of these common causes:
1. Condenser blockage
Over time of use, there is a very high chance that your air conditioning might contain some degree of other foreign objects collected throughout its lifetime. When this happens, it stresses out the condenser and makes it work harder than it's designed for. As a result, you can easily deal with some damages and the condenser prematurely.
2. Bad coolant
Similar to the condenser blockage, sometimes, if your coolant is not clean and contains a lot of contaminants, you can also overstress the condenser and cause it to work Harder.
3. Car accidents
If you get involved in major or even minor car accidents that hit the condenser, you will easily need to replace this part to get it to work again.
4. Moisture and ice crystals
If you had leak seals that allowed moisture to get inside the AC system and get to the condenser, you would risk ice crystals forming that could damage this condenser. So that's why every driver must maintain the vehicle and ensure that moisture does not get into any of the car’s parts. Are these parts are related to the electric system, which is the most sensitive, or any other system.
5. Natural wear and tear
Finally, over time of use, any automobile part is expected to fail at some point in time. Still, this should not mean that you will deal with frequent condenser damages every couple of years because it is durable and will not fail as frequently.
Final thoughts
The AC condenser is a critical component in the vehicle's air conditioning system. When it goes bad, you will have to get it replaced to avoid dealing with complication stats that might make your driving experience very uncomfortable and lead to potential damages and other components.
While the AC condenser is expected to last for quite a long time, there are some situations where it goes bad prematurely. Therefore, it is essential for you as a driver to delay as yourself with five different symptoms of a vet AC condenser we highlighted in this article. Once you notice any of them, you should inspect the condenser and get it replaced immediately.
While it's important to fix the AC condenser in your car, sometimes, if your vehicle has major mechanical problems, you should consult your mechanic and check whether you should sell the car instead of wasting your time and energy getting it to work, especially if repair costs approach 75% or more from your vehicle's value.
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