If your AC is blowing hot, here are the 8 most common reasons:
⚠️ If It's Broken, Don't Fix It - Get Paid Cash for Your Vehicle ⚠️
- Electrical issues
- Low refrigerant
- Damaged condenser
- Faulty compressor
- Bad cooling fan
- Dirty filters
- Stuck air door
The AC system doesn't have to do with your vehicle's drivability, and when it goes bad, it doesn't mean that you won't be able to drive your car. However, it can be a significant hassle to deal with AC problems, especially if you live in very hot areas.
The AC system is expected to have some problems, and when they occur, typically, they occur suddenly unless you're paying close attention to minor problems. For example, when you get to a point where your AC is blowing hot air, you might be dealing with an internal issue with one of the different components within the AC system.
So, understanding which component is leading to the AC blowing hot air is extremely important, especially if you don't want to deal with hassles for the coming summer.
This article provides a detailed summary of all potential causes for AC blowing hot air. The end goal of this article is to help you answer the question, “why is my AC blowing hot” yourself without needing a professional!
Once you get a good understanding of what's going on wrong, you can then decide whether you want to fix the car or probably sell it in case of repair costs getting close to the vehicle's value.
Why is my AC blowing hot? 8 potential reasons
When the AC is blowing hot air, you might be dealing with one of the following potential problems:
1. Electrical issues
One of the first and last common reasons for your AC blowing hot air is when there is an electrical problem. If you don't already know, your vehicle's electric system contains lots of wires interacting with each other and when one of those wires gets burnt or damaged, it can easily damage the other wires in no time.
Your vehicle is smart enough to shut off some of the systems to protect them from major problems, especially when there is a minor issue in the electric wiring.
Therefore, what you might be experiencing with your AC problem could be related to a simple issue like a burnt or blown fuse.
We highly encourage you first to look at these fuses, and if you don't have the experience, you can always consult your mechanic. The problem with the wiring is that it's very tricky to detect because it needs certain mechanical skillsets. The easiest way for you is to consult your mechanic because they expected her costs for replacing any word fuse or not very major. However, ignoring the problem for some time might lead to other complications that will add up to your final bill.
1. Low refrigerant
Another common reason for your AC blowing hot air is when you have a low refrigerant. The refrigerant is the fluid working in your AC system, and it's responsible for cooling down your car. Although it's a fluid, when it comes out of the AC vents, it comes in the form of gas through a complicated process inside your vehicle's cooling system.
When the refrigerant is not at the optimum level, your vehicle won't be able to cool down the interior, and that's where you might deal with your AC blowing hot.
Unfortunately, it is still tricky for your naked eyes to understand whether you have low refrigerant or not. Therefore, we typically advise our readers to consult the mechanic and have him perform a thorough inspection to determine whether there are some refrigerant leaks or not.
However, you can still determine or get a feeling of whether you are dealing with refrigerant leaks or not. For instance, you can look for any potential strong smells that could indicate a refrigerant leak. If you're any can also perform a quick visual inspection around the AC pipe fittings to see whether there are any signs of fluid leaks around them. You mustn't confuse the refrigerant leak with water condensing around the cold AC system.
It is important to note that the refrigerant is unsafe, and it can lead to health issues if ignored. Therefore, you must take it seriously and have your mechanic fix the problem whenever you notice any weird smells coming from the AC system to eliminate any possible health consequences.
2. Damaged condenser
A problem with the condenser might also prevent your AC from blowing cold air. The condenser is one of the most critical components in your AC system, and when it goes bad, you don't have an AC system on your vehicle. The condenser might get damaged because of age, but it can also get damaged because of debris or dirt walking is pathways.
Therefore, your mechanic can perform an inspection to check on the condenser. Sometimes your mechanic will be able to remove any clogged dirt or contaminants, but he might advise you to replace the entire condenser at some point.
Keep in mind that placing the condenser is not a simple job, and it's not a cheap repair. Therefore, we highly encourage you to evaluate your vehicle's overall situation before spending a penny fixing any components separately.
In other words, if you are planning to fix a condenser, check out other things that you have to fix, like a bad engine or a damaged transmission, or others. Think about things holistically and evaluate whether it's worth a repair or not.
3. Faulty compressor
Like the bad condenser, you might even deal with complications in your compressor. Another critical component has to play a major role in how your AC system works. Again, a bad compressor can shut off your AC system completely
Thus, have your mechanic inspect the compressor and replace it if it's needed.
4. Bad cooling fan
There are some other minor components in your cooling system that might contribute to your AC blowing hot. For instance, these little fans work closely with your compressor to ensure that you receive a cold breeze inside your vehicle.
The biggest challenge about these films is that they're very fragile and can easily get damaged. So when they're not working properly or when they're damaged, you don't receive the required amounts of cold air towards your vehicle’s interior, where you'll only get hot air.
Check with your mechanic and see if you can replace these cooling fans because they're not very expensive to get fixed, but they can make a huge difference in your AC performance.
5. Dirty filters
Before air gets inside your vehicle, it has to run through certain filters to ensure that no contaminants or debris are coming inside the vehicle. Therefore, depending on the quality of your shelter, you're always going to get cleaner air that prevents health complications.
Overtime abuse comes when these filters get clogged and that's where you have to either clean them up or replace them, depending on their condition. If you ignore replacing the air filter, you might get to a point where you are just receiving hot air from your AC system.
The nice thing is that replacing that dirty air filters is not a complicated job, and it doesn't require high repair costs. So once you do it at one time, you should be able to do it all the time, and the parts costs themselves are not very expensive.
6. Stuck air door
Believe it or not, did you know that a stuck air door might cause your AC to blow hot? Depending on your AC system and the doors, you might deal with significant complications in your AC performance. For instance, if your car has a blend door, these doors might flip and prevent cold air from coming inside the vehicle, and all that's your experiencing is just hot air coming out of the AC system.
Again, a stuck air door is not a complicated fix, and your mechanic should be able to fix it at lower costs than replacing a condenser or compressor. However, ignoring the problem for a long time might lead to other complications that you don't want to deal with.
How much does it cost to fix AC blowing hot?
It all depends. If your problem has to deal with a very simple component like a stick air door camera, you can fix it without needing to pay any dollars unless it's broken. However, if you're dealing with major complications related to something like the compressor or the condenser, that's where repair costs pile up.
Typically, fixing an AC blowing hot air should cost you somewhere between $100 and $1000 fear and, depending on the root problem, you might decide between not fixing your vehicle and selling it, especially if it has to do with some major complications and if the vehicle doesn't have lots of value.
It's important to remember that labor costs can be a big component for fixing AC blowing hot. For example, if the problem can be fixed on your own, like replacing a bad air filter, go ahead and do it. However, there are some conditions and situations where you have no other choice than to have a mechanic fix the problem. Even if you need a mechanic to come, you can still decide between going to a small independent shop versus a big dealership where labor costs can be huge in your overall final bill.
If you would like to sell your car because of significant AC problems, you can always reach out to Cash Cars Buyer, who is willing to purchase your car no matter what type or condition! Give us a call at 773-781-4363!
What happens when your AC blows hot air?
When your AC blows hot air, your vehicle will continue driving. In other words, it will not impact your vehicle's drivability, but it can be a big challenge if you're driving during the hot summers for long road trips.
Therefore, to avoid feeling uncomfortable and prevent even more complicated health issues, you should keep up with your AC system, and that's why we always recommend our readers inspect the AC system before summer starts. At this time, it is perfect timing to inspect your AC system before you get surprised with AC blowing hot during your favorite road trip.
Depending on what you find in your AC system, you recommend replacing the faulty component or at least fixing it. However, the repair decision should still be based on your vehicle's overall condition, so you confirm that your car is worth the repairs.
Final thoughts
Dealing with AC problems is never fun especially considering the coming hot summer. When the AC is blowing hot air, it doesn't mean that you won't be able to continue driving your car, but it can make your driving experience extremely horrible!
This article walks you through six potential causes to help you answer the question, “why is my AC blowing hot?” These causes can be minor and might not even require any repair costs. However, there are some instances where the reasons are very severe and require thousands of dollars for repair.
If you got to a point where your AC problems require lots of money to get fixed, it's not the end of the world because you can always sell your vehicle and use its value to buy a better vehicle.
If you're looking for someone to buy your car that has some issues, including problems related to the AC system or probably to the critical systems like the engine or the transmission, Cash Cars Buyer is always here to help you!
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