Replacement Parts
Compressor request price The compressor is the power unit of the A/C system. It is powered by a drive belt connected to the engine's crankshaft. Although the drive belt is permanently rotating the front pulley, the pulley is connected to the compressor by a magnetic clutch. So it spins freely with the clutch disengaged and drives the compressor when engaged. When the A/C system is turned on, the compressor 'compresses' the refrigerant vapour heating it up and pumps it under high pressure to the condenser. Condenser request price The condenser is a device used to change the high-pressure refrigerant vapour to a liquid. It is mounted ahead of the engine's radiator, and it looks very similar to a radiator with its parallel tubing and tiny cooling fins. If you look through the grille of a car and see what you think is a radiator, it is most likely the condenser depending if the car is fitted with A/C. The hot vapour from the compressor arrives and the fins help the air flowing through the condenser remove heat from the refrigerant, changing it to a much cooler liquid state. When the car is stationary the radiator cooling fans perform the task of moving air through the condenser. Receiver/Drier request price Refrigerant moves to the receiver-drier. This is the storage tank for the liquid refrigerant. It also removes moisture from the refrigerant. Moisture in the system can freeze and then act similarly to cholesterol in the human blood stream, causing blockage. The receiver-drier is used on the high side of many A/C systems and use a thermal expansion valve. This type of metering valve requires liquid refrigerant. To ensure that the valve gets liquid refrigerant, a receiver is used. The primary function of the receiver-drier is to separate gas and liquid. The secondary purpose is to remove moisture and filter out dirt. Expansion valve request price As the compressor continues to pressurize the system, cool liquid refrigerant under high pressure is circulated from the receiver-drier to the thermostatic expansion valve. The valve relieves pressure from the liquid refrigerant so that it can expand and become refrigerant vapour in the evaporator. Remember that when a liquid becomes a gas it needs latent heat and so it extracts this from its surroundings cooling them down. The expansion valve is the "brain" of the system. By sensing the temperature of the evaporator, or cooling coil, it allows liquid to pass through a very small orifice, which causes the refrigerant to expand to a low-pressure, low-temperature gas. This "cold" refrigerant flows to the evaporator. Evaporator request price The evaporator is very similar to the condenser. It consists of tubes and fins and is mounted inside the passenger compartment. As the cold low-pressure refrigerant is released into the evaporator, it vaporizes and absorbs heat from the air in the passenger compartment. As the heat is absorbed, cool air will be available for the occupants of the vehicle. A blower fan inside the passenger compartment helps to distribute the cooler air. The evaporator serves as the heat absorption component. The evaporator provides several functions. Its primary duty is to remove heat from the inside of your vehicle. A secondary benefit is dehumidification. As warmer air travels through the aluminium fins of the cooler evaporator coil, the moisture contained in the air condenses on its surface. Dust and pollen passing through stick to its wet surfaces and drain off to the outside. On humid days you may have seen this as water dripping from the bottom of your vehicle. Rest assured this is perfectly normal. |
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