An automotive air-conditioning system provides comfort and relaxation to both the driver and passenger. Road travel has become relatively more comfortable and less tiring because of a vehicle’s air-conditioning system.  This is especially true for long distance travel.

Improvements in the Automotive Air Conditioning System

Since it was first invented some time during the 1940s, the automotive air conditioning system has come a long way. The latest vehicle air conditioning systems today employ new technologies, such as the “computerized automatic temperature control system”. This kind of system allows the driver to set his preferred temperature and the system adjusts to it automatically.  Most automotive air conditioning systems nowadays are much more durable as compared to the earlier systems.

There is no doubt that today’s automotive air conditioning systems have also become more complex.  This makes these systems unable to be troubleshot by the normal “do-it-yourself” type of repair.  Therefore, a good understanding of the way the air conditioning system works is required.

Parts of an Automotive Air Conditioning System

There are three different types of automotive air conditioning systems.  However, regardless of the difference in type, these systems generally still function in the same way. Like all air conditioning systems, a vehicle’s air conditioning system is composed of several parts: a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, an orifice tube, pressure-regulating devices, a thermal expansion valve, a receiver/drier, and an accumulator. Continue reading »