Why is the air conditioner of my Spark EV not working properly?

Why is the air conditioner of my Spark EV not working properly?

In short:
If there is a problem with the airflow of your Spark EV‘s air conditioner, like it barely blows air, there may be a problem with either the cabin filter or the vents.
If the air is not cold, it might be because of the following reasons.

Why is the air conditioner of my Spark EV not cooling the air properly?

You can detect most of the problems related to your air conditioner by measuring the gas pressure of the system. To do so, you will need a pressure gauge. You can find a chart with the standard pressure levels in our AC’s guide

These are the most common causes of air conditioner failures:

  1. Dirty radiator:
    The air conditioner radiator is right next to the main engine radiator. If it gets dirty and the air does not flow through it anymore, the refrigerant will not cool, and the system will malfunction. It is not hard to notice the radiator is dirty. If that happens, you can clean it with a brush and fix the problem yourself.
  2. Damaged control valve:
    It is the valve that regulates the fluid flow that goes into the compressor. If the fluid does not get to the compressor, the pressure will not rise even if the compressor is spinning. These valves are cheap, so if you are looking for failure causes, you should first rule out this option before spending money on fixing other failures that may be more serious.
  3. Clogged filter dryer (it gets cold or becomes frozen):
    You will notice the filter dryer is clogged if it feels too cold to the touch. In the worst-case scenario, it will be frozen. You will also notice that if you turn the air conditioner off and keep the pressure gauge connected, the pressure will take a lot of time to stabilize. In that case, you should replace the filter.
  4. The air conditioner compressor stopped working:
    The compressor may be damaged internally, or it may not even spin anymore. You can check if it is damaged by checking its pressure with a pressure gauge. Please remember that you will find the pressure charts in our guide about AC’s gas You will quickly notice if the compressor is not spinning. This problem may happen if the electromagnetic compressor clutch is damaged. In this case, it should be replaced.
  5. Low refrigerant in the air conditioner:
    If there is not enough refrigerant, you will see that your air conditioner lines, which are close to the engine radiator, will be freezing and become white.
    Since air conditioners have a closed-loop system, the pressure must not decrease when measured with a pressure gauge for an extended period. We should check the pressure for two hours. If the pressure drops and the pressure is below the standard level, there is a leak in the system.
    If there is no such leak, you can fill the refrigerant.
    You can see where the leak is by coating the lines with soap. If you see bubbles, that is where the leak is located.
  6. Too much refrigerant in the air conditioner:
    The air conditioner radiator will be hotter than usual. The compressor will have trouble running, and it will consume more engine power. This may be caused by a human error when the refrigerant was filled. To solve this problem, you need to remove the excess refrigerant.
  7. Clogged expansion valve:
    If, according to the pressure gauge, the pressure levels are high but the evaporator is lukewarm, the air in the cabin will not cool. This means that the refrigerant is not getting to the evaporator.
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Chevrolet Spark EV problems: causes of air conditioner problems



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