Heating and Air Conditioning

Your vehicle’s motor is the power source for both air conditioning and heating systems. As the diagram shows the systems also share other components. Here’s what happens when you turn on your heater or air conditioner:

Heating System

Heat is a created from your engine’s combustion process. The heat is transferred through the coolant in your vehicle’s radiator. The coolant is then moves through the heater core before returning to the radiator. The heating system has several air ducts, a motor, fan, temperature and duct controls which selects the correct temperature and moves the flow of warm air.

Air Conditioning System

This system shares the same ducts, controls and motors as the heating system, but has its own refrigerant or cooling system. The air conditioning system has of the following components:

Compressor

This is a pushes or pumps the pressurized coolant or refrigerant through the system.

Condensor

As the refrigerant flows through the condenser, it transfers heat and converts it from a gas then to liquid.

Accumulator or Receiver/Dryer

This is where clean, dry refrigerant is stored as it moves through the system.

Expansion Valve or Orifice Tube

This is a metering part that controls the flow of refrigerant through the system.

Evaporator Core

Refrigerant enters the evaporator core as a liquid, heat from the air converts the liquid refrigerant back into a gas, which cools the air before it enters your car.