Compressor
The compressor is the heart of the AC system. It compresses and circulates the refrigerant around the system. Low pressure refrigerant is drawn into one side of the pump, and expelled as a high pressure vapour. During this process, the temperature of the vapour rises significantly. The compressor is usually driven by a belt attached to either the engine directly, or the alternator.
Condenser
Once compressed, the refrigerant vapour is at a high temperature, and therefore not too useful for cooling the car. The condenser changes the vapour into a liquid, a reaction which causes a large drop in temperature. The condenser is like the radiator on the engine, and is normally located at the front of the engine bay.
Evaporator
The evaporator receives the cold refrigerant, and uses it to cool the air in the cabin of the car. It is usually located in the heater air intake. Some vehicles have more than one evaporator to serve different areas inside the cabin.
Expansion Device
The expansion device comes in many forms. It can be a brass internally or externally equalised valve, a block type valve or an orifice tube (the latter being part of an accumulator type air conditioning system). Expansion Devices have an inlet and an outlet which separates the high side of the system from the low side. A small restriction in the valve allows only a small amount of refrigerant to pass through it into the Evaporator. The amount of refrigerant passing through the valve depends on the Evaporator temperature. The most common reasons for failure are contamination, moisture and lack of regular servicing.
Specialized Renault Services have the skills and tools to service your air conditioning so that it works a peak performance. If an item has failed we can supply and rectify the issues.
source MB Auto Air Conditioning
