Your car or truck's AC system is under extreme pressure and the thermal expansion valve or orifice tube monitors the amount of pressure and the temperature of your A/C system. It calculates the precise amount of refrigerant that can safely go into the evaporator. A failing expansion valve or orifice tube often causes a vehicle's air conditioner to blow hot air.
Replace or Repair
- Expansion Valves: Too much refrigerant causes your evaporator to get too cold whereas too little refrigerant would result in inadequate cooling. The expansion valve is a complex valve that regulates refrigerant flow. This process of metering the refrigerant adjusts the flow according to the temperature of the refrigerant in the evaporator coil. Talk to one of the pro mechanics at Woodard Automotive, as this part can be replaced on its own and does not require the entire replacement of the AC assembly.
- Orifice Tubes: Unlike the expansion valve, the orifice tube is a simple fixed device with no moving parts. It therefore cannot vary the flow of refrigerant into the evaporator, but rather causes a permanent restriction in the system. However, like the expansion valve the orifice tube regulates refrigerant flow through the system and filters debris which may come through in its screen. Often fixing a "bad orifice tube" requires replacing the entire evaporator assembly.
Partners
What our clients are saying about us
We have established longterm and stable partnerships with various clients thanks to our excellence in solving their automotive needs!
There are not enough stars on the scale to coincide with how elated I am with the level of service and overall satisfying experience I received on my first visit to Woodard! (This review is lengthy, but I wanted to show the huge difference between my experience with the dealer and Woodard Automotive.) I recently purchased a Certified Preowned (CPO) Land Rover (LR)... but had feelings of buyer's remorse -- especially after leaving Land Rover's service department. There was a rattling sound in my dashboard. After a 2-3 minute drive with a mechanic, and without popping the hood, LR told me that I would have to leave the vehicle because the "entire dashboard would have to be disassembled". The service adviser claimed that finding the cause of rattles is "tricky". He implied that it is so labor-intensive that it would take an unknown number of hours to "TRY to fix the problem..."; "there's no guarantee that it could be fixed...", and "the problem could even get worse... because you never know about rattles". (Imagine, purchasing a CPO vehicle, under warranty, but non-mechanical, non-electrical issues like "rattles" are not included in coverage.) As if their initial display of incompetence wasn't enough, the service adviser stopped me as I was getting into my vehicle and added - "...the other option is to wait until something worse happens in the dash... then Land Rover would cover it." I'm almost sure LR wouldn't take too kindly to that advice. (lol) And, why would he think I'd feel comfortable driving a vehicle that could potentially get worse, or leave me stranded somewhere -- primarily because I took the insane advice to ignore the rattle. (SMH) Their incompetence/fumbling blindly, hoping to get lucky and find the problem, would have cost me $246/hr. It took Woodard's owners, Andy, Lori, and a stethoscope (fondly called Dr. Andy) (smile) MINUTES to pinpoint the problem! I assume the mistake was probably made during the 165-point CPO inspection. (SMH) Needless to say, after leaving Woodard, I didn't even grant LR the courtesy of canceling my appointment. No call, no show is what they deserved. If Woodard accepts Land Rover's warranty and vice versa - I would breathe a sigh of relief, because I do NOT want to return to the dealer -- not even for repairs that are covered under the warranty. These days, it is virtually impossible to find a great master mechanic who can be trusted - in addition to a well-equipped facility to meet the demands of services needed to repair high-tech/late model vehicles. Woodard encompasses all of it! I thank God that I was led to Woodard's website. They are welcoming, personable, professional, and most of all competent and highly experienced! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!
(Translated by Google) Excellent (Original) Excelente