I’m a mechanic of over 40 years

Nov 30, 2023

AN expert mechanic has revealed how to fix your car's air conditioning when it won't blow cold air.

The motors whizz, known as Jim The Car Guy, took to YouTube to share the handy maintenance hack.

First of all, you need to check the pressure in your AC system.

At a garage, this would be done by a specialist machine, but Jim advised that you can buy pressure gauges to use at home.

After that, take a look under the bonnet at the system and check that the cooling fan, fan belt and compressor are all running properly.

Take care not to put your hands near the moving parts as, according to Jim, you could "lose a finger".

Instead, just visually inspect the system to see if everything is rotating properly.

In the case of Jim's demonstration car, one of the cogs on the AC compressor was not rotating, meaning that there was probably a fault preventing power from reaching it.

You can then use a basic voltage checker to confirm whether electricity is flowing through the system and isolate the issue.

In Jim's case, he worked out that there was a mechanical issue with the clutch powering the compressor's rotation as no electrical fault could be found.

He said: "We know there is a failure in the clutch assembly itself.

"The cost of compressors has come down drastically, it may just be more cost-efficient to just change the compressor."

If you are a confident and experienced DIY mechanic this may be a job you can take on yourself.

However, in most cases, once you have diagnosed the fault it would be best to take the car into a garage and get professionals to handle it for you.

Social media commenters shared their gratitude for the helpful advice.

One wrote: "Thanks for the video."

Another added: "Another great video thumbs up. Thanks for sharing."

And a third said: "Great job Jim."

It comes after another mechanic shared an easy tip to defog your windows in winter.

Meanwhile, a car expert revealed five hidden features in your car's key fob.