Ford Escape Condensers and Evaporators
The Ford Escape’s condensers and evaporators are two critical parts of its air conditioning system. When one of them malfunctions, the air conditioning in the cabin of your SUV will weaken or fail. You can find the condenser or evaporator that fits your Ford Escape and learn about them here.
What does the condenser do?The condenser operates in a similar way as the radiator. Its a heat exchanger that removes heat from hot refrigerant and dissipates it to the atmosphere. The refrigerant enters the condenser in a gaseous state and returns to a liquid state when cooled off. This is why it’s called the condenser. The condenser unit is located behind the radiator so that the cooling fan blows air through both of them.
What does the evaporator do?The evaporator unit is also a heat exchanger and looks like a small radiator. In this case, however, it transfers heat to the cold refrigerant that circulates in it. This cools off the air thats forced through it. That cold air is then forced through the vents in the cabin to cool the climate inside your Explorer. The refrigerant enters the evaporator as a cold liquid and exits as a hot gas. The evaporator is in a vent near the blower motor so that the blower forces air through it.
What are the signs of a faulty condenser?- Lack of cool air: The condenser can become damaged or clogged. This restricts the amount of refrigerant that can circulate through it and reduces the cooling action of the A/C system.
- Leakage: Leaks can develop in the condenser that compromise the A/C system’s refrigerant charge. Liquid leaks can be apparent with inspection, but the overall effect of leaks is the eventual failure of the A/C to produce cool air.
- A/C suddenly fails to cool air: A failure to provide cool air can be caused by the evaporator’s temperature switch failing to turn the A/C compressor on. The result is that refrigerant doesn’t circulate when it should.
- A/C fails intermittently: If the A/C produces cool air at times and fails at others, this can be the symptom of a failing temperature switch that stops working occasionally.
- Leakage: Refrigerant leaks in the evaporator will weaken and disable the air conditioner.
- Gradually weakening A/C: If the A/C seems fail gradually, it could be caused by the evaporator’s grate becoming physically clogged with dirt and fibers that circulate through the vents from the cabin. This prevents air from flowing through it.