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 Protrans Automotive & Transmission Specialists, 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.
More AC Repair Services:
Truck and Car AC Repair Services
Freon Recharging Services For Your Car Or Truck
what our customers say
Where do i start.. Wednesday afternoon 3pm before Thanksgiving on way home to Phoenix, car goes into limp mode, got referred to Protrans. Called them they agreed to take a look. Diagnosed, parts ordered and Throttle Body replaced and road tested. So very excited to know that there are still Honest shops out there that actually care about their clients. Highly recommend Protrans.
Jeff, Matt and Hayley and the team at Protrans did an incredible job and went above and beyond for us. We had a one of a kind, 1970 Ford Chinook Motor Home that made it down to Joshua Tree from Homer Alaska. It sat during the pandemic and we finally rescued her almost 3 years later. She did not deal with the transition to desert life smoothly and was leaking badly and ran terribly. We had her towed to Riverside and found Protrans from a referral from another shop. The team at Protrans rebuilt the transmission and went through the engine to get us back on the road without breaking our budget. Jeff was good about communicating and Matt even drove over the day after we picked it up to help assess some issues that came up on the way home. Can't say enough about the professionalism, care, and service we received and would recommend them to anyone for all car repairs!
