Where is the car air conditioning expansion valve located?
2 Answers
The car air conditioning expansion valve is generally located at the condenser outlet. More related information is as follows: 1. Introduction to the thermal expansion valve: The thermal expansion valve, also known as the throttle valve, is one of the four major components in the car air conditioning refrigeration system (evaporator, compressor, condenser, and expansion valve). It senses the superheat of the refrigerant vapor at the evaporator outlet through a temperature-sensing element to adjust the opening of the expansion valve, thereby controlling the flow of liquid refrigerant entering the evaporator. 2. Thermal expansion valve balance: According to the balance method of the thermal expansion valve, it is divided into internal balance type and external balance type: The working principle of the internal balance expansion valve and the external balance expansion valve is basically the same. The difference is that the diaphragm of the internal balance expansion valve senses the evaporator inlet pressure. When the evaporator pressure drop is too large, it will reduce the superheat sensed by the power head, resulting in insufficient valve opening. The diaphragm of the external balance expansion valve senses the evaporator outlet pressure, avoiding the influence of the evaporator pressure drop on the valve opening and overcoming the shortcomings of the internal balance valve.
My old car had its AC repaired before, and the expansion valve was in a particularly hidden spot. It was tucked away in the engine bay on the passenger side, right next to the black plastic evaporator housing, roughly in front of the firewall. To locate it, you had to remove the air filter box first, and then you could see the small part connected by copper tubes. The expansion valve is essentially a throttling device that converts high-pressure liquid refrigerant into low-pressure mist. Last time I replaced it myself, it took forever because the connections were prone to stripping, and the location varies a lot between different car brands. German cars are generally harder to work on, so it’s best to leave it to a professional mechanic.
