A Kia Sportage is a small crossover utility vehicle produced by the South Korean manufacturer Kia Motors. It is a wonderful car, but the AC can become very weak and will not work. This can be troublesome when the temperature is hot outside and you need to cool the car. But how do you fix the AC?
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Your Kia Sportage is overheating and this is causing issues with your AC. This can be caused by a variety of issues, including: Blocked air vents or filters in the system Clogged vents or filters in the system Air filter clogged with dirt or debris Fuse blows in one of your Kia Sportage’s systems Defective AC system unit, or relay.
Common Issues with Kia Sportage
The Kia Sportage AC can stop working for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the most common causes of your Kia Sportage AC not working:
Leaking refrigerant
It is still very common that AC systems on older cars don’t work properly because of not having enough refrigerant. If you don’t have your AC serviced regularly, the refrigerant level in your car will become so low that the system will no longer be able to cool the car. If the refrigerant level again decreases quickly, it may be that the system is experiencing a leak. Once a leak has been found, it is necessary to fix it again by replacing the affected part.
Damaged wiring harness
It’s easy to damage wiring on a compressor that is just a few feet from the road. Check the wiring harness to make sure that there are no openings or shorts in it. It’s time to go to the relay and check to see if it works properly. If it does, you can also try turning on the compressor by turning on a breaker. Make sure that the fuse is checked as well. You can check the fuse easily by using a test light.
Clogged filter
The filter is what filters the air that passengers in a car like Kia Sportage breathe. Dirty cabin air filters cause the ventilation of the interior of a car to become worse and reduce air flow. This also causes unnecessary strain on the system, resulting in increased fuel consumption.
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It is recommended that you first clean the filter rather than replacing it. Unfortunately, you cannot clean the layers that are deep inside the filter. And even if you clean the filter thoroughly, the filter’s performance will not improve much. There is no way to avoid replacing the filter if the filter becomes very dirty to the point that it causes damage.
Damaged or missing AC belt
It may be that the belt that turns all of the other engine parts of your sports car turns the compressor as well as all of your other engine parts. It may be an interlocking belt that turns all of the engine parts. Or, it may be an independent belt that turns all of the engine parts. If there are two belts, they will be attached to the crank pulley in the same place.
Check the belt to see if it is damaged or if it is shiny. It could be that it is no longer turning the compressor. There is even a chance that the belt may be completely gone, and you didn’t notice!
Max Anthony
Max is a gizmo-savvy guy, who has a tendency to get pulled into the nitty gritty details of technology and cars. He attended UT Austin, where he studied Information Science. He’s married and has three kids, one dog and a GMC truck and a Porsche 911. With a large family, he still finds time to share tips and tricks on cars, trucks and more.
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