What is the purpose of an orifice tube?

What is the purpose of an orifice tube?

The orifice tube controls the amount of refrigerant entering the evaporator, and its diameter matches those of the evaporator system for smooth engagement without leaks. As the orifice tube contains no moving parts, vehicles that use these parts also need to employ an additional method of controlling refrigerant flow.

Do you have to replace orifice tube?

Car air conditioning systems need the expansion valve, or orifice tube, replaced if the AC is blowing warm air or the AC system is broken.

Is an expansion valve and orifice tube the same thing?

Expansion valves are an active device, they regulate the flow of refrigerant to the evaporator depending on evaporator temperature. An orifice tube is just a fixed nozzle that pisses refrigerant into the evaporator without any sort of feedback.

What is the most common problem with the orifice tube?

If the AC evaporator or orifice tube malfunctions, it can cause refrigerant to flow unmetered through the vehicle’s AC system. This can cause the evaporator to freeze over, or frost to form or come from the vehicle’s AC vents.

What type of AC system uses an orifice tube?

An orifice tube is similar to an expansion valve, with both performing an important function in a vehicle’s A/C system. The valve helps control the flow of refrigerant through the evaporator, which is the main cooling component of the system.

What happens if orifice tube is clogged?

How much does an orifice tube cost?

Orifice Tube Replacement Cost – RepairPal Estimate. Labor costs are estimated between $52 and $65 while parts are priced between $13 and $15. This range does not include taxes and fees, and does not factor in your specific vehicle or unique location.

Can an orifice tube be cleaned?

The easiest way to remove it is to pre-lubricate the line where the orifice tube sits it with the AC flush which should be used before recharging the system to clean out oils, residue and metal that your now defunct AC compressor probably back washed into the AC system before dying out.

Do cars have orifice tube and expansion valve?

Orifice tubes for car air conditioning system The orifice tube is a tube with a given length and cross-section which expands the refrigerant but, unlike the expansion valve, it is unable to regulate flow rate and superheating. The orifice tube is always associated with an accumulator at the evaporator outlet.

How do you know if you have a bad orifice tube?

AC system performing worse than usual and blowing warm air One of the first symptoms of a problem with the AC expansion valve or orifice tube is an underperforming AC system. The AC expansion valve and orifice tube work together to regulate the flow of the AC system.

When should I replace orifice tube?

It becomes necessary to replace the orifice tube if the fine mesh screen or the internal components of the orifice tube become plugged, restricting refrigerant and lubricant flow. Orifice tubes also designate the dividing point between the “high” and “low” sides of the system.

What is an automotive AC orifice tube?

Some car makers now use automotive AC orifice tube systems in their AC. An orifice tube is simply a refrigerant metering device to control the rate of flow of refrigerant into the evaporator located in your dash. In the illustration below, you’ll see that low pressure gas flows out of the evaporator coil and into the accumulator.

Where is the orifice tube located on a refrigerator?

Where is the orifice tube located? Orifice tubes are always located in the refrigerant tubing that connects to the high pressure port on the evaporator. However, the tube may be located in the evaporator tubing itself.

What causes an orifice tube to stop working?

The small diameter of the passage, while critical for the cooling system, makes an orifice tube susceptible to becoming clogged from debris within the system. An orifice tube becoming stopped up is just about the only way that it can ever fail, as it is a relatively simple component by design.

What is the difference between the orifice tube and evaporator?

The diameter of the passage inside the orifice tube is very small compared to those inside the evaporator. This dynamic allows the refrigerant to expand when it passes from the orifice tube into the evaporator.