One of the most important systems in your Nissan when it comes to comfort is your air conditioning. While you don’t rely on the air conditioning to keep your car going or keep you safe, it’s a system that is pretty important, especially if you live in a warmer climate.

There are several major components to your Nissan’s air conditioning system. There is a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, an accumulator or receiver and dryer. If your air conditioning stops working, any one of these components to the air conditioning system could be at fault.

Most often, however, the reason that an air conditioning system will stop functioning properly is because it runs out of refrigerant. There are two types of refrigerants commonly in use in today’s vehicles: for vehicles made before 1994, the refrigerant is R-12. For vehicles 1995 and later, the refrigerant is R-134a.

Understanding just these few basic ideas about your air conditioning system can help you to make good choices when it’s time to have your air conditioning system looked at by your auto repair professional.