1989 A/C Low Side Port

LtShAdY420

Registered User
I can't find where the a/c low side port is on my '89. I've been reading posts all over the forum and they all say it is between and ARC cover and the plenum, but it is definitely not there. I saw a picture that someone posted on the site with a blue cap on the port but i definitely do not have one in the same location. Would anyone be able to better explain the location or maybe even send (ltshady420@aol.com) or post a picture of the low side port on an 89? Thanks.
 
well ya just gotta look under stuff

The low side port is located under the shradier vavle ( pressure switch) back by the fire fall near the ecv tester, I remeber having to unplug it and the loosen it by turning it, should be a valve inside the port to prevent venting out the r12. THats where i filled mine by the way, when i had the 89. Also its best if u use a jumper wire on the switch connector as it forces ur ac to run it the button inside is selected to do so, makes filling safer and easier.
 
Yes I believe they charged the 89s through the accumulator itself. You unscrew the pressure switch body and hook your hose up to the the valve itself. But, because the pressure switch is no longer connected, you have to jumper it to get the compressor to engage and pull the refrigerant in. Without the switch jumpered, the compressor will not run. Thats how a CCOT type A/C is designed.
 
My 89, which I purchased new, has the fill port on the suction line hidden between the ARC cover and the Throttle body. Hard to see but is there.
 
unplug the wires to the hi/lo pressure switch and short the connections inside the connector with a paper clip.

You should look follow he hose from the accumulator just a bit and you should see the actual fill port.
 
Here It Is

Attached are some photos of my 89, showing the A/C port location. A little tricky to find.

Good Luck,

JD
 

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hey, thanks for the pictures, but mine definitely does not have a port in the same location. I guess it's going to be on the accumulator under the pressure switch. It never seems easy with these cars, but I guess that's why we love them.
 
hey, thanks for the pictures, but mine definitely does not have a port in the same location. I guess it's going to be on the accumulator under the pressure switch. It never seems easy with these cars, but I guess that's why we love them.

It's probably because yours has had A/C work in the past. Maybe aftermarket replacement lines don't have the port like the stock lines. Good luck with your project.

JD
 
I've heard of this before. Jerry's pic show the r134 adapter on the suction line. r134 hoses don't use the threads. They use clip-on fitting, hence the adapters. They do it this way to ensure that nobody mixes up r12 and r134.
The adapters use an adhesive thats suppose to keep them on permanently.

I'm not really sure what you're supposed to do about that if you have to charge r134 in through the accumulator. It would seem that you'd have to screw on the adapter to the accumulator, but then... you wouldn't be able to put the pressure switch on ever again. :confused:

Could be a head scratcher. You might have to leave off the adapter and use a set of r134 guages but borrow a low side hose from a set of r12 guages.
 
I worked for Ford for years, and I have never had to charge an AC system through the port for the AC cycling switch. There is a port somewhere to charge the system.
 
I worked for Ford for years, and I have never had to charge an AC system through the port for the AC cycling switch. There is a port somewhere to charge the system.
I believe the owner in that the port is not there. But since the cars came from the factory with A/C, where freon (r12) is added by weight, It wouldn't suprise me at all if they had a machine that just shoved it in through the high side port or through some special fitting that was removed once it was finished. :rolleyes: Remember this car was built before the concept of retrofitting.

A few hints then please.. where should he look?
 
Running an A/C shop for 8 years in the 90s I have run into cars that didnt have a low side service port, mostley Fords. When I asked a Ford tech friend of mine he told me that at the factory they were charged with a measured amount of refrigerant and sent out the door. Face it cars seldom need recharging during the warranty period. Look at all the money they saved on fittings then it makes sense. A buck a car times 150 or 200 thousand cars was a bonus in some engineers paycheck.
 
I went home and rechecked my 89 SC last night. No low side port. I know that this is the way it was from day one because we bought it new and the A/C never needed service until last year.
 
What does retrofitting have to do with it? All of the SC's and Tbirds that I have had have the charge port in the location pointed out before. The service manual directions refer to the high and low side service ports. Maybe the owner should post a picture of the area in question, or see if someone with more practical experience could look at the vehicle and help find the port.
 
What does retrofitting have to do with it? All of the SC's and Tbirds that I have had have the charge port in the location pointed out before. The service manual directions refer to the high and low side service ports. Maybe the owner should post a picture of the area in question, or see if someone with more practical experience could look at the vehicle and help find the port.
It has to do with the fact that Ford, when they assembled the 89 model only had 1 thing to do... fill the A/C with freon. There were no laws or standards that told them how to get it done. They were free to design it without a lowside port, if they decided to do it that way, and shove the freon in any way they pleased. :rolleyes: So while you may not be able to concieve of that, I certainly can.

The poster has said that the low side port is not there. You may dissagree with him if you wish, but I believe what he has said. If you know the answer, stop keeping everyone in suspense, and lets hear it. :rolleyes:
 
Running an A/C shop for 8 years in the 90s I have run into cars that didnt have a low side service port, mostley Fords. When I asked a Ford tech friend of mine he told me that at the factory they were charged with a measured amount of refrigerant and sent out the door. Face it cars seldom need recharging during the warranty period. Look at all the money they saved on fittings then it makes sense. A buck a car times 150 or 200 thousand cars was a bonus in some engineers paycheck.
Precisely. On an assembly line, with the proper equipment, there's no reason they couldn't do it through the hi-side port. The vacuum itself could pull 50% of the freon in initially, and then the rest could be pushed in with pressure. The engine wouldn't have to be run at all. The static pressure in a cool environment isn't dangerous. Something less than 80 psi. :cool:

The industry, without the precise knowledge of how each car's A/C was charges, measures the performance of the A/C based on pressures and temperatures. This is best done by checking the pressures before and after the compressor. Hence... the A/C service industry cares about it.. Ford may or may not. :cool:
 
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