Does anyone know where the low side service port is at? I am in the process of recharging the AC system with R-134a but I can't seem to find the service port to even begin the job. Is there anyone out there that knows where it is at? I would greatly appreciate your help. My AC will work in the morning when it is cooler, but since I am in Phoenix, Arizona the temperatures rise to at least 100 degrees F and for some reason the AC air turns hot. I've never had this problem for the last 3 years I have had the car. I think I may have a refrigerant leak that is causing this problem. Does anyone have a clue or similar problem to this? My car is a 2000 Ford Focus ZX3.
Where's the Service Port at?
1 - 20 of 37 Posts
Joined
·
134 Posts
Sounds like you just need a recharge, as you are trying to do. I'm sure somebody has a Chilton's and can look it up for you. I keep meaning to buy one but can't seem to remeber when I'm in the right place. I bought the service maual on Cd on ebay, but now can't find it... Figures... first time I would have had a "real reason" to use it...
Good Luck [thumb]
Good Luck [thumb]
Joined
·
1,236 Posts
Instead of a Chilton's, I strongly recommend Alldata. This is the exact same service info the pro's use. It cost them thousands to gain access to all vehicles, but fortunately Alldata started a DIY service. For $25 to start, and $15 a year to renew, you can have full access to the data on ONE particular vehicle. A Chilton's gets printed once and it's done. Alldata is updated constantly, including all Technical Service Bulletins as they are issued. The link is:
www.alldata.com
www.alldata.com
I was able to recharge my a/c with the help of my father. For everyone looking to recharge your a/c without spending your hard earned money I am sure the following tip will help.
Before continuing you will need the following:
R-134a Service Kit that includes R-134a canister, color-coded pressure guage, and valve assembly. (Can be purchased at Wal-Mart or any auto-store).
Where is the service port?
To better explain where the low-side service port is you will need to be sitting in front of the forward wheel on the passenger side. As you are facing the wheel, look to the right of the wheel where the protective side wall is firmly placed. There a screws holding the side wall in. In the trucking industry the forward flaps are called "splash guards" and the rear flaps are called "mudflaps". In order to recharge your a/c you need to remove the "splash guards" or at least pry it open to get behind it. You see some screws that require a special screw driver in order to remove them. That special screw driver is called a torx bit. Once you remove the torx screw you will be to pry open the splash guard and see that the freon reservoir and service port is located just behind the wall.
Follow the directions that came with your kit and presto you got cool air again!
Before continuing you will need the following:
R-134a Service Kit that includes R-134a canister, color-coded pressure guage, and valve assembly. (Can be purchased at Wal-Mart or any auto-store).
Where is the service port?
To better explain where the low-side service port is you will need to be sitting in front of the forward wheel on the passenger side. As you are facing the wheel, look to the right of the wheel where the protective side wall is firmly placed. There a screws holding the side wall in. In the trucking industry the forward flaps are called "splash guards" and the rear flaps are called "mudflaps". In order to recharge your a/c you need to remove the "splash guards" or at least pry it open to get behind it. You see some screws that require a special screw driver in order to remove them. That special screw driver is called a torx bit. Once you remove the torx screw you will be to pry open the splash guard and see that the freon reservoir and service port is located just behind the wall.
Follow the directions that came with your kit and presto you got cool air again!
Joined
·
176 Posts
All compact cars are a big pain in the ass to work on. It's not easy cramming all that functionality into a tiny space, especially on FWD when you've got the block, transaxle, and all the accessories and components crammed into that tiny engine bay.itsme said:
Joined
·
7,946 Posts
well, i went to walmart and got a DIY kit, and when i hooked up the gauge, it says that it need mechanical work. it should be in the green when it needs recharged and yellow/orange if it doesnt. this isnt a good sign is it? my ac works, but it isnt as cold as what i think it should be. any suggestions? and yes i used the lowside port
"we cannot recharge the system using the highside service port?"
I believe the highside service port can reach pressures high enough to blow-up the R-134A charging canister. Not a good thing.
But I also beleive the connectors are different, such that it is difficult, if not impossible, to use the high-side port. But I an only about 80% sure of this last statement.
I believe the highside service port can reach pressures high enough to blow-up the R-134A charging canister. Not a good thing.
But I also beleive the connectors are different, such that it is difficult, if not impossible, to use the high-side port. But I an only about 80% sure of this last statement.
alrighty, i have had some HVAC info ponded into my head, however its not automoive it still applys.
whats going on here is the high sid can be used to fill IF and only if the thing has been sitting for a while, thats long enough for both the evap and the condeser to reach room temp, and then for the pressure to equalize, so if the car has been run within id say an hour to be safe, maybe more(if the condeser near your rad. isnt room temp let it sit longer) then you can use either the low or the high side.
as for the reason why your AC stop working at higher temps, thats caused by the refigrent(no its not freon) not being able to turn to a liqud... i cant rember if increase your charge will make the less of a problem, but im 60% sure it is what you need to do.(its been about 4 months
)
on the gauge is the *needs serice* part is it near, ie doe it go
fil>dont fill> serivce?
or
dont fill>fill>service?
cause depending on what order that is, its possible you jsut need the car to sit for a longer time, that or it needs work
i hope that makes some sense about the filling stuff!
oh and if you plug the highside to the can while its "high" im not sure itll burt the can, if have to look at a pt chart for the 134A......
good luck and hope it helps!
levi
whats going on here is the high sid can be used to fill IF and only if the thing has been sitting for a while, thats long enough for both the evap and the condeser to reach room temp, and then for the pressure to equalize, so if the car has been run within id say an hour to be safe, maybe more(if the condeser near your rad. isnt room temp let it sit longer) then you can use either the low or the high side.
as for the reason why your AC stop working at higher temps, thats caused by the refigrent(no its not freon) not being able to turn to a liqud... i cant rember if increase your charge will make the less of a problem, but im 60% sure it is what you need to do.(its been about 4 months
) on the gauge is the *needs serice* part is it near, ie doe it go
fil>dont fill> serivce?
or
dont fill>fill>service?
cause depending on what order that is, its possible you jsut need the car to sit for a longer time, that or it needs work
i hope that makes some sense about the filling stuff!
oh and if you plug the highside to the can while its "high" im not sure itll burt the can, if have to look at a pt chart for the 134A......
good luck and hope it helps!
levi
well like i said it can be done, i never said that it was a good way t odo it, if you really wantedted you could do a fill, then fire ir up and take the psi level, using the p/t grapghs you can figure temps and such, if its to low add more etc..,
but the best way to do a top off is with the low side while its running, but you need to know both low and high side, this alowws you to balance the preuser, having as close to 0psi (or a tad over) on the low while sitting at a resanble prueser at the high side (say 100-140 psi)
basiclly you do the high side fill if you not to worried about over fill, and if the system is already low, im pretty sure that filling from the high side wont over fill it, of course you can check the the fill job on the high side afterwards, if its running over what you want vet nsome, that esay, start with small files, check, then add if needed.
of btw way its perfectly safe to vetn this tuff (r134a only though) even though it is techincally illegal (its still a refirgent) due to the fact that this is the same stuff used in over half of the "canned air"prodects you buy.... im prety sure its safe,(it doesnt kill ozoone)
anywho i hope that makes sense. im tired, ill check it later tommrow to fix any [][][][] ups!
good luck and hope it helps!
-levi
but the best way to do a top off is with the low side while its running, but you need to know both low and high side, this alowws you to balance the preuser, having as close to 0psi (or a tad over) on the low while sitting at a resanble prueser at the high side (say 100-140 psi)
basiclly you do the high side fill if you not to worried about over fill, and if the system is already low, im pretty sure that filling from the high side wont over fill it, of course you can check the the fill job on the high side afterwards, if its running over what you want vet nsome, that esay, start with small files, check, then add if needed.
of btw way its perfectly safe to vetn this tuff (r134a only though) even though it is techincally illegal (its still a refirgent) due to the fact that this is the same stuff used in over half of the "canned air"prodects you buy.... im prety sure its safe,(it doesnt kill ozoone)
anywho i hope that makes sense. im tired, ill check it later tommrow to fix any [
][][][] ups!good luck and hope it helps!
-levi
Joined
·
1,067 Posts
the pressure in the little can isn't very high. Since you are using osmosis to charge the system, it is best to try to go from a high pressure can to a low pressure accumulator, not from a high pressure can to a higher pressure condenser.
You connect the can to the low side with the engine off, and once it stops filling, you start the car turn on the a/c and finish filling. If you need another can, you can just continue adding while it runs. Since the pressure on the low side always will be less than the can, you get most of the R-134 out of the can.
If you were to try to fill on the high side, you would only get so much in, and then the pressures would equalize between the can and the a/c system, and no more will go in. If you were to start the a/c after that, it would go the opposite way, and try to fill the can (because then, the condenser pressure would be higher than can pressure.)
That being said, if you have a charging machine, you can fill the car completely without ever starting it, on either side, simply because the machine uses its own pressure to force the R-134 into the system.
You connect the can to the low side with the engine off, and once it stops filling, you start the car turn on the a/c and finish filling. If you need another can, you can just continue adding while it runs. Since the pressure on the low side always will be less than the can, you get most of the R-134 out of the can.
If you were to try to fill on the high side, you would only get so much in, and then the pressures would equalize between the can and the a/c system, and no more will go in. If you were to start the a/c after that, it would go the opposite way, and try to fill the can (because then, the condenser pressure would be higher than can pressure.)
That being said, if you have a charging machine, you can fill the car completely without ever starting it, on either side, simply because the machine uses its own pressure to force the R-134 into the system.
ah, but if the car has been sitting long wnough, the high side will only be a few psi, i never high side filling was better, he asked if it was possible,and it is. time consuming(have to wait for the presuer to equlizer on/high) but again, there ahould be about 100psi in the little can of , cause the one i looked at felt like it had liquad in it...
but hey, if no one wants my help i will go, *shrugs* its better then being told it cant eb done etc.....
pm me if you need anyhelp
-levi
p.s. *fillling machiens" dibt acutaly fil the highside, they use the low side suction, and its when you over fill you open up the high side and but it back in the tank, this allows you to get a perfect fill without lossing any gas, but you still must be carfully that pressuers dont crepp up when doing cascades after shut down, or shit will explode.... thats why i dont like to fill while stuff is running...
but hey, if no one wants my help i will go, *shrugs* its better then being told it cant eb done etc.....
pm me if you need anyhelp
-levi
p.s. *fillling machiens" dibt acutaly fil the highside, they use the low side suction, and its when you over fill you open up the high side and but it back in the tank, this allows you to get a perfect fill without lossing any gas, but you still must be carfully that pressuers dont crepp up when doing cascades after shut down, or shit will explode.... thats why i dont like to fill while stuff is running...
Joined
·
1,067 Posts
What does the car sitting have to do with it? Its all about the pressure in the can. The can might have 100 psi when you start, but because there is only 12 or 16 oz of refrigerant in it, that 100psi drops down pretty quick. So by the time you get half a can in, the pressures equalize. You would have to then remove that can, waste the other half of the refrigerant in it, and start a new can to continue filling the system. If you were using the low side, turning the a/c on drops the pressure and the SAME CAN can continue filling.
I never said you could use a machine to fill the high side while running try re-reading my post.
But, your description of how an a/c machine works is wrong. You can use it that way, but that is not what the machine was designed for. If you 'crack the high side while running' you will be removing an unmeasured amount of oil, and it will be getting into your non-condensables tank on your machine. To 'fine tune' your charge level while running, you actually should pull from the LOW side, since there is much less of a chance to get a large amount of oil out.
I never said you could use a machine to fill the high side while running try re-reading my post.
But, your description of how an a/c machine works is wrong. You can use it that way, but that is not what the machine was designed for. If you 'crack the high side while running' you will be removing an unmeasured amount of oil, and it will be getting into your non-condensables tank on your machine. To 'fine tune' your charge level while running, you actually should pull from the LOW side, since there is much less of a chance to get a large amount of oil out.
1 - 20 of 37 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!