1989 Air Conditioner Problem

[Jarrod]

So, I took my 1989 SHO to a local shop today to find out what exactly is up with my air conditioning. I got a call back and they said that my compressor and "3 of 4" lines are leaking, and all the parts are discontinued...

Can anyone verify part numbers for the compressor and other lines so I can search for these parts myself? I'm having a **** of a time with Search. "1989 air conditioner" gives no results and both "89" and "ac" are too short to search.

Also, what are everyones' experiences, if any, and buying used a/c parts for these cars?

Not having A/C is not an option for this car this summer. I'll be spending a lot of time in the car, and summer's are from from pleasant down here. I want this fixed....

 

[morebhp]

I'm in the same boat. I haven't been able to get conclusive information. Some say NAPA has all the parts, others say some won't fit. If your parts aren't rusty, perhaps you can just replace your o-rings and be okay.

 

[Jarrod]

I'm lookin' basically for a compressor and lines. I've been able to find the compressor part number, but no local parts places can get 'em.

This is the first thing with the car that's really caused a headache. Everything else so far has been maintenance and normal wear and tear, almost ~$3,500 worth. But the A/C thing really irks me.

 

[morebhp]

Is that one still on the old R12 feon?

 

[Jarrod]

Yup... R12 ftw.

Okay, called the shop back that checked out my car. Basically, there's only 3 good parts in the whole air conditioner system: one house, the evaporator, and the condenser. With the hose being the same age as all the others, and the others being bad, I figure that I should go ahead and replace that at the same time to prevent another headache later.

And, I know many people don't trust any type of mechanic or auto shop, but I know these guys aren't yanking my chain. The tech/mechanic who checked out my car is a friend of nearly 3 years and one of the most honest and trustworthy people I've ever met. The service adviser/guy at the counter was so kind as to tell me that if I can hunt up the parts, he'll find a way for me to get them on the car, even though it's against company policy for that particular business to install customer parts. So, naysayers and skeptics, please don't reply. I'm more on a search for part #'s now, experiences from used a/c component members, and people with a little ingenuity. Thanks in advance SHOforum!

 

[morebhp]

Well, hopefully someone with more knowledge will help you out. I need to get some parts ordered too but I'm just not certain what I need. It's one of those gray areas no one seems to know much about. Either on this forum or anywhere else.

 

[projectSHO89]

Most of the parts are readily available from the aftermarket.

See this thread from a week or so ago: http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?t=74260 It contains a diagram of the 89's A/C system.

Most of the hoses are avilable from retailers that sell the Four Seasons/Murray/Factory Air brands.

The muffler will be the only difficult part to find.

Steve

 

[projectSHO89]

Most of the parts are readily available from the aftermarket.

See this thread from a week or so ago: http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?t=74260 It contains a diagram of the 89's A/C system.

Most of the hoses are avilable from retailers that sell the Four Seasons/Murray/Factory Air brands. Online catalog for identification purposes at www.4s.com

The muffler will be the only difficult part to find. If you need one, it will have to be salvaged or fabricated.

Convert it to R134a while you're at it.

Steve

 

[Jarrod]

 

[morebhp]

Let us know how your search goes. (part numbers, vendors... etc) I was about to dig into my A/C system when I discoverd my exhaust system was about to bail so I'm in the mids of that.

 

[Jarrod]

Okay guys... I've had a forum member get in touch and I will have a compressor and accumulator with hose on the way soon. I'm still a little unsure about what other pieces I need. The parts #'s listed in the other threads are for a '95, and it's stated that they may be different for the '89. So, these are the parts #'s so far.

Compressor
Ford PN #F1DZ-19703-A
Accumulator with hose
Ford PN #E9DZ-19C836-C

I'm trying to look at Napa's website and get part numbers, but I'm getting discouraged.

As far as I can tell this is the hose needed with the manifold to bolt to the compressor (PN TEM282602). This appears to go on the other side of the compressor (PN TEM282740).

What else do I need if I'm replacing all the hoses? Do I need to just buy all the parts on the page except the accumulator, solvent, and mineral oil?

Sorry to be a pain, guys...

 

[morebhp]

I still haven't ordered my parts yet. One other guy said he replaced everthing with three parts from NAPA but then another guy said one of them won't fit. It's a puzzle.

http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?t=64945

 

[Jarrod]

Well... Napaonline.com lists different part numbers for the '89 and '95 SHOs... so I guess we need to figure out if the listings for the '89 are just incorrect, or if Ford changed the design of the A/C system..

Or.. maybe us '89 owners are just SOL if we want new parts.

*Update.
Autozone's site is absolutely worthless... and www.4s.com doesn't have any helpful info that I could find.

 

[morebhp]

Yep, you are finding the same thing I did.

Take what I say with a grain of salt but... I'm not convinced there's any difference (at least not appreciable difference) between any of the MTX parts from 89-95. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Other than the fact that the older cars used R12, the system layout is the same. My dad still has his 91 and it looks JUST like my 95 where the A/C parts are concerned.

It seems to me, if you can find parts that fit together and hold pressure, you are good to go. I don't think its any more complicated than that. As far as I know, the compressors are the same accross the board. What would fit a '95 compressor would fit an '89 compressor.

Its the ATX that has the drier and other stuff behind the engine on the fire wall. Yeah, those parts won't fit for sure.

Pull out your radiaor reservior and get a better look at the couplings to the compressor. Looks much like the NAPA part #TEM282810

 

[Jarrod]

Well.... I guess I'm just going to use my car as a guinea pig, then... I'll buy the other 2 hoses from Napaonline, and try them out. If this works out, hopefully we'll have a solid solution for all MTX SHOs.

I really hope this does work out, so future searchers won't encounter the same difficulties we have. I've been trying to use words instead of abbreviations to hopefully help this topic turn up in future uses of the Search button.

 

[Marccus]

I replaced the suction line (with accumulator), discharge line from the condenser, and the line from the compressor to the condenser in my AC system. Don't bother with NAPA they have so many screwed up part numbers that it will drive you crazy.

Use ackits.com. These guys have everything and can suggest how fix/repair machine any part that no one has.

The line from the accumulator to the compressor is not available and you will have to get it repaired. You are supposed to get the o-rings and springs with the lines. Hah! You can buy a kit supplied in a little plastic box that supplies more than you need for any Ford car. It's only about $15.

I applied a coat of zinc chromate primer topcoated with an enamel to all metal parts, although the new lines and accumulator you will buy are aluminum, not steel, and rust is less likely. I also wrapped the suction line with A/C pipe insulation and wrapped it with silicone tape. Again, it is aluminum, so it won't rust as badly as the stock steel lines. Anyway, insulating it from engine compartment heat really won't cut down on any energy savings.

I also had to get a part from Kregen as ackits didn't have it it.

I'll see if I can locate my part numbers and where they were purchased. It took me a long time and a lot of work (with wrong parts being sent ) to finally get it all together. But it's nice to have it working again.

 

[morebhp]

Marccus. Sounds like you did a top-notch job. --Where do you live?? --just kidding. )

Yeah, if you could give us some guidance on that I'd be very grateful. Thanks!

 

[luigisho]

I would see if you have a local NAPA that can supply those parts. Shipping returns is a real PITA that I've gone through a few times. It's much easier to take it local and return it. If there's a price difference see if the local store will match the price.