beady
Full Access Member
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2024
- Posts
- 73
- Reaction score
- 26
- Location
- Tidewater/Northern Neck VA
- First Name
- Mine
- Truck Year
- 1987
- Truck Model
- R20
- Engine Size
- 454
Hi all, I bought this clean 1987 R20 454 Suburban a couple months ago. The AC didn’t work, and when I hooked my gauges up only had about 10 psig on the low side. It had r134 fittings already, but I went ahead and replaced the schrader cores and replaced the orifice tube and o-ring. Pulled a vacuum for 45 mins and it only dropped a little after 10 mins with pump off, so thought I was ok to charge it. Nope, high and low side stayed lower than temp/pressure table readings should be, vent temps only in the 70’s and the compressor compressor started weeping uv dye oil from the ends/body joint over the next few days. The orifice tube looked kind of black deathy also.
Also, defroster fogs the windshield and vents blow foggy air and there is the smell of coolant, so I’m guessing heater core is DOA.
So, what to do? I don’t mind paying once for the vintage air kit and replacing everything at once, higher cfm blower, etc., but I don’t want to drop that coin and be disappointed by the cooling in a suburban with lots of ppl in it in Virginia summer.
Would I be better off replacing the compressor with a big sanden? What model will fit my brackets? Do I need to get new evaporator and condenser sized for r134 also? I’ve seen conflicting reports.
I’m at the point in life that I’d rather spend the money and do it right all at once and have functional cooling and defrost now than fuss around with trying to get the ac to work right by just replacing one component at a time and crossing my fingers.
I’ll do everything myself, not taking the truck somewhere.
Thanks for your thoughts,
Mike
Also, defroster fogs the windshield and vents blow foggy air and there is the smell of coolant, so I’m guessing heater core is DOA.
So, what to do? I don’t mind paying once for the vintage air kit and replacing everything at once, higher cfm blower, etc., but I don’t want to drop that coin and be disappointed by the cooling in a suburban with lots of ppl in it in Virginia summer.
Would I be better off replacing the compressor with a big sanden? What model will fit my brackets? Do I need to get new evaporator and condenser sized for r134 also? I’ve seen conflicting reports.
I’m at the point in life that I’d rather spend the money and do it right all at once and have functional cooling and defrost now than fuss around with trying to get the ac to work right by just replacing one component at a time and crossing my fingers.
I’ll do everything myself, not taking the truck somewhere.
Thanks for your thoughts,
Mike