Vintage Air Gen V (5) or replace existing compressor, etc., for 1987 R20 Suburban?

[LowFatC10]

Carbed or TBi? If FI, GM put the computer behind the glovebox, right where VA puts their system. TBI computer will need relocation.

 

[Knuck55]

I bought my compressor from Rock Auto for my 88 R20 454 GMB part # 9712214 and it works OK but would not buy one of those again. Someone on here a while back said that if you run a parallel flow condenser and a blue orifice it will work great. Dont know though. Looks like I have a neighbor here! I live in the Chesapeake Va area. I have a vintage air in my other 88 and it works great as long as the air is blowing on you but it will not cool the truck interior. I was going to have a special hose made for hooking up the rear unit, add some oil and freon and see if I could get it to do the job but have not got around to that yet. Thats #23 on the list.

 

[beady]

I bought my compressor from Rock Auto for my 88 R20 454 GMB part # 9712214 and it works OK but would not buy one of those again. Someone on here a while back said that if you run a parallel flow condenser and a blue orifice it will work great. Dont know though. Looks like I have a neighbor here! I live in the Chesapeake Va area. I have a vintage air in my other 88 and it works great as long as the air is blowing on you but it will not cool the truck interior. I was going to have a special hose made for hooking up the rear unit, add some oil and freon and see if I could get it to do the job but have not got around to that yet. Thats #23 on the list.

Thanks. Tunnel traffic is great, isn’t it. Lol……

I need to figure out if I need a different orifice tube to keep the rear ac happy. I thought I read use white, but maybe that was just for trucks and not suburbans? It had a white one in it when I bought it.

I think I may block off the rear ac lines for now and worry about flushing the rear and fixing the barely functional and dragging rear fan next year.

Too many things to get dialed in on this truck, plus the two dozen other projects and equipment that always needs love at my gf’s farm. I just need ac/defrost and heat at a functional level so I don’t freeze and have a non-fogged windshield this winter for now.

 

[gmbellew]

I followed this post - it was suburban specific. I also added a small pusher fan that helps a little, but the stock clutch fan really moves a lot of air on its own.

the rear fan probably has had the mounting bracket come loose or somebody put it back together a little out of alignment and it is dragging. it's pretty straight forward to dive into it and adjust the position or fix a bracket.

the service manual (see Reference Library) shows how it all comes apart and goes back together.

 

[YakkoWarner]

I followed this post - it was suburban specific. I also added a small pusher fan that helps a little, but the stock clutch fan really moves a lot of air on its own.

the rear fan probably has had the mounting bracket come loose or somebody put it back together a little out of alignment and it is dragging. it's pretty straight forward to dive into it and adjust the position or fix a bracket.

the service manual (see Reference Library) shows how it all comes apart and goes back together.

My rear bracket is all out of sorts. The plastic that everything screws to has gotten so brittle that its just flaking apart. Right now theres just a lot of zip-ties and hopes holding most of it together, although the fan does run freely. Doesn't move much air though, I don't think the ducting is at all tight back there.

When the A/C did work, I would get a nice cold temp back there. Curiously enough, the temps coming out of my front vents would drop by 5-8 degrees when I turned the rear unit on.

 

[gmbellew]

My rear bracket is all out of sorts. The plastic that everything screws to has gotten so brittle that its just flaking apart. Right now theres just a lot of zip-ties and hopes holding most of it together, although the fan does run freely. Doesn't move much air though, I don't think the ducting is at all tight back there.

When the A/C did work, I would get a nice cold temp back there. Curiously enough, the temps coming out of my front vents would drop by 5-8 degrees when I turned the rear unit on.

The front system does seem to be boosted when the rear is on in mine also, and I usually at least use the rear fan on LOW when the front is on even if nobody is sitting in the back.

There isn't a lot of ductwork in the back. It is just the blower fan and an air deflector. If your deflector is missing or somehow not in the appropriate spot, that'd be a likely cause of the lack of air. On HIGH, I can feel the air coming from the back when I am in the driver seat.