My name is Charlie and I am a longtime Blazer fanatic. My dad bought one new back in 1993, and unfortunately he no longer owns it. It was a black 1993 Chevrolet S10 Blazer Tahoe LT 4x4 2-door, and I miss that truck. Anyway, cars and trucks are my first passion, but I also have an interest in HVAC (heating, air-conditioning, central air, etc).

I was wondering if anybody knew if 1993 S10 Blazers had R-12 refrigerant in the A/C system, or if they started making them with R-134a refrigerant midyear. My dad bought his new in June, 1993, which was right before they started making 1994 model year vehicles, so possibly they could have started putting R-134a in late 1993 models?

I corresponded with an owner of a 1994 S10 Blazer who had a video of his truck up on YouTube and he said it came from the factory with R-134a. I also know for a fact that 1992 and older models have R-12, but I cannot find any detailed info on what kind of refrigerant a 1993 has. I know it's a random question, but it's one that I would really like to know the answer to and if anybody has owned or currently owns a 1993 S10 Blazer and knows the answer to this question, that would be great! Thanks!

Update (May, 2011): I recently had the opportunity to go back to the same dealership where my dad bought his 1993 Blazer new, Lafferty Chevrolet in Warminster, Pennsylvania, where I obtained the keys to a 1994 Chevrolet S10 Blazer that had been manufactured in the fall of 1993. I popped the hood and found that this Blazer had R-12 refrigerant. This would probably mean that my dad's 1993 had R-12. I also saw a 1994 2nd generation S10 pickup on eBay that had R134a, but I don't know what year it was actually made.

 

If I am not mistaken they stopped R12 when OBD2 came out. And the ones that are R12 were normally converted to use 134a.

So late 1995 and newer is garunteed to NOT have it. It should say on your AC info under the hood.
A Yellow label or sometimes even white, located on the AC compressor, fan shroud or Hood.

 

The '93 came with R12. I had my system converted to 134a because of the cost of R12. The system runs cold, but not as cold if R12 is used.

 

So a 1993 Blazer purchased new in about June 1993 would have R-12 refrigerant?

Ours was a 1993, but unfortunately we do not have it anymore so I cannot exactly look under the hood. It might not even be around anymore. It was traded for a new Nissan Pathfinder in 1996. Someone else who actually owns a 1993 S10 Blazer told me theirs had R-12.

Also, what does OBD2 mean? Did 1994 and early 1995 Blazers have R-12 as well then?

 

It's hard to say because different automakers switched at different times but you can tell if It's R-12 or R-134A by either looking at the compressor label listed above or you can also tell because on R-12 the low and high pressure fittings are the same size where as R-134A the fittings are completely different sizes.

 

OBD2 stands for On board Diagnostics, it's the 2nd edition that was released to show more options for your MIL or "Check engine" light.

I THINK don't quote me, some early 1995 models and 1994's had R12 but they began phasing this out in 1994 if I remember correctly. It's a 50/50 shot on whether or not yours has it. Some do some don't, all depends on the month of mfg. I think.

 

I can't answer his question but my 89 is still R12. I had purchased qute a bit of R12 while it was still legal and I still have a few cans left. My local AC shop will let me supply them the R12 for any repairs that need to be done. His recomendation is to keep it R12 as it does have better performance than R134 in the blazer. At some point I might have to convert but I am not there yet.

 

Just a thought for anyone interested. You can replace your R-12 with a refrigerant called ES12-Envirosafe(Please see link). Many people will say this stuff isn't safe but I been in the HVAC biz for 25 years and it's worked in everything I put it in. Also only requires 1/3 of the charge of R-12. another option is called Hotshot-also a direct R-12 repalacement. Neither require changing the oil like a R-134 conversion(I hate that crap-this stuff is basically the reason domestic fridges only carry a 1 year warranty now-when it overheats the wax in the oil solidifies and plugs things UP!)
I've been hacked at the Powers that Be that outlawed the original refrigerants(Dupont-all because their patents were due to expire). R12, R22, R502 all were/are outstanding refrigerants. Anyways ! Heres the link
Environmentally Friendly Refrigerant and Automotive Fluid Products - Enviro-Safe, Inc

 

I'm also running the replacement for R-12 and it works perfectly fine but I do tend to leave my fast idler unplugged most of the time so I don't use the A/C much unless it is raining or something.

 

Did you buy your Jimmy new? Also, I am still looking for a Blazer. I was wondering if you knew whether or not the 1993-1994 S10 Blazer 2-doors came with leather seats? I know the 4-door models were available with leather, but I have never seen a 2-door with leather. It also seems that specifying leather seats back in 1992-1994 required the addition of that ugly tan accent paint on the lower part of the body. I prefer solid colored Blazers, especially in black, red, or green. Black with either a gray or tan interior is my favorite color combo.

I came across a 1994 S10 Blazer manufactured in October 1993 that came with R-12. However, the previous own did a rather half-assed job of converting it to R134a.

I like the picture in your message. Did you do that yourself?

There's a red 1994 S10 Blazer 4-door on eBay that I think might have R-12.

The R-12 labels are yellow and orange, and the R134a labels are blue and white, correct?