I have a 1990 S-10 Blazer that I've owned since new. Was a BD present to myself. It currently has 423,580 miles. Engine's never been opened...valve covers have never even been off the car. It still runs great. Been through 3 trans and changed almost everything on and in the car many times since owning it. If I had the money I would love to restore it. But don't think that's going to happen, unfortunately. The biggest problem I've always had with the vehicle, due to what I consider to be a serious design flaw, has been the AC. In the 21 years of ownership I've put in approximately 10 AC systerms. Some complete and some partial. The amount of money I've spent on those systems would've bought me a new car. Even now for the last 2 years I don't have AC, 'cause I can't afford to take the chance, and spend the money again, and have it only work 4 about a year and then quit. The point I'm trying to get at is, I'd like to put in a Vintage Ac system and wanted to know if anyone has done that, and is it a difficult job to do by yourself?

 

My thoughts on your situation:

Most A/C systems last 8 or more years, You seem to have a run of bad luck and bad parts. Not sure what you consider a "system" replacement. The Compressor and its Clutch are the only parts that wear out. And as you probably know, if the Compressor has a mechanical failure then the system can be contaminated by debris. In most cases this can be flushed and reused. If you figure a new compressor is ~$300 and a flush and freon fill is ~$200 you should be back on the road for $500 or so. 10 x 500 is $5,000. It certainly sounds like you have spent more than this quick estimate.

A "vintage" A/C system is just a collection of very old parts with old technology. A retrofit might cost $3,000-$5,000 and I don't think its performance or reliability would be superior to the original system.

Actually a 1990 A/C system could be considered vintage by now. At some point your system was probably retrofitted to run R-134a instead of R-12. If not, it should have been.

It sounds like in most ways your Blazer has treated you very well. Sorry to hear about the A/C troubles.

 

The biggest killer of A/C systems is non-use. If they sit unused, the seals harden & leak - even more so with 134a.

I've done quite a few A/C systems over the years, & to tell you the truth, the older (70's) A/C systems were the most reliable & best working systems ever built. Compressors were so overbuilt it wasn't uncommon to have originals with over 400,000 miles running around down south & the southwest. A TXV system, which uses an expansion valve instead of an orfice tube, allows the compressor to run continuously, without the bang-on, bang-off action of an orfice tube system. It's much easier on the components.

If your system was designed for R12, then that's what you should run. It runs at much lower pressure than 134a & the molecules are larger - that alone reduces the leak potential by quite a margin. Plus, the system was designed for R12 - so it will be colder & more efficient using that refrigerant. It's expensive these days no thanks to the EPA, so replace all your seals, LUBE THEM before installation, replace anything that you cannot flush, & charge to specs using fresh mineral oil. If done right, you do it once.

 

I would like to thank those of you that responded so quickly to my AC situation with my S-10 Blazer. Really appreciate all your input. The Vintage AC system I referred to installing in my vehicle was not vintage as in "old" but the Company Vintage AC. They are used extensively in hot rods muscle cars resto-mods and the like. They are extremely efficient. Many friends of mine with show cars use them. And the gentleman who made the comment about the '70's type ac being among the best, you're absolutely right! Back in 1990,after my folks passed away, I restored their 1972 Chevelle to become one of the winningest show cars in Fla. from the Orlando area down. The AC in that car was always ICE COLD! I did fail to mention that in March of '09 I retrofitted a Sanden compressor to the Blazer, new condenser and evaporator (again) and the system died b4 the summer of '10. Also there has always been a great deal of heat intrusion into the vehicle. Even when our days get "cool," if the windows are up and no AC on, the amount of heat that comes in the vents is incredible! So all these years the AC system has had to cool, or try to cool, that hot air coming in from the engine compartment and outside. So when money permits and I get off unemployment and get some work, the plan is to get another vehicle and start the restoration process on the Blazer. Want to do one more b4 I leave this planet. One last Hoorah! Again, a very sincere thanks to all of you. Sincerely Jay Andre

 

Wow, my A/C on my 1992 has been quite good. The 1st problem I had with it was at about 118,000, the compressor insides scattered though out the system. At that time I paid a mechanic friend to put a rebuilt compressor on it, it worked quite good for about 1& 1/2 year. Compressor went out. I them bough a new compressor & installed it myself, & its still working great.

 

My compressor bearings went out,so i just ripped everything out. Cooling is nice,but i can put up with the heat.


My dads blazer only blows out the bottom center vents.

 

I've been hearing bad things about some of the chinese compressors out there ... but Sanden is a reputable name. Something is going on there ....

But anyway, I had a '72 El Camino that I just sold this summer, which had an aftermarket under-dash A/C system similar to Vintage. It worked great- especially in the small cab of the 'Camino. Used to fog up the rear glass so bad I couldn't see out of it.

That system had a TXV valve, & the compressor ran constantly if you had the thermostat set low. I rebuilt the system in '00 when I lived in Phoenix. That also had a Sanden compressor. I installed a parallel-flow condenser, new TXV valve, new receiver/dryer, barrier hoses on the high side, & rebuilt the Sanden - and it was still working when I sold it this summer - '11 years, although it was on it's 3rd charge. Blew ice cubes. I had it set up for 134a but I ran this stuff called Freeze-12, which is a blend of 134a and 152b, which runs at lower pressure than straight 134a. Worked out well.

At one point I had the system charged up with propane, straight from the BBQ grill tank. That was the coldest that system ever was. On a humid day, steam would shoot out the vent. 34° vent temps too.

 

Has anyone completely removed and replaced their entire AC system,including what's in the cab area, on their 1st generation Blazers with the Vintage AC company AC system? If so, let me know how difficult/easy it was. Thanks

 

Years back I bought a 1959 Ford pickup, it had a Sears under dash A/C, & the belt was off.

I completely restore it in the mid 80's & put a belt on the A/C compressor, worked great for a couple of years, compressor went out, changed it, them the threomstat went out, I took it out & was able to get a new one. After that the air coming out of the under dash A/C unit was 36º in the hot summer time. At times it would literly frost over the inside windows. Had a few friends that went for a ride with me & the only complaint I ever heard was that the A/C worked to good.

Here is a picture of it, I drove it for about 10 years selling to a fellow over in Olkhoma.