Hello Everyone,

I am new here and will say hello to everyone and start off with a strange problem. I was wondering if anyone can tell me if the housing that surrounds the AC components on the blazer is needed for functionality. The problem I have is that the plastic around the AC components is soft and is crumbling apart. I got the blazer a few months ago and have slowly been going through it. One day when I was going through the engine compartment I noticed that the cover around the AC unit was falling apart and is soft when you touch it. If you touch it a piece will crumble off.

I am trying to find out if the cover is necessary and if I can just crumble it up and remove it. I am going to post some pictures of the AC cover and damage that has already happened to it.

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Thanks in advance and I am sure you will all be hearing from me alot around here. I have wanted a S-10 blazer for years and finaly jumped at the opp to get one for towing my race equipment.

 

Well its covering the a/c box and the heater box so you need to keep something there unless you dont want a/c or heat. Did it have an accumulator failure at some point the whole area looks as if it was sprayed with refridge that is eating away at metals and covering everything in pag oil.

 

My '99 blazer is doing the same thing. Except that mine is almost gone. It has literally just crumbled into pieces. (Which is maybe why I am having a/c problems????)

 

My 95 disintegrated too. Thank god that POS is long gone(it's so funny. I read about all these issues with the older models, I had ALL the issues).

Anyway, I have a perfect AC housing from my totalled 1998 Jimmy, if you're interested. The non-crumbling version!

I wish our profiles listed our locations on this site. So when we were going to buy or trade parts, we'd have an idea about how difficult/expensive it would be.

 

It does if you fill out the information in your profile...Its the 'From:' field...

 

Well I was reading through the Haynes book after I posted this and I found an interesting entry when servicing the blower you have to cut the "Cover" as they call it away with a knife. Once you cut it away you can access the bolts holding the blower fan and motor in place. Everything they are showing makes it sound like it is just a dirt and grime cover to make the compartment look better.
Please let me know if I am wrong because I am thinking about removing it completely. maybe I will replace it with someone like dbsound's suggestion.

As far as A/C issue I do have a problem. The system will not hold a charge for more then 2 days. if I charge it the thing cools like a champ but after a few days there is no more cooling. I don't think the leak is coming from inside the cover though. it looks like it is in the return line a little lower. I have to get some die and test it. What you are seeing that looks like a blow back is probably the engine cleaner that I put on it. I just cleaned and degreased the engine shortly before I took the pics. if anyone has any more feed back it would still be greatly appreciated. Oh and the heater still works like a champ. To good. You all know as well as me that these beasts like to run hot! hehe.

 

From what ive read you need to put that cutout back in after a blower motor change. They say to glue it back before using the blower. If you think about it with holes in the cover you are sucking up all heat, smells, and possibly CO that is under the hood and blowing it straight into the cab. You could probably make something yourself to cover the blower, ac coil, and heater box up if you dont want to pay for the actual piece of plastic.

 

I will replace it with the proper piece if the cover is necessary but the problem is the bottom of the cover is cracking just like the top. I am not sure the part can be replaced without taking a bunch of junk out before hand? What a pain in the butt.

 

Guys, how much is this thing worth? As usual, I have no idea!

 

I talked to a GM factory mechanic today who said the part is not needed. When ever they service the A/C units on the older S-10 models and the cover is crumbling they crumble it up and remove it. The 4 cylinder P/U models have the blower and A/C components in the same location and it does not have the cover. I read it in my haynes manual and got conformation from the GM mechanics. Just thought I would pass this info along. The heat shied that is on the bottom side of the components on the other hand is very necessary.


Thanks for the effort dBsound but it appears the part is not necessary after all. Atleast that is the way I am taking it so I am going to remove it and see how it functions.