97 Tahoe 2-door: who makes the best quality replacement AC compressor?

1998_K1500_Sub · Feb 19, 2022

Schurkey said:
Time to figure out what the root cause is.

While you're at it, make sure the vacuum-operated coolant crossover valve, and its associated solenoid-actuated vacuum valve, are functional. I think they're present on the Tahoe; I know they're on the Suburban.

Their proper operation will aid the AC system's operation.

If you have them...

- you'll find the vacuum valve mounted on the firewall, on the passenger's side (with some vacuum hoses and electrical wiring attached), and

- you'll find the coolant crossover valve mounted in a nest of heater hoses affixed to the passenger's side wheelwell, connected by a vacuum hose to the vacuum valve mentioned above

There was quite a bit of discussion about this coolant crossover valve / vacuum valve pair, and how to test / fix them, in this recent thread starting at this post and thereafter:

Heater issue?

They had different factory temps. I'm just curious what temp your running.

www.gmt400.com

LVJJJ · Feb 21, 2022

Wow! a 2-door Tahoe, always wanted one of those. In a 94 4 door suburban had an intermittent problem with my AC, would quit then start up again. After getting the freon replaced twice discovered a bad electrical connection at the evaporator. Found it when I accidentally bumped the connector while rooting around under the hood looking for the problem.

MekongMan62 · Feb 22, 2022

Wow, thanks for all the replies, everyone!

I’m in Mazatlán now. I searched out the highest-rated “aire condicionado” shop in town and paid him a visit today. In my comically awful Spanish I tried to explain the situation to him.

He had me start the Tahoe and then turn on the AC. He listened, looked at various components, inspected with his flashlight, touched various parts to test the temps.

After ten minutes he told me (I think), “very noisy compressor, but it is probably normal.”

Now I feel dumber than a sack of frijoles. I’d been afraid to even turn on the AC for the past three days because with the howling, I expected some bearing to be on the verge of seizing/exploding.

Anyway thanks for all the tips, I will definitely keep them in mind for when the time actually comes to install compressor number 5 in the truck.

MekongMan62 · Feb 22, 2022

1998_K1500_Sub said:
For my 1998 Suburban I used the Sanden #4261, which is the same as the #4440 except #4261 has a smaller 112mm pulley vs. 132mm on the #4440 (I believe 132mm is the same size as the original HT6's).

I opted for the smaller pulley to provide greater pumping capacity for a given engine RPM. The Sub's a big vehicle with lots of AC plumbing and 4# of refrigerant.

The #4261 SD7 compressor is rated at 6000RPM continuous; the OEM crank pulley is ~8" and the #4261 compressor's pulley is ~4.4", so I "tuned" the ECU to disengage the compressor above 3000RPM to prevent overspeed. Too, my Sub's geared such that I rarely see engine RPM above 3000 on the highway (which equates to ~65MPH in 3rd gear, ~92 4th gear, 4L60E) except during atypically heavy load (passing, accel).

I had wondered if extra drag due to the smaller pulley would impair the ECU's ability to manage engine RPM, e.g., at idle during compressor cycling, but I've noticed no degradation.

You…really seem to know what you’re talking about.

1998_K1500_Sub · Feb 22, 2022

MekongMan62 said:
You…really seem to know what you’re talking about.

I'm so full of $h!t my eyes are brown

MalcolmEatmanGoode · Jun 17, 2024

SAATR said:
Denso has a Sanden style replacement for the HT6 available, part number 471-7044. I installed one on my Suburban 6 years ago, still going strong. It may even be made by Sanden, given the tag says "Made in USA".

Did you need to make any modifications to the bracket, wires, hoses etc?

SAATR · Jun 17, 2024

MalcolmEatmanGoode said:
Did you need to make any modifications to the bracket, wires, hoses etc?

None; it bolted right in. You will need to flush the system thoroughly as the Sanden style compressor uses a different PAG oil than a HT6.

A note from hindsight: The Denso I used is essentially a Sanden 4440, which is a direct replacement for the HT6 in our trucks. It uses a 130mm diameter clutch. A better choice would have been the 4261, which uses a 112mm clutch that would spin the compressor around 16 percent faster at idle, improving refrigerant flow at low engine speeds. That would be my recommendation, if you were going to a Sanden style compressor.

Reading back a few posts in the thread, it seems @1998_K1500_Sub already mentioned this, but it bears repeating.

97 Tahoe 2-door: who makes the best quality replacement AC compressor?

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