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

Hi from Mexico, GMT400 amigos. Two days ago in Tucson I had my fourth AC compressor installed in my Tahoe. And today, after three long hours of use…it failed! Unit is howling like a pack of coyotes on a moonlit night. And of course I’m now south of the border, 500 miles from the shop that installed that crap unit.

So now I’m in Mexico and need to get yet another AC compressor installed. This time, I want to make sure I get the absolute best one there is. I talked to a local Chevy parts counter guy here in Sonora state today, and he told me the OEM units are discontinued, none to be found in all of Mexico.

So, I’m hoping I can find the absolute best replacement unit, and that it’s available here in Mexico. Maybe I have to get it shipped down from the USA, I don’t care. Does anyone know what brand I should be looking for?

Gracias

According to some other members here, the Sanden 4440 is the go-to upgraded AC compressor for the Vortec ('96+) trucks.

https://www.gmt400.com/threads/ac-comprssor-upgrade-5-7-vortec.49729/

Welcome to the site by the way!

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".

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.

I bought a brand new AC Delco AC compressor from Rock Auto for my 96 last summer and it seems to be a good quality unit.

98chevy2500SS said:

I bought a brand new AC Delco AC compressor from Rock Auto for my 96 last summer and it seems to be a good quality unit.

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I'm not a fan of the HT6 because it tends to leak around the middle. That was the case with the OE HT6 on my Suburban.

Once bitten, twice shy. YMMV I guess.

See this link or Google "HT6 leak middle".

I agree-no point in g

1998_K1500_Sub said:

I'm not a fan of the HT6 because it tends to leak around the middle. That was the case with the OE HT6 on my Suburban.

Once bitten, twice shy. YMMV I guess.

See this link or Google "HT6 leak middle".

Ht6 - Automotive Air Conditioning Information Forum

Click to expand...

I agree-no point in going for another belly leaker when there's alternative. Mine gave up exactly there-in the middle.
I bought this UAC and so far so good-been with me 2 years now.

MekongMan62 said:

Hi from Mexico, GMT400 amigos. Two days ago in Tucson I had my fourth AC compressor installed in my Tahoe. And today, after three long hours of use…it failed! Unit is howling like a pack of coyotes on a moonlit night.

Click to expand...

Have you got some other problem going on there?

Incorrect / low oil?

Particulates in the system from some prior catastrophe?

Improper cycling switch (stuck closed, compressor on constantly)?

Overcharged refrigerant / dirty condenser / excessive oil charge / fan clutch problem / failed high pressure cut out switch, leading to extended operation at excessively high pressures?

Those come to mind.

Pull the orifice tube and see what the screen’s filtered out. If clean, good.

Report back to us

If the orifice tube screen is dirty, then the condenser, rear high pressure line and TXV will be too. Honestly, everything could be dirty, including suction side.

If you’ve rear air, “flushing the system” becomes a rip and replace operation if those rear fittings can’t be disassembled (which was my case, living in salt loving state). Not a good idea to flush through the TXV and rear evaporator whilst still assembled.

1998_K1500_Sub said:

I'm not a fan of the HT6 because it tends to leak around the middle. That was the case with the OE HT6 on my Suburban.

Once bitten, twice shy. YMMV I guess.

See this link or Google "HT6 leak middle".

Ht6 - Automotive Air Conditioning Information Forum

Click to expand...

Pretty sure I got the HT6 compressor in my 98 and it has been fine for 7 years now.

MekongMan62 said:

I had my fourth AC compressor installed in my Tahoe. And today, after three long hours of use…it failed!

Click to expand...

Time to figure out what the root cause is.

Debris in the system would be my guess, followed by excessive high-side pressure due to insufficient cooling of the condenser--folded fins, failed fan, etc.

Fix the REAL problem. Flush the entire system, verify the condenser, control circuitry/switches, etc.

Consider installing an aftermarket A/C filter screen on the suction hose near the compressor.