Rear A/C removal (Suburban)

[scottydl]

Question: Anyone had their Suburban's rear A/C removed, or lines "capped" in the engine compartment to convert the system to front A/C only?

Scenario: My Burb is the LT model and has front and rear A/C systems. It started acting up last summer -- Cooling would come and go, compressor would kick on and off intermittently, but the refrigerant level appeared to be full (per my Walmart refill kit + gauge anyway). This year, it was just slightly cool at first and then blowing hot air a few weeks into summer so I took it to a trusted shop.

After the appropriate pressure tests, dye injection, etc. it was diagnosed with a leaking rear condenser. Apparently this system sends all the refrigerant back to the rear A/C first, then back up to the front. Mechanic filled refrigerant + oil + stopleak so maybe it'll hold? But if not, he said replacing the rear unit is a labor nightmare because length of refrigerant lines running back there are often rusted out and are not easy to access/replace. For cost savings and to keep some working A/C, he recommended having a radiator shop in town seal/bypass the rear lines and disable that portion of the system completely... leaving front A/C only.

Anyone here ever done that, and/or have a Suburban with front A/C only? There's so much cubic footage that I'm wondering if that would adequately cool the interior on hot summer days.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Probably won't cool well, even with a white truck. I used to have a square body Burb that was white and light blue, and in Texas summer it needed both units to cool it down. And the truck had factory very dark tinted windows. If you do have the lines crimped shut, it has to be totally tight, because refrigerant is similar to antifreeze in that it will find any leaks. And then your R134a is gone, and the oil and probably the compressor too.... The old 60s/70s GM systems had a compressor with an oil reservoir. Once they went to the biscuit style and the ones after that like the later 400s use, those don't have a reservoir. The oil flows around with the refrigerant.
I have had to have the lines from front to back made; IIRC it wasn't cheap. It was on my dad's 06 Yukon XL Denali, and we had to go across Houston to the shop that made it. It's a black truck with dark tinted windows, so no a/c is a deal breaker. There's not a condenser in the rear unit, it uses the same one as the front unit. But there is an evaporator core, behind the vent slots in the plastic trim panel on the right side of the cargo area. Hope this helps you a little...

 

[df2x4]

If you're used to both systems, you're not going to like it with front only. My rear system is not functioning right now and it's a very noticeable difference. I'm getting it fixed ASAP.

 

[stutaeng]

I've got an '06 Suburban and it's pretty new to me. With jut me driving it, I can keep cool with front AC only running, just takes longer to cool when I get in. Not sure on the passengers though, especially middle/third row.

I thought the lines have a "tee" near the firewall. Could you not remove the tee and bypass the rear lines? I could have sworn someone here was asking a similar question here not that long ago. Maybe I'm thinking the heater lines?

Perhaps they sell a rear AC block off kit for your truck?

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[scottydl]

Yes rear evaporator core, not condenser... thanks for the correction.

If all the rear lines were needed and with estimated labor to replace, I was quoted $1800. Not a cost I can justify. For now I'll keep my fingers crossed that it will hold refrigerant for long enough to get me throught the summer.

 

[Schurkey]

GM wouldn't have installed the rear air unit if front-only worked well enough.

Here's a thought: FIND THE LEAK, instead of assuming that the entire system is rotted. Yes, it may be that the whole system is failing. You might get a nice surprise, though.

 

[east302]

And with the leak identified, consider replacing the part(s) yourself and having a shop do the recharge. The cost savings would be substantial.


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[scottydl]

The leak is already identified via UV dye tests...rear evaporator core unit itself. Complete replacement + lines at $1800 is worst case scenario said my mechanic, and maybe I'd get lucky and the current lines would disconnect and reconnect with no problems. He just said he's run into several situations over the years in which the lines are weak/brittle in places and fail or break once they get messed with.

You're right, I might get lucky but it seems like we wouldn't know until the job is started. In that situation, I'd hate to be $500 in and then have to abandon ship if I found out another $1300 would be needed to finish.

I thought there may be some GMT400 Burbs out there that did not have the rear AC option, and the front system would still do okay (although obviously not as efficient).

 

[east302]

Here’s a video where someone installed plugs on the rear lines. It looks like it was a kit from eBay and may be an option to get you by for a while.

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A rear core is about $50 on RockAuto and it looks like the hose set is around $100 but you’d need to confirm the part number. You might try opening it up and seeing if the lines come off. Worst case, you’re back where you started.

 

[MIHELA]

We just did one in the shop yesterday.