No A/C?

[PNW Ranger]

So I'm one of the few Ranger owners who has a used Ranger where the guy who bought it off the lot didn't want to pay for air conditioning! 1998 Ranger XT. 3.0L V6. Automatic transmission.

9 months out of the year in Seattle, WA - no problem! But what about those 3 summer months? Can I retrofit this otherwise great Ranger with some kind of air conditioning to make those summer more bearable?

 

[Uncle Gump]

You could add a factory system

Or maybe look into companies like vintage air.

@19Walt93 has a vintage air system.

maybe he can chime in.

 

[RonD]

Yes, you can add AC, its a separate system in all vehicles, electrically it's an ON/OFF switch in the cab

You will need the engine bay parts of a Ranger AC system, Compressor/bracket must be from/for a 3.0l engine the rest of the parts are the same on all Rangers in 1998
1998 was when AC Control was added to the PCM(computer) and the WOT relay was no longer used, but was replaced with an AC Clutch relay

1998 is probably wired for AC, "probably", in 1998 AC was optional on all models, except "Fleet", and if its an option its just easier to include the wires in the main harness vs trying to add them later

This article is a full on factory AC Conversion: https://www.therangerstation.com/fo...n-how-to-install-oem-a-c-from-scratch.160760/
Very detailed

The swapping out of the Blower housing to AC housing probably takes the most time

 

[dvdswan]

It actually helps with defogging the windows when it rains... so you'll use it 10 months out of the year in Seattle.

 

[superj]

Car SWAMP COOLER Vintage Window A/c | Etsy

there you go. easy drop in system

 

[19Walt93]

My truck had no HVAC system at all so I got a Vintage Air heat/defrost/a-c system. The heat and a/c work OK, the defrost function is lousy because the unit uses recirculated air, so I called them. They're in Texas and couldn't imagine why I'd want to pull outside air into my truck. If you have a functional heater and defroster, they sell an underdash a/c unit that looks like something you'd see in a mid 60's car.

 

[PNW Ranger]

Ron:
Thanks for the link. What I like about TRS is the wealth of knowledge. Adding an A/C system to a Ranger has been done before, and here is a recipe book.

 

[PNW Ranger]

It actually helps with defogging the windows when it rains... so you'll use it 10 months out of the year in Seattle.

Yes, that is true. It's been a wet and cold spring here in Seattle. Heat and defrost works great on my Ranger, thankfully.

 

[PNW Ranger]

Car SWAMP COOLER Vintage Window A/c | Etsy

there you go. easy drop in system

This is super cool (so to speak). My Ranger has almost no options except the 4x4 and automatic transmission. So this swamp cooler would be perfect.

 

[PNW Ranger]

My truck had no HVAC system at all so I got a Vintage Air heat/defrost/a-c system. The heat and a/c work OK, the defrost function is lousy because the unit uses recirculated air, so I called them. They're in Texas and couldn't imagine why I'd want to pull outside air into my truck. If you have a functional heater and defroster, they sell an underdash a/c unit that looks like something you'd see in a mid 60's car.View attachment 75999

Thanks, I've seen these Vintage Air units for sale on eBay, but no instructions on how to install. So I will check out their website.

 

[RonD]

You would use a Ranger AC bracket and compressor regardless, so you could use a Ranger AC fan belt
Also I would use a Ranger condenser(the part in front of the radiator), just because you will know "it fits"
Why re-invent the wheel

The "vintage" part is the evaporator setup, so blower always blows air thru it FIRST and then passed the heater core and out to the vents
Evaporator Dries the air, summer or winter, which is why its good to have AC compressor working all the time for better defrost

In any case removing the blower non-AC housing and putting in a blower AC housing in the engine bay isn't all that hard, its just wrench work, a pain but just wrench work, lol

And at a wrecking you might find one where the engine has been pulled out so easier to see whats what when you pull it out, so when you get home the non-AC housing will be a snap...............well at least you will know where to look for all the bolts

 

[Eddo Rogue]

I resurrected my AC as per the tech article here. Ordered all the parts off rock auto. Running the converted 410a refrigerant. Worked like a charm.

I will admit my buddy who does HVAC used his vacuum pump, nitrogen tank, and freon valve/gauge thingy to make the magic happen. I just did the wrenching.

 

[gaz]

@PNW Ranger ,

If I knew that my 94 parts would work for you and that your 98 parts would work for me (referring only to the air box/heater blower end of things, I would give you my entire A/C system. I have two, 1 from an 87 BII, the other just pulled from a 94 EXP (only missing coolant lines).