I'm getting ready to rebuild/replace the a/c system in my 88, and I have been toying with the idea of using a condenser from a 1994 explorer(r134a style)..it looks like an easy bolt in..i know the discharge line inlet from the compressor is on the wrong side, but I can have a line custom made at Arizona Mobile Air so i can stick with an FS6 compressor....has anyone else tried this? I've also wondered if the whole evaporator case from the explorer would swap into an 88 ranger? both look pretty similar...

 

As you've gotten little response, I'd suggest re-posting in the HVAC section further down. If you are close enough to AMA to get custom hoses & fittings made, why not ask them?
Anything you can do to increase condenser size will add capacity as long as there is enough refrigerant to operate at the proper pressures.
I presume you are keeping the FOT, but might need to get a different size for R134a. Did your FS6 die? I remember a series of compressors that 'ate' their pistons when the coating wore off, creating sludge that permeated the whole system. You got to replace everything forward of the firewall, and slosh out the evaporator. Black death was the terminology used.
Changing size will affect the amount of refrigerant needed, and if you do switch from R12, you also get to diddle with the charge. Good luck.
tom

 

sorry for the late reply..
I asked a guy over at AMA and he didn't know if the explorer A/C evaporator case would work or not.

The reason why I am rebuilding the system is, it was improperly retrofitted to R134a(by me...I did not know back in 2001, what I know now) and the hoses/lines are also very old (A/C system was pulled out of an 86 junkyard Bronco II)..as far as I know the compressor isn't bad..but it is also old, and I already have a new one ready to replace it.. got one heck of a deal on it...I also plan to use a Variable orifice tube..the ranger's a/c does get pretty cold when its 100 or less outside, but at idle or at higher temps (105+) it does not cool well..i have a 10" electric pusher fan infront of the condenser which does help some, and i also replaced the stock plastic clutch fan with a 6 blade steel clutch fan..


I don't think the FS6 had the "black death" problem.but i could be wrong..I know the FX15, and FS10 compressors are notorious for "black death"...The FS10 in my 2006 escape seized up without warning, and barfed metallic crud into the A/C system.. Another A/C rebuild that I am also currently working on..

 

Now that I am thinking more about it, and you have mentioned model #'s, it comes back that the FS6 was the older model, while the one that got black death was a mid-90's I think.
Back when retrofits were going on a lot more, I went to two web sites and learned a lot, ackits.com and aircondition.com .. mebbe as they have moved and mixed the names up in my bookmarks. I put a complete system in my 85, from AAPAK.com in AZ, using R134a from the beginning. My plastic fan has become brittle, and I'll have to do something about that. The clutch does not seem to 'kick in', but I don't have much time sitting still, so the vehicle motion moves the air over the fins for the most part. I have seen a metal flex fan that is suggested to replace the plastic that I don't think requires a clutch.
I think you want a non-serpentine condenser as used in later models. I don't know if you need a larger evaporator. If you can get the temp / pressure down to ~30F, you'll be getting a lot of cold air with the blower on HI. Most times the limiting factor is the condenser, as it is giving up heat to a hot ambient temperature, so the difference between the condenser temp and air is smaller, so flow{heat} is slower. In Other Words, I'd get the largest condenser I could fit so it had an easier time transferring heat to the air. It would keep your head pressure down better and make the compressor load a bit lighter.
tom

 

i figured the condenser for a 1994+ explorer would work.. i think they have the same mounting configuration as the 80's/early 90's rangers... the 1994+ ranger condensers look slightly different.. but still may fit(with some modifications)

as for your brittle fan, I used a 6 blade steel clutch fan, Autozone part #983618 only about $21.00..it is actually for a 300 I6 engine, but fits/bolts to the 2.9L ranger fan clutch perfectly(i'm sure the 2.8L clutch is the same or very close to being the same..don't know about the 2.3L though)...however it does sit about 1/2" closer to the engine..but still does not come close to hitting anything...the fan only has a 4,000 RPM rating.. but how often is the fan going to spin higher than 4,000 rpm? The engine would have to be turning over 5,000 rpm to get the fan spinning that fast...I have had this fan on mine for over a year now and it has seriously helped with idle/low speed cooling, in the 100+ Phoenix summer heat...it moves way more air than the stock fan ever did...and you still get to keep a clutch fan, instead of a direct drive flex fan..