my ac clutch coil failed the other day (.5 ohm resistance, at 14v thats nearly 30 amps on a 10 amp circuit ) and the shaft seal has been leaking for a while now, so ive decided im going to just replace the 20 year old compressor. on rockauto there are 2 options, a scroll style (oem, https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=2195928&cc=1411108&pt=6628&jsn=12) and a piston style (fs10, https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...pt=6628&jsn=14) for nearly the same price but the fs10 being $20 more. i wasnt able to google much technical data about these compressors, and only a bit of general information for generic hvac. apparently a scroll is ~10db quieter than a piston, and 10-15% more efficient. seeing as i have a 4.6 2v and rear ac those are compelling arguments. however i dont know if that applies to tiny automotive compressors as much since these claims are made against large home or industrial units that are in a different size and capacity class altogether.
so, what style would you guys go with? noise and efficiency are nice, but if the piston compressor happens to offer a faster cooling speed whatever the technical term is to pump more refrigerant and get the cabin cooler faster, i would be down for it since you all know these trucks are fishbowls with a lot of cabin space and i live in the desert where it can get to 110f ambient and 140-150+f inside a car at those temps.
also, is it worth replacing the expansion valves and condenser while im at it? would only be about $200 more and marginally more work, but dont want to bother if there is no need. it is a 20 year old truck, but i would imagine with having a scroll compressor the amount of wear metal that would have built up in the system would be negligible compared to a piston pump.

 

The new piston FS10 on my 01 5.4 Expedition is somewhat noisy, just how these seem to be in my experience. Also a bit of a pain to swap on this platform.

Yes do a new orifice tube, pretty sure these take a blue one. Rear is a TXV, if works I would keep it. Obviously a dryer. I prefer PAO 68 oil.

Flush everything. If the condenser is small tube, flush. If parallel flow, I would swap it as tends to be difficult to flush out fully.

Make sure you have a good fan clutch, makes a great difference in hot weather like the AZ summers I have dealt with before. I bought a new Motorcraft for about $90. Works great. Also have a Hayden HD on my 01 Suburban.