The AC doesn’t pump cold air, once the engine starts getting hot. So hot it’s sometimes gets in the red
Depending on what's actually happening this could mean you are getting the engine too hot and that you could be flirting with damaging it. The AC is set to shut-off if coolant temps get into the mid-upper 220s so if your AC goes from cold to totally off / warm then you may be hitting that threshold. The stock temp gauges on these are known to be slow to react and as I understand it you are way too hot by the time the needle gets into the red. Of course, these systems can act up so you need to verify what's actually going on but I'd do that ASAP because the indicators you've listed point to things getting too hot.
Since your 80 is a '96 one immediate step to take is to order a bluetooth odb2 sender and then install the torque app on a bluetooth capable device. This will give you real-time temp numbers based on the coolant temp sensor output via odb2. You can install torque on your phone, just search for it. The odb2 senders are cheap and most of them work from what I've heard. I run this setup in my '97 and it works great. Here's an example:
Once that's in place you can start to get some real-time temp numbers to start to better understand what's going on.
Blue Hub Fan clutch, would this help or is there any other remedies that anyone could recommend?
Modding/replacing your fan clutch is likely to help and may resolve all of your issues. If the fan clutch you have now is fine modding/replacing it will do nothing. Personally, if the history is unknown I would order a replacement blue hub fan clutch and 30k CST oil immediately and then adjust the clutch and replace it asap. If yours is clean (no major corrosion) and tests well (valves open and close at correct temps, no leaks) then you can just set the opening temps and change the oil, up to you. Fan clutches are cheap though.
I'd be taking other steps as well and recommend you read up on this common topic here on the forum including the recent/ongoing temp related threads. Some of the items to look into beyond the fan clutch:
- Make sure coolant and passages/system is clean. If history is unknown then a full flush may be a good idea, esp. depending on how things look. Is there crud in the overflow and under the cap? If yes, flush things well to try to get back cooling capacity. If coolant is relatively fresh and clean then nothing may be needed here. It's recommended that you change your coolant every 2 years to keep the corrosion inhibitors fresh, regardless of how it looks. Never mix coolant types, they can form a sludge that causes big issues.
- Make sure fan shroud is intact, radiator fins and condenser are clear/clean, foam is in place between rad. and core support, etc. to maximize airflow through the radiator.
- Confirm water pump is good and circulating coolant
- Confirm thermostat is good and opening to allow coolant circulation
- etc. as needed
In terms of modifying the fan clutch the first page of the following thread shows the major details. Most folks are running higher weight oils these days (15k to 30k +) so you can do that as your temps/conditions indicate, etc.
History: On my first drive this summer after replacing my transmission I was having an overheat condition with the truck. On the following weekend while towing a camper it was real severe in the 230* range. After returning I was able to confirm that my Blue hubbed fan clutch was to blame...
forum.ih8mud.com
Good luck and take it easy with that thing until you can confirm you aren't cooking it!