You can disconnect the hot lead to the clutch and feed it from the battery without frying the PCM. Put a fuse in the line for safety. First thing I would do is verify correct refrigerant level in the system. Is this a manual or automatic system? The fact that both the cooling fan and compressor does...

I went back to all of my old manuals. I could not find a spec for the drain plug. If it were mine, I'd try 15 to 20 ft lbs.

Could be a reheat problem from the heater core. If high side was high, misting the condenser with a hose would tell if it were a fan clutch of airflow problem across the condenser. Is this a manual system or automatic temperature control? I would hope they changed the accumulator along with the comp...

found this on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnmBSmL ... H&index=14

Yes, I have a Sun recycler.

you're correct. My bad. I meant recycling, not recover. I did explain it correctly in a later post. GRINS

new problem which may be related. Vehicle starts and runs. The security lamp is lit. I used a generic code reader and it shows no codes. From what I understand, 98 Astro's had 2 kinds of security systems. Mine does not use a special chipped key. Any thoughts?

No, we are not both wrong. Recycling is done by a recycling machine. That machine will properly separate the oil and filter the refrigerant. This refrigerant can be reused in anyone's vehicle. Next we have recovery machines. They do not filter or separate oil. The Mastercool filtering system provide...

I do not think Bill has it completely correct. In MVAC, refrigerant CAN be recovered and reused in another owner's vehicle.

No VATS. I am sort of leaning toward loss of 12 volts once the ignition switch is in the run position. It seems to occur when there is moisture. Astro vans are hard to work on; last van for me.