quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
The vehicle is a 2000 astro van. Is 7 oz of refrigerant a lot or not much in my system.

A lot. I would GUESS that it holds about 20 ounces of freon total as it's been a long time since I've done automotive work. You have a leak somewhere. This is most likely the source of your a/c not blowing cold (low freon), I've never over the years had to clean the coils, while it is a possibility, I've never seen it in person, a bad fan clutch on the motor (or electric fan) that sucks air through the coils and radiator is usually the problem in that situation.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
The vehicle is a 2000 astro van. Is 7 oz of refrigerant a lot or not much in my system.

There should be a decal or label affixed under the hood, usually very near where the heater/AC evaporator case is located. It will list the AC Refrigerant data, including the amount of refrigerant in ounces.

It will be in X-amount of refrigerant, and you can divide it by the 7 ounces they supposedly put in and get a percentage to answer your question.

Hopefully the decal is still there and readable.

I have a 1999 Chevy S10 pickup I purchased new and my label is still very readable. I hope yours is too.

The condenser, being mounted in front of the radiator, can and well get dirty and require rinsing off with just a water hose occasionally.
In principle this is no different than your refrigerator not working as well as it should, you find the refrigerator coils are dirty and you clean them and then it works fine again.

Dirt, bugs, leaves, other crap can block it enough to cause some inefficieny. To clean it do not use a pressure washer or car wash wand. Use your garden water hose at home and gently try to wash it from back to front, front to back, repeat. Don't bend the fins!

Best wishes to you, good luck.

EDIT to add: An internet search indicates a 2000 Chevy Astro van with the optional rear AC unit requires 42 ounces of R134A. Without the Rear AC the requirement is 32 ounces. This should be verified with the label under your hood.

If they did indeed add 7 ounces that will make a noticeable difference between somewhat cooling and cooling well.

I'd still look for the factory label under the hood to verify your Astro's requirement.

Feel fortunate you're not dealing with a newer system that uses R1234yc freon.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:


And what exactly does that have to do with the units 'not' being sealed?

No clue? Maybe he is running this?

Or maybe he misspoke?

Since you have no clue and you don't know, maybe let Wheels answer the question?

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:

quote:

Originally posted by Wheels:
AC systems are not sealed like a refrigerator or freezer

"Not sealed", Typo?

Many lines and connections on refrigerators and freezers are brazed as opposed to auto connections which are screwed together and sealed with internal "O" rings. They can be overtightened and crushed or undertightened and be allowed to work their way loose over time due to twisting and jarring conditions that cars operate in.

In a perfect world, an auto AC system should remain as sealed as a refrigerator system.

I hope this helps.

Air conditioning systems are sealed systems, until leaks present themselves.

Many systems have o-rings/seals installed at different places:
Hose connections
King valves
Service port caps
Seals on evaporator connections
Seals (part of the Schrader valve)
Brass caps
TXV
Piston connections

They're still sealed until they leak.

* Too many people think it's normal to have to add refrigerant to systems every so often.

quote:

AC systems are not sealed like a refrigerator or freezer

Perhaps this should have read "Auto AC systems are not sealed like a refrigerator or freezer".

I understand that all AC have to remain sealed in order to work correctly, it's just that mobile AC systems have more opportunity to be damaged than stationery systems.

It's simple, ALL air conditioning and refrigeration systems are sealed until they become compromised.