Anyone got a Picture, Diagram, or good description of where the front Blend door is on a 2005 Durango?

From reading, this sounds like my problem, but google hasn't turned up anything usefull here at work. I'm not sure what it looks like, or how to get to it.

The front vents never get cold in the summer, or warm in the winter. the rear vents are fine

 

Hope this works this is the Page out of the MOPAR service manual. Number 4 on the diagram. Kind of a pain to get to seeing its on top of the AC/Heater box.

 

I just read the service procedure for this - it's 5+ hours of time for someone familiar with doing it. You have to remove the steering column, driver's seat, and the entire dash. It's a big job, IMO.

Once you get to the part, it's a piece of cake, but wow...what a mess. The rear a/c is a MUCH simpler job - just pop off the right rear trim panel, and there's the blend door actuator.

FYI - if you have automatic a/c, there are two blend door actuators. If I ripped apart the dash to replace one, I'd probably go ahead and replace the other one while I'm in there unless the parts are prohibitively expensive. I'm guessing this is a $500+ job unless you DIY.

 

Is there always water flowing through the heater core, or is it shut off when the heater isn't on?

 

Is there anyway to see or feel the positions of the blend doors without removing the entire dash?
The dealership said there's nothing wrong with the AC, that it's just a big vehicle and hard to cool. But they only had it for 15 minutes. I can't imagine they checked more than the compressor pressures and function. So how would I check so I can tell them what the problem is?

The rear blows ice cold, the front blows semi cool, but the truck interior stays in the 90s even after an hour on the highway

 

The R and R on a Durango heater/AC box is more like $1200 if you do it right. As long as you are in there, replacing the heater core is a no brainer.

My 04 Hemi SLT has front and rear air, and although it does take some time to get the inside temps down on a hot day, it will freeze you out on high.

Be sure to run the mode **** on the recirculate mode so you are not trying to pull in the outside 90+ degree air.

I think the coolant does go through the heater core at all times.

Don

 

Stick one of those food temp needle gauge into the vent and tell me what it read?
use recirculation mode helps a lot.

 

55 on the rear vent. 80 on the front vent. I do use recirculating air. Dodge garage says a 20 degree drop is in spec, and it was 100 degrees+ in the parkinglot. But I used to get 60 degree air out of the fron vents. 4 years with this truck, and I can tell this isn't right.

Thats why I'd like to try to verify the blend doors before I have to spend a weekend pulling the dash apart

 

Bump

Anyone? Still trying to confirm the blend dors are moving before taking it to another garage