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Vent blend door actuator

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Old 04-15-2013, 01:03 PM
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Default Vent blend door actuator

Well, appears I am having the same problem as I did last year this time. I am getting hot air blowing on the passenger side and cold on the driver's when I put the a/c on. It was a bit warm in the van this past weekend so I figured I would put the a/c on for a bit to cool it off and got a blast of hot air from the passenger side. This happened almost the same time last year so the dealer put in a new blend door actuator. Now that the basic warranty is up (have 64,000 kms on the clock) and over a year since they replaced it, I am on my own now. How much am I looking at to replace one of these?
 
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Old 04-15-2013, 01:06 PM
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Forgot to include that it is for a 2011 g/c.
 
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Old 04-15-2013, 03:27 PM
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This is a known issue without a known repair at this time. Does it come out of it's funk by turning the temp *****? If you have rear, is it also stuck full heat?
 
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Old 04-16-2013, 04:00 PM
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Just spoke to the dealer again and they are going to try and cover under "good will" warranty as the vehicle is still under 3 years old yet still has just over 60,000 kms.
 
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Old 04-18-2013, 10:13 AM
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My son's 2012 model has just started the same problem. Very hot air out the passenger vents. Turning the heat dials did not change the problem, so he tuned the system off. He is covered under warranty, but it is a distressing beginning to Dodge ownership.

Has anyone tried disconnecting the battery negative terminal to reset the electronics to see if this "resolves the problem"?
 
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Old 04-18-2013, 11:11 AM
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yep, it doesn't. What I found is that no matter what you try to do, the actuator won't move. So I unplugged the control head and jumped power and ground to the actuator and then it would move. Once you get it to move, plug everything back in and it works. I have replaced control heads and had it come back with the same issue and replaced actuators and had it come back so what causes it, not sure.
 
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Old 04-18-2013, 12:01 PM
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Thanks for the update.

Is the actuator accessible without removing the dash?

Ford have a cold boot procedure that recalibrates the actuators. Here is the procedure:

"The purpose of the cold boot process is to allow the EATC module to re-initialize and calibrate the actuators. To carry out the cold boot process, follow the steps below.

Clear the DTCs.
Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position.
Disconnect the EATC module electrical connectors.

Inspect the module connectors for:
corrosion.
pushed-out pins.
incorrectly seated connector.
Wait one minute.

Connect the EATC module electrical connectors.
Turn the ignition switch to the ON position.
Select any position except OFF on the EATC module.
The EATC module will now initialize and calibrate the actuators. Calibration of the actuators will take approximately 30 seconds."


Sounds like you accomplished the same thing with just the one problem actuator. The Ford EATC is the electronic automatic temperature control and sounds the same as the Dodge Control head.
 
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Old 04-18-2013, 02:14 PM
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Yes, it's on the passenger side. I pull the glove box and then I can see better. These used to have a manual procedure but not anymore, can only calibrate with a scan tool.
 
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Old 04-18-2013, 02:33 PM
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Thanks very much for your information and expertise. Sounds like a 20 minute job to replace the passenger side blend door actuator. I feel better already.
 
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Old 04-18-2013, 03:17 PM
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20 minutes, good one. You can see it anyway
 

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