So every morning up here in cold MN I get to play a game of accelerate hard enough to hear some plastic flap close so the heat starts blowing though. If i break hard the flap moves again and cold air comes though. I am assuming its the blend door, as my temperature controls do not work, i can select which vent to blow out of, although it doesn't blow that hard no matter how high i turn up the fan. I am trying to decide the exact cause, do i need to pull the dash to reconnect the temperature control cable? is it a blower motor? or both.

 

I believe the blend doors for the temp control are cable activated, the vents are vacuum.

 

Have you messed with a blend door before? something that requires dash removal?

 

I haven't messed with them on the Dakota but on the jeeps and Rams of the same era you can get to the cable behind the glove box.

 

Sounds like the cable came off either the dash HVAC controller or the HVAC box. If the cable broke good luck finding a new one so many 98 Dakota parts are no longer available an aftermarket part may be out their but a junkyard may be your only option.

I would first pull the glove box and look to confirm its attached at that point if good pull the dash controller next.

If the controller is broken last I checked a new controller is available but has no A/C options only heat so junkyard again.

So if you see a new controller DON'T JUST BUY IT look very closely and make sure it has A/C functions.


This is were the cable attaches to the blend door.

 

THE CONTROLLER make sure the new/used controller has A/C functions.






JUST OUT OF DASH





A USED JUNKYARD CONTROLLER the cam looking thing is were the cable attaches.




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Awesome pictures help so much with understanding where to look behind the glove box! Its warm this weekend up here so im going to try and get this figured out tomorrow!

 

They still have a number of used controllers on ebay this is one I found that has all the connectors still on it this helps show you how things attach to it.