"Blend Door Actuator Replacement" 2008-2012 Town and Country/Caravan/Routan
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Driver side would not change from hot to cold because of a broken gear inside the blend door actuator. Its pretty much the same concept with every vehicle. Find the actuator, (usually up in the dash somewhere) replace or rebuild it, and put it back together. I replaced mine with a $10 piece of crap. Lets see how long it lasts...
If you do this and the hot or cold still doesn't work, do a reset on the climate control system by turning it off with the top of the left control knob and then push and hold the bottom section of both control knobs until the recirculate light starts flashing. Then le it go through its reset cycle till the recirculate light stops flashing and turn it on and give it a try. I found this info on another youtube video a month ago when I was trying to fix mine. Since the reset cycle didn't work it showed for sure that the actuator was bad. Mine was blowing only cold air but it didn't bother me till the temperatures dropped. That's when I found this video and bought a new actuator. Thanks very much for this video - it was a great help. Now that I have added the reset cycle info ,it completes this video. I did have to do the reset on mine before it worked properly.
I'm a 70 woman with zero patience and no manual skills. This video is fantastic! I was able to replace the actuator on my 2012 Grand Caravan all by myself. THANK YOU!
We're in the same boat with the patience and mechanic skills! Lol
I've got a 2012 Grand Caravan Stow and Go as well. Was it the same removal of the driver's dash lower panel and metal bracket behind it that Danny removed with T-20s to get to the actuator? Exactly the same by removing the left small vent and those two parts? Mine is clicking when I open the door or move the left temp control from left (cold) towards the right (hot).
@@jerrymontalbano3222 - Quite similar, but not exactly the same. I could figure it out easily. I needed a 7mm wrench and a T20 screw driver. The whole process took 1-1/4 hours. Good luck!
@@jjanson50 Was yours clicking as a result/symptom that something was wrong with the actuator? Perhaps when you moved the temperature on your dual climate side of the 2012 Grand Caravan from cold to hot or during opening of the door, etc.? I'm curious as to why you thought it was the actuator on the driver's side and it was a temperature actuator or a blend door one?
@@jerrymontalbano3222 No. The part just plain stopped working. The blend door blew HOT air even when AC was turned on.
Excellent video, I hope folks can appreciate the fact that you were performing this one handed... under the dash, in what for me is an uncomfortable position. 👍💪
Good job.
My dad was a mechanic for 25 years of my life and raised me on this stuff but he went back to school a while back and got his History degree so as I change car models, upgrade with the increase in my family size, I get a little splorped when trying to fix the variety of issues that always seem to crop up at inopportune times without spending several hundred for a certified tech when I could pretzel myself into fixing it for $10-$20. Your channel has made my day. Thanks, Danny! It's nostalgic for me, like a refresher course.
That made me smile.
You helped me fix my actuator, but not by replacing it. I ordered what was claimed to be a replacement item from Amazon, and after 30 minutes or so of cursing and scraping my hands and arms, I got the old one out -- to find that the new one had the wrong wiring connector. But since I saw the part where you opened up the actuator, I decided to check mine to verify it was really broken. It was, and I saw the broken tooth jammed between the two gears on top. I then had a brainstorm and decided to try turning the large white gear (the one in the middle) around so that the spot with the missing teeth was on the opposite side from the pinion. I held the other gears in place while I lifted and rotated the middle gear, then put the cover back on and reinstalled it. Presto, hot and cold air as commanded! I'm sure it will shear another tooth before long, but I in the meantime I can drive my van without burning up. Thank you, this video really helped me a lot!
Ha! Very smart, my friend. Great job! If it breaks again, maybe pry open the one with the wrong connector and see if the gear inside is the same.
Very helpful video, mechanic charging me $600+ to do the job. I was able to do it myself. I'm a woman and can't believe I made it, thanks to you!
All right - DaNNY. Your not a major motion picture filmmaker but at least you get the stuff done quickly and easily and straight away. Not a bunch of stuff we don't need to know about..I'm gonna fix mine tomorrow. Stoked !!
Good luck my friend! Lemme know how it goes!
I had my driver side blend act. go bad however mine was clicking like heck and only would do it when the weather got warm. Your video helped me with the steps to get to it easily. When i took mine apart i only had one tooth missing on the same cam where you had two missing, probably why mine was clicking and yours wasn't. What I did was simply to rotate that cam 180 degrees and reassembled and it works like a champ now without buying a new part!! This works because the door is only being moved back and forth a small amount so not all the gear is used. Also while i had it apart i took the extra grease that was on the cover and smeared it on all the gears and posts before reassembly. Also when mine clicked I could grab top of actuator and pull it down a bit and it would finally move the blend door into position and stop clicking which led me to think there may be some binding going on between blend door and actuator, which may very well cause the problem to start with, so to hopefully remedy this I simply left the top mounting screw just a bit loose and also greased the gear that fits into blend door. Now when unit moves the door you can actually see it move just a bit at each extreme so i think my theory may be right. Anyway thanks for your video again!
Awesome! You just saved yourself like $100 by not taking it in. Also, I like how you left the top screw slightly loose. That way if the gear breaks again, you'll know because the unit won't move... smart. Great job!
Saved my rear…Thank you, Sir!
Thank you for the video! It helped so much. I have a 2011 T&C and the drivers side wouldn't blow heat. I found your video and took mine out, took it apart and was able to figure out (with a 9V and wires) that the motor was working but wasn't making contact. Once I bent the contact a bit, the connection was restored. I hooked it up and it was working, tested it and it now blows hot. Thanks, again!
Nice! -you should be making videos, not me. Lol
Very helpful video! On my Touring Edition I found a lot more stuff in my way and the actuator was a huge pain to R&R, but I got it done. In my contortions, I somehow managed to knock the brake light switch loose without realizing it and found it hanging by its wires. The switch just twists into a bracket and can't be re-installed so I had to go to the parts store and buy another one, and that was kind of a hassle. if you're attempting this repair, it wouldn't hurt to make note of the brake light switch's location so you can avoid it. At 4:15 , it's the white L-shaped plastic gizmo in the lower-left corner of the frame. 4:06 shows a better shot of its location under the dash; look for it in the leftmost third of the frame.
Worked for me. Way to go dude. Couldn't have done it without you.
You're sweet, -mine just started clicking again. lol -only on one setting though, but still. -it worked good for a couple of years. I might have to post a follow-up when I fig it out...
Fixed in under 30 min! Thank you, sir!
If looking to calibrate HVAC after installing, I was in the same boat. Mine came out rotated all the way to cold, and the replacement actuator was dead center. I have a 2012 Grand Caravan Crew…with a knee airbag (fun). The replacement part should come with the actuator set for the hot/cold dead center. Have your battery disconnected before installing the actuator (especially if you have a knee airbag), then install the actuator, set your hot/cold to the center, and re-connect your battery when everything’s put back together. Also, I was scared I would break the airbag connector, so I just rotated the module vertically, with the business-end inboard, and it was fine. Make sure to leave your battery disconnected for a while when dealing with airbags. I’ve heard anywhere from two minutes to two hours. I waited a week (mostly due to rain and b/c I have a second vehicle and could), but if you don’t have days that you can wait, at least err on the side of caution and wait a couple of hours. The reason is for capacitors in the system to discharge fully. Discharging your body to the vehicle before messing with an airbag module would be wise too. Don’t die! 😊
Great video. My biggest issue was getting the electrical connection loose from the old actuator, its awkward to wiggle it free. Upon removal, I discovered that the old actuator seemed to work fine BUT the gap on the spindle that turns the doors was about 90% out of alignment with the three lines on the actuator box. The new actuator spindle was aligned with the lines and fit into the socket perfectly, suggesting it was properly aligned with the socket and the old one was not. . Once you pull the old one out, if the spindle is out of alignment, try moving it back into alignment with the three lines using a 9 volt battery and then reinstall it and see if that fixes the problem. I suspect that a lot of actuators start making noise because the spindle gets out of alignment and the clicking sound is the spindle fighting the socket that manages the vent door. Once the new actuator was installed, the system seemed to reboot, the rear defrost light flashed for a few minutes and then stopped and now its working perfectly.
I have this problem and watched a couple videos that made it look like, take it to service,after watching this I am certain I can do this myself,awesome
you got this! i have faith in you my friend.
Fixed. I had the recirculatory flashing after I replaced my blend door with a generic $20 actuator. I purchased OEM Part# 68299450AA and it solved the problem. Once reset cycle and it was fixed. 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan.
Your video really helped me! My wife has heat now
You are a good husband.👍
Thank you... oh wow this helped a lot!!! It is the third one I've replaced on this van (all starting at 150K miles)... way easier with the video!
I like your style. Keep it up.
Thanks you sir - you are an excellent teacher!
Great video. Thanks for explaining it to me like I’m 5. I always ask people to do that.
Thanks, it's what we need to hear.
Thanks So Much For This Video It Helped Us Replace Ours We Have A 2008 Chrysler Town and Country Fully Loaded, The Teeth Were Busted, We Are In Texas And We Needed Our Air Conditioning
Great job guys!
I’m in Texas too, teeth were also busted but replacing it didn’t fix my drivers side AC
Check the fuses
💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖 THANK YOU THANK YOU 💖💖💖 _video goes out of sync a little_ but, did I say Thank You?!?!
EDIT: opened mine and the large white gear is crumbled...dang!
Lol Nice... Plastic sucks.
@@dannydyi7123 right!!!
I did not need this video other than to see how the parts yank out. Very entertaining. O and t20.
Thanks for the video, it helps me to fix the problem
Great video if other Chrysler -Dodge products are that easy to get to under the dash.
Thanks for the video, this made it easy
Thanks for the video. Took maybe 15-20 minutes.
Great job my friend!
Just finished------3 hrs. Chrysler T&C Limited. 81 yrs old, but mechanically OK.
Apparently there's some extra "stuff" (that you don't see in the videos,) that kinda gets in the way.
It would also help if you are a contortionist so you can get your hands up there.
Don't drop the bottom rt screw into the shield underneath. Had to use an earth-magnet to coax it back to where I could get it.
Connector requires the red lock to be pushed up to release, then you need both hands to push it back together.
Had been quoted $300-400 to fix. Part was about $25.
Nice! Great job! -i'm surprised i didn't do the same. I tend to lose screws on every attempt at fixing something. Good thing there's usually at least two. Lol. By the way, nice job with the magnet! And definitely not easy to get to either. Even with my skinny butt...
I dropped my top screw, not sure how I’m getting it out
Screw it...
Thank you, it was really helpful.
nice, gonna try this this weekend. My passenger side doesnt get cold. And the rear clicks, I know that one is bad, sheared the gear pin.
thank you very much!
This was very use full Thanks
You are the man thanks for the video Go Yankees
so that's why i "yank" everything out... lol -Now that's a true yankees fan to the core!
Thank you
Don't pry the red clip on top of the connector too hard or it goes flying. Otherwise perfect install! Thanks! (I found it.)
Muchas gracias de verdad
thanks for the video!
Glad my video helped you out :)
I'm working on a 2012 Caravan. I'd love to be able to remove that metal part like you did. I think it would be a easy to finish the job. However, unlike the one you're working on, there is something attached beneath it. Would it be an airbag? I won't undo that until I'm sure what it is, but there is an electrical connection on the right-hand side. Great video by the way.
I understand your hesitation. Nobody wants an airbag to the face. I'm sorry, i'm not sure. And I'm not liable if you do decide to disconnect it... Lol
Looks like your dodge caravan does have the lower air bag that is mounted to to large metal brackets that block easy access to the actuator.
Thanks for this video, really appreciate it.
Could you send the link to where you ordered the part or actuator part number for 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan
I bought a pretty cheap one from eBay if I remember right, -I'm surprised it's still working lol. I wanna say it was part number 604-024, but I would just type in your make/model/year to double check fit... good luck my friend!
How do I know which actuator in the dash is bad? All I hear are the blend doors clicking and it kills my battery daily. I bought one off eBay motors but after watching this I'm confused which actuator to yank out. Little help please and thanks.
This is very helpful, thanks! I turn the fan on high and I can hear the fan speed change, but barely any air comes out, I'm not sure if it is this door actuator or not but I will check. Does this system have an air filter? I was unable to find one.
So in my case, the blend door actuator works, but the shaft which connects it to the blend door is cracked, so the blend door is basically barely moving. I just mechanically blocked the door in the outside air position for now.
GREAT MAN.
Same as you my friend!
Be careful if you're replacing the driver side actuator. That's where the refrigerant return is and it burned the crap out of my hand. The actuator is near the top and behind the two bright aluminum lines.
This is a defective OEM part on all Dodge/Chrysler vehicles. They should have been recalled.
Thanks for the vid
Does the red connector click when put back on? I cant put mine all the way :/
If it is making good connection, and it does not fall out, I would call it good.
Any trick to getting the connection apart from the actuator? Mine is fighting me like crazy.
Squeeze, wiggle, yank and cuss lol. Darn things can be very difficult...
T20! Thanks for the tip!
Lol, I used a flat-head to try and change my taillight on the van and stripped it so bad I had to cut the assembly out...
@@dannydyi7123 did you have to 're-calibrate' anything? I switched the driver's side out just like you did in the video. It worked like a champ, at first. A few days later, the passenger side started doing the clicking thing - eventually the air comes out, but sometimes after driving awhile it starts clicking again for a bit. Very frustrating!
@@biggerfishTX these things are such a pain... it prob IS the actuator, but a calibration might do the trick.-There was a series of buttons to push to calibrate my wife's Saturn, but I couldn't find anything on calibrating these vans without a scan tool... Let me know if you find anything?
@@biggerfishTX mine started clicking again... lol it was good for a few years... did you ever find out anything regarding calibration?
@@dannydyi7123 I never did. Ended up trading the 2008 for a 2019 GT so no more worries for a while
if the actuator door is going bad will it make noise?
Sometimes they'll go click click click click...
cool... gotta do this like... now... myself... only thing that I don't know is the alignment proceedure so the plastic don't grind on first blo/switch operation... since it is HOT I ASSUME turn the dial all way HOT but... ummmm is plug in before inserting it to let it sync the proper method??
No clue... I tried "lining it up" myself by switching the dial and stopping where I thought it looked like the other had stopped. But who knows, I may have "grinded" the gear nice and good when i first switched it on as well and I'm probably lucky it didn't break the new one...
@@dannydyi7123 kool deal was hopeing you had a secrete lol thanks!!!
No need to change it. Just solder pins of motor.
My actuator on my sliding door went out and I can't open it. How can I replace it? Or unlock it from that position?
Sorry my friend, that is a head scratcher...
@@dannydyi7123 ok I'll figure it out or go to the car lot if I can't get it lol thanks
Thanks t20
Where is the recirculation door located?
Sorry. No clue.
Same thing happened to several 80s Chrysler cars we have owned. Gear actually breaks into several pieces. Curious, where did you source the replacement gear?
google search "blend door actuator repair kit" -it comes with a little tiny tube of grease too!
Replaced mine and still
Only blows hot air out my drivers side
Perhaps the "Blend actuator" located on the passenger side needs replacement.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA++++++++++++++++++++++++++ thanks man GREAT job
Is the passenger side the location of the rear ac blend door actuator? Or would that be in the back?
I think it's in the back. But I'm an amateur goofball, so i could be wrong...
Mine does the the same but on the passenger side , the weird part is that it blows warm air when I come to a stop then as soon as I start speeding up it starts blowing cold again , would you know anything about that?
Danny DYI I took mine in and it was super low and Freon!! And it fixed the passenger not blowing cold !! I do have a leak somewhere but it’s a slow one so it’s not worth fixing ... yet
Do you know where the actuator is for the rear air? That's where I'm having a problem.
Sorry buddy, not sure ..
Hello what’s the price was $10 ?
Yep, found a $10 actuator on-line...
how do i know when its lined up i put a new one in and still getting a ticking sound
Try disconnecting the battery 5 min and hooking it back up, see if it self-calibrates, if not you might need to have a shop do it with their scan tool...
@@dannydyi7123 What if I take it off and let it spin again is there a certain way to figure out which way the teeth go in
@@Shiekh420i'm sorry buddy I just saw this... it's been a crazy 4 months. Did you get it figured out?
@@dannydyi7123 No I have just been too busy to mess with it
@@Shiekh420 I hear ya. Time burns too fast nowadays. I feel like I can't keep up.
Air comes out of my front defrost when I have it on feet or face. Would that be the blend door actuator. If so which one and where at? Thanks
i had the same issue on my wife's saturn. -it ended up being the blend door actuator as well. there are also two actuators on the passenger side of these vans but if i had to guess, i'd say it's the driver's side (the same one i had to replace).
@@dannydyi7123 Thanks I will give that a try.
@@flintsrt8 good luck Mr. Bradley, you got this!
@@dannydyi7123 Hi, Danny
Thanks for the Video.
How do you replace the Passenger side Blend Actuator.
Please help me out.
Thanks.
Tony
@@tonyuchan5092 i haven't had to do the passenger yet... -but now that i said something i probably just jinxed myself...stay tuned lol
Can i just bring my van to you lol... really buy not really
Lol come on over
All i got to say is "cool beans" 🫡