Blend door actuator 2007 Silverado Classic not the actuator

Maintenance/Repairs
,
1

Last year, I only got heat on the drivers side. I replaced the blend door actuator. While I had the old one out, I did check that the blend doors moved freely and easily. Worked all summer.

Now having the same problem. I checked all modes, they are working. Fan works. I don’t know if I bought an aftermarket blend door actuator or a Delco but I did order a Delco this time. I have heard that some aftermarket actuators don’t last.

Is there anything I may have overlooked here? BTW, there was some clicking just before it quit working.

2

you can pull it out and check the motor, I bet you’ll find that the big plastic gear in it split. That’s what I have found on the 3 of mine I’ve had to replaced (and what I expect on the one I have yet to replace.)
if so, that comes down to crappy craftmanship.

3

Sounds like you’re probably on the right track, assuming you have manual controls. I don’t know about yours, but my truck has dual climate control, so 2 blend doors. One of them clicks occasionally ever since I got the truck.

4

I had a trailblazer and disconnecting the battery was problematic for many for actuators failing after reconnecting the battery. I always made sure all hvac controls were off and using a memory maintainer most of the time. recent battery disconnect?

5

Did you check to see if the door moved freely without the motor attached?

1 Like
6

Read my post and you will see that I did. Second sentence, first paragraph.

2 Likes
7

Mine too but I don’t know where the second blend door actuator is. Haynes is useless.

Edit: Better than Haynes

Now I know where they all are at.

8

One is pretty easy to get to. The other appears to be a nightmare. And the one on my truck that occasionally clicks is in the nightmare location. It generally works out that way, doesn’t it? :laughing:

9

I’ve replaced the nightmare blend door actuator plenty of times on that body style Silverado

It’s not a nightmare . . .

But it is a lot more work :wink:

10

Do you have any shortcuts for the nightmare actuator that are not in the video? Alternate methods?

11

I watched a bit and saw the guy said to “cut and tape” . . .

I stopped watching at that point

Because I don’t operate that way

1 Like
12

I’d already guessed you were a by the book kind of guy, which is a good thing. Shortcuts are good. Hack shortcuts, not so much.

13

Yeah that is something I’d prefer not to do. I"d do that if it was the only way or that was in the “book”.

I did do something like that once on my 97 Accord. So much gunk built up in the evaporator compartment that you could not get it to drain for more than a few seconds at a time. Honda designed the split case in a way that required removal of the evaporator and a significant portion of the dash before you could get to the screws that held the two halves together. So I cut a hole in the bottom, cleaned it out and glued it back together.

Edit: Is it possible to get that actuator out without removing the duct or is that just impossible?

14

Pulled the actuator out today, part of the hinge rod came out with it, it is broken. The actuator is also outside the limit and all the way to the stop.

I tested the new actuator and as soon as I turned on the ignition switch, it went past the limits all the way to the stop and will not move.

I took apart the old actuator, lifted the motor and returned the gears to the center position. Then went out and put it into the truck with the temp control for the drivers side in the center position. The old motor responded for small movements but went wonky when I got near max cold.

So now, will a calibration fix the actuator situation or do I need a new control panel and how do I fix/replace the blend door?

15

you should be able to adjust the new actuator to different positions before installing it, by turning the rotating part. it might be hard to turn with just your fingers.

16

I stand corrected. start the video around 15:37 it looks like you can calibrate it.

Chevy Truck: Driver Side Climate Control Stuck On Hot - YouTube

17

Never had to calibrate a auto-actuator myself, but have heard mention of that problem, maybe this might prove helpful

Acutator Recalibration | ACDelco TechConnect

18

Technically . . . you need a pro-level scanner to relearn the actuators

That said . . . they’ll learn the end stops themselves WITHOUT the scanner on this application. Speaking from experience

1 Like
19

When I installed the actuator last year, I did the calibration procedure. It worked for almost a year. I don’t see anything on anyone having problems with the control panel, but there are aftermarket panels available so someone must have needed one at some time. This particular panel has been used on a lot of GM models for a lot of years so if it was problematic, you would think that you could find info about it.

Apparently not in this case.

BTW, I tried taping the blend door in the cool position, but as soon as I turned on the fan, it moved the door to the hot position.

The motor has a worm gear on it, you can’t turn it by hand unless you split the case and lift the motor enough to disengage the worm gear.

20

Along the lines of “misery loves company”, I’ve been trying to fix a cassette tape recorder with a broken plastic part for the past two weeks … lol … I have 2 to 3 hours already taking it apart trying to figure out a solution, and only yesterday did I determine how the broken part even is supposed to work. Can’t offer much help unfortunately, but I definitely feel for you. My only advice: Don’t give up. It’s only a plastic door after all. (Oh, and search U-tube for vdos.)