Thanks! Yes, I try to keep all my videos as concise as possible while still including all the pertinent details. It takes a bit of extra time editing, but I think it’s well worth it.
Very good video, and very helpful. I really appreciate the mechanics who take the time to show us these things, it has saved me a LOT of money. Thanks very much to the video creator!
Had to replace my recirculation actuator, pretty sure the motor shot on mine since I took it apart and the gears looked perfectly fine, hopefully a new one will fix it 🙏
The mode actuator is actually buried under the plastic near the passenger temp actuator. The one you call mode is the recirculation door actuator. labor time for recirculation door is 0.9 hours and the mode door is 7.2 hours. slight difference
Ah, my mistake! I was doing this video to replace the passenger side blend door and wanted to show the locations of the other blend doors as well. Unfortunately I sold that Impala, so I can't re-shoot this video. I'll throw a card on the video at that point to mark the correction. I wasn't able to find any good videos out there on replacing the mode door, but from this video, it looks like it should be significantly less than 7.2 hours: ruclips.net/video/7T84ZDV7auM/видео.html
great video- NOTE (worked for me) if your vent doesnt line up on the mode actuator while your trying to install it simply take it a part carefuly (and the old one side by side to get the last position it was in- and line it up with the vent guide( white part) on the old actuator.
Did it temporarily fix the problem when you replaced it? Have you checked to make sure the blend door isn’t stuck by manually rotating it with the actuator off?
You’re welcome! There are several forums that suggest disconnecting the battery can initiate a relearn procedure, but the only reputable info I can find states a true relearn requires a scan tool. However, these are very simple devices with only two wires going to them. Thus, the only way they “know” when they are at one extreme is when they hit a spike in resistance. The reason the actuator broke in the first place is because it broke off teeth from the gear because it didn’t “know” when to stop. That being said, I’ve replaced several actuators in the past and never had any issues by not performing a relearn procedure. When you first put it in and test its functionality, it will automatically relearn where to stop.
Not sure if you’d know the answer, but I’m a single mom trying to figure this out on my own so I’m unsure: I believe my broken actuator is located behind the glove compartment because that’s where the incessant clicking is coming from. But, I fear the driver’s blend door actuator is also kaput because I have forced air coming out of one vent, and straight hot air coming out of the other. Every once in a while it “fixes” itself and all four vents blow a/c, but the clicking never stops. Do you think im on the right track?
Yes! Definitely sounds like actuator issues. There's three actuators behind the glove box, and one (driver's side temp) under the steering wheel, but with how close they are to each other, it's hard to tell which one it is just by the clicking. It's probably "fixing" itself when it finally grabs a tooth on one of the gears and allows it to work one time, but the gear is still stripped and the actuator will need to be replaced.
Oh no! Yeah, unfortunately the actuators were not built to last. Thankfully it’s not too bad of a DIY project, but it would be better if the gears were a bit more durable.
(On passenger temp actuator) My shaft is pretty far off, feels like a lot of pressure to twist it to line up, how hard can i actually twist? Is it better to have temp set to cold or hot when removing the old one?
Mine were able to twist fairly easily, so it may be that you have a problem with the blend door itself. As for what position they should be in before you remove, it really doesn’t matter since the bad actuator probably won’t be able to position the door correctly. You could plug in the new actuator prior to installing it, cut the key on, and reposition it with the car electronics. However, if you aren’t able to move the door manually, the chances of breaking a gear inside the new actuator is probably fairly high.
It makes a very annoying noise for a minute or so, and won't allow you to adjust whatever function the bad actuator is connected to. Other than that, no negatives that I can think of. No, it won't run the battery down.
I’d venture a guess that the clicking is the fresh air/recirc actuator. It attempts to close the fresh air vent a minute or so after turning the car off. It should stop clicking after a few minutes when it isn’t able to close the vent door.
@@FixandMaintain Thanks, that helps troubleshoot this. In my case, whatever kept running did kill the battery. I guessed it's an actuator that couldn't stop, though idk which one if the fresh / recirculate door should stop if it can't reset.
So my clicks on both sides, I found a 2 pack along with your link and they all look the same as far as outer look, would the one you have tagged would it work for all 3 spots in my 2014 Chevy Impala limited lt
I’m not 100% sure about the Limited model, but at least with my Impala, all the actuators were identical regardless of the position they were in. The easiest way to check would be to pull both clicking actuators off and compare them. You can always reinstall them while you wait for the new ones to arrive.
What if the mode simply does not change, and it does not make that noise? Two of my actuators have been replaced already, months ago, and just tonight it no longer lets me change the mode.
So, there’s several possible causes. There’s no guarantee it will be any of these, but it would be the first places I would look to diagnose: 1. The replacement actuator has died and the actuator will need to be replaced again. 2. The fuse for the blend doors has blown. 3. The connector/wiring is not getting a good connection to the actuator and needs to be checked. 4. The mode door is stuck and isn’t allowing the motor to turn at all. There’s still several other possibilities it could be, but I would be surprised if it wasn’t a problem with the replacement actuator.
Thanks for the feedback. This was the comment I was looking for. So first question, what fuses control the blend door and how do you change the “mode door”?
Mine ticks slower than that but only when power is first to the car. Literally could open the door and it’ll start. Then it shuts off, start the car up. Then it starts again then shuts off.
A blend door actuator is a motor that electronically opens/closes the different HVAC doors to “blend” the hot/cold mix or the direction of airflow up, down, or defrost. GM used the same style of actuator in the Impala for all of those functions, and unfortunately, the gears are prone to failure.
So I have the 3.9 impala, it doesn’t have dual climate. I replaced the one left of the glove box, but my heat does not get hot enough now and I’m unsure of how to get it fixed to where the heat will get as hot as it’s supposed to
@@robertsukovich9831 well i called a chevy dealer near me and spoke to one of their techs, we talked for a few and i deeply explained everything. he told me to try disconnecting the batery and doing all of that to try and get it to recalibrate, i did that and that didnt fix it. it actually reversed my problem as to now all it blows is heat and wont blow cold air. so gonna try and take it to get a scanner hooked to it so it can be recalibrated that way and if that doesnt work go from there. sorry i typed all that other stuff before responding to your actual question, but the one i took off was not flat or not in line with the new one. so i put the new one on and then turned the air in a certain direction until the screw holes lined up. so that might have been my issue in the first place but then again i had no idea what i was doing anyways
I would suggest taking off the actuator again and making sure that the blend door is not stuck. Those actuators aren’t very smart (only two wires going to it!) and base their calibration off of resistance when the blend door is all the way open or closed.
@@FixandMaintain ended up figuring out my heater core is blocked up lol, which is weird because everything was fine till I replaced the actuator. But I do kinda think it is stuck
@@FixandMaintain actULE I luukd absolutely everywhere, & as gene wilder said in that deaf & blind movie with richard pryer, it was gone, I saw it fall, & the direction & speed it fell, but it was “😩GOOONE.. NOWHERE, ERASED FROM THE SERFICE OF EXISTENCE.. IT SIMPLY VANISHED!😳”.. so I grabd a couple from my other impala & flopd the thing in there, it didn’t work, 1 probly cause it didn’t work, & 2- because I lost my prestigious calibration instructions(imposdible to get, yet I lost it).. & 3- causa that blue 2Ndary clip gizmo on plug, I could not click it closd.. this was 1 of 3 a these I have lying around, & I think I’ll open them B4 scuffing up my hands installing thE other 2.. getting back to the beginning of this book, when the screw has simply vanished, I knew, actually I knew I was gonna lose it B4 I did, & after a Yl I knew I probly wouldn’t find it.. buuuuuuudt I also knew when I would find it, the second I stopd looking for it… so I headed off to work, & when I went over speed bump, ‘flump’ it blump flopd off & over it’s own invisible speed bump(basically ‘reformulated in2 existence’) & landed on floor, & I’m like yyyeeap, not srprIEzd
I’m sorry I didn’t give clear enough location information. I try to keep all my videos as concise as possible while still including all of the necessary information, but sometimes a little too much ends up getting cut. Thanks for the feedback.
I’d be happy to make a video on one if I had access to one. I would guess that either the driver’s side or passenger side actuator is “missing” from the non-dual climate model, but not sure which one would control both, and unfortunately there’s not much info available online about it.
Most of mine lasted around 11 years, but one went out a bit earlier than that. There’s so many factors that go into it - is the vehicle parked outside or in a garage, how often are the actuators being used, etc.
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Excellent video. You covered what was needed to know without wasting a lot of time on the mundane like actual time of taking out the screws👍
Thanks! Yes, I try to keep all my videos as concise as possible while still including all the pertinent details. It takes a bit of extra time editing, but I think it’s well worth it.
straight to the point GOD BLESS YOU
👍🏼
I've replaced several of these. Good little video gets to the heart of the matter quickly. God bless
Very good video, and very helpful. I really appreciate the mechanics who take the time to show us these things, it has saved me a LOT of money. Thanks very much to the video creator!
You’re welcome!
Great video. Thanks. I am a girl with zero mechanical skills and with this video I was able to do this myself. Thanks!
That’s great! You’re welcome!
Had to replace my recirculation actuator, pretty sure the motor shot on mine since I took it apart and the gears looked perfectly fine, hopefully a new one will fix it 🙏
Yes, that a a good possibility. I have had that happen as well, but it seems to be much more common for one gear to break.
Bro, you just saved my car 👍
You're welcome, happy to help!
The mode actuator is actually buried under the plastic near the passenger temp actuator. The one you call mode is the recirculation door actuator. labor time for recirculation door is 0.9 hours and the mode door is 7.2 hours. slight difference
Yeah I'd say that's maybe slight difference
Ah, my mistake! I was doing this video to replace the passenger side blend door and wanted to show the locations of the other blend doors as well. Unfortunately I sold that Impala, so I can't re-shoot this video. I'll throw a card on the video at that point to mark the correction. I wasn't able to find any good videos out there on replacing the mode door, but from this video, it looks like it should be significantly less than 7.2 hours: ruclips.net/video/7T84ZDV7auM/видео.html
Do you know where the driver's side is located?
@@TheBillyarnezz I’m not sure where you’re going with that. If you’re unsure if I know, just watch the video. Let me know if I misidentified a side.
great video- NOTE (worked for me) if your vent doesnt line up on the mode actuator while your trying to install it simply take it a part carefuly (and the old one side by side to get the last position it was in- and line it up with the vent guide( white part) on the old actuator.
Was there a reason you took the new actuator apart instead of using it to turn the shaft like in 1:06?
I have replaced this part 3-4 times and it's making the worse noise ever & longer. You can unlock the doors & it gets started
Did it temporarily fix the problem when you replaced it? Have you checked to make sure the blend door isn’t stuck by manually rotating it with the actuator off?
Exactly what I needed. Thank You!!🦾🦾
You’re welcome!
Driver's side actuator was a nightmare to replace! Thanks alot Chevy. 🤬
Yeah, unfortunately I don’t think engineers care too much about mechanics when they design cars.
Thanks for this video! Do you not have to reset the battery once the new units are installed?
You’re welcome!
There are several forums that suggest disconnecting the battery can initiate a relearn procedure, but the only reputable info I can find states a true relearn requires a scan tool.
However, these are very simple devices with only two wires going to them. Thus, the only way they “know” when they are at one extreme is when they hit a spike in resistance. The reason the actuator broke in the first place is because it broke off teeth from the gear because it didn’t “know” when to stop. That being said, I’ve replaced several actuators in the past and never had any issues by not performing a relearn procedure. When you first put it in and test its functionality, it will automatically relearn where to stop.
I got the Passenger temp replaced now I have to do the others... Wish me luck
Whew, that’s rough that that all have to be replaced! Hopefully everything will go smoothly!
Not sure if you’d know the answer, but I’m a single mom trying to figure this out on my own so I’m unsure: I believe my broken actuator is located behind the glove compartment because that’s where the incessant clicking is coming from. But, I fear the driver’s blend door actuator is also kaput because I have forced air coming out of one vent, and straight hot air coming out of the other. Every once in a while it “fixes” itself and all four vents blow a/c, but the clicking never stops.
Do you think im on the right track?
Yes! Definitely sounds like actuator issues. There's three actuators behind the glove box, and one (driver's side temp) under the steering wheel, but with how close they are to each other, it's hard to tell which one it is just by the clicking. It's probably "fixing" itself when it finally grabs a tooth on one of the gears and allows it to work one time, but the gear is still stripped and the actuator will need to be replaced.
The 2 in the glove box went out at the same time, 2 weeks after they were fixed the driver side went out. And they killed my battery when it was cold.
Oh no! Yeah, unfortunately the actuators were not built to last. Thankfully it’s not too bad of a DIY project, but it would be better if the gears were a bit more durable.
(On passenger temp actuator) My shaft is pretty far off, feels like a lot of pressure to twist it to line up, how hard can i actually twist? Is it better to have temp set to cold or hot when removing the old one?
Mine were able to twist fairly easily, so it may be that you have a problem with the blend door itself. As for what position they should be in before you remove, it really doesn’t matter since the bad actuator probably won’t be able to position the door correctly.
You could plug in the new actuator prior to installing it, cut the key on, and reposition it with the car electronics. However, if you aren’t able to move the door manually, the chances of breaking a gear inside the new actuator is probably fairly high.
What happens if you don't replace it? Will it run the battery down?
It makes a very annoying noise for a minute or so, and won't allow you to adjust whatever function the bad actuator is connected to. Other than that, no negatives that I can think of. No, it won't run the battery down.
Mine runs even when car is off and do believe it killed my battery prior to getting a new battery.
Something clicks when the car is off (idk what exactly, doesn't start right away after the key is out either) and yes it will drain the battery
I’d venture a guess that the clicking is the fresh air/recirc actuator. It attempts to close the fresh air vent a minute or so after turning the car off. It should stop clicking after a few minutes when it isn’t able to close the vent door.
@@FixandMaintain Thanks, that helps troubleshoot this. In my case, whatever kept running did kill the battery. I guessed it's an actuator that couldn't stop, though idk which one if the fresh / recirculate door should stop if it can't reset.
So my clicks on both sides, I found a 2 pack along with your link and they all look the same as far as outer look, would the one you have tagged would it work for all 3 spots in my 2014 Chevy Impala limited lt
I’m not 100% sure about the Limited model, but at least with my Impala, all the actuators were identical regardless of the position they were in.
The easiest way to check would be to pull both clicking actuators off and compare them. You can always reinstall them while you wait for the new ones to arrive.
What if the mode simply does not change, and it does not make that noise? Two of my actuators have been replaced already, months ago, and just tonight it no longer lets me change the mode.
So, there’s several possible causes. There’s no guarantee it will be any of these, but it would be the first places I would look to diagnose: 1. The replacement actuator has died and the actuator will need to be replaced again. 2. The fuse for the blend doors has blown. 3. The connector/wiring is not getting a good connection to the actuator and needs to be checked. 4. The mode door is stuck and isn’t allowing the motor to turn at all.
There’s still several other possibilities it could be, but I would be surprised if it wasn’t a problem with the replacement actuator.
Thanks for the feedback. This was the comment I was looking for. So first question, what fuses control the blend door and how do you change the “mode door”?
My air only comes out on right side does the blendor aggirattor caise this
Are you saying it’s blowing cold on one side and hot on the other side?
Mine ticks slower than that but only when power is first to the car. Literally could open the door and it’ll start. Then it shuts off, start the car up. Then it starts again then shuts off.
That sounds like it may be the fresh air/recirculate door actuator
Are they the same in the 2012 impala lt??
Yes
What’s the difference in the blend actuator and a heat mode actuator?
A blend door actuator is a motor that electronically opens/closes the different HVAC doors to “blend” the hot/cold mix or the direction of airflow up, down, or defrost. GM used the same style of actuator in the Impala for all of those functions, and unfortunately, the gears are prone to failure.
So I have the 3.9 impala, it doesn’t have dual climate. I replaced the one left of the glove box, but my heat does not get hot enough now and I’m unsure of how to get it fixed to where the heat will get as hot as it’s supposed to
Did you align the new unit in position with the old one?
@@robertsukovich9831 well i called a chevy dealer near me and spoke to one of their techs, we talked for a few and i deeply explained everything. he told me to try disconnecting the batery and doing all of that to try and get it to recalibrate, i did that and that didnt fix it. it actually reversed my problem as to now all it blows is heat and wont blow cold air. so gonna try and take it to get a scanner hooked to it so it can be recalibrated that way and if that doesnt work go from there. sorry i typed all that other stuff before responding to your actual question, but the one i took off was not flat or not in line with the new one. so i put the new one on and then turned the air in a certain direction until the screw holes lined up. so that might have been my issue in the first place but then again i had no idea what i was doing anyways
I would suggest taking off the actuator again and making sure that the blend door is not stuck. Those actuators aren’t very smart (only two wires going to it!) and base their calibration off of resistance when the blend door is all the way open or closed.
@@FixandMaintain ended up figuring out my heater core is blocked up lol, which is weird because everything was fine till I replaced the actuator. But I do kinda think it is stuck
@@DustinwKW ah, ok. Glad you figured it out. I haven’t ever done any work on heater cores, so I can’t help you out with that one.
What is the part number or link for the mode actuator for passenger side?
The actuators are all the same, no matter which position they go. It’s AC Delco # 15-74122. Here’s my affiliate link to it on Amazon: amzn.to/3BLSimc
@FixandMaintain just my opinion, don't order the cheaper knock offs! I did and it broke right away, get the ac Delco oem!! Live and learn.
yep, I do, & that was it, got 3/4 done till I lost 2nd screw & it stRtd raining, mmofcOwrs👋😑
Uh oh. Well, maybe you could find the missing screw with a magnet?
@@FixandMaintain
actULE I luukd absolutely everywhere, & as gene wilder said in that deaf & blind movie with richard pryer, it was gone, I saw it fall, & the direction & speed it fell, but it was “😩GOOONE.. NOWHERE, ERASED FROM THE SERFICE OF EXISTENCE.. IT SIMPLY VANISHED!😳”.. so I grabd a couple from my other impala & flopd the thing in there, it didn’t work, 1 probly cause it didn’t work, & 2- because I lost my prestigious calibration instructions(imposdible to get, yet I lost it).. & 3- causa that blue 2Ndary clip gizmo on plug, I could not click it closd..
this was 1 of 3 a these I have lying around, & I think I’ll open them B4 scuffing up my hands installing thE other 2.. getting back to the beginning of this book, when the screw has simply vanished, I knew, actually I knew I was gonna lose it B4 I did, & after a Yl I knew I probly wouldn’t find it.. buuuuuuudt I also knew when I would find it, the second I stopd looking for it… so I headed off to work, & when I went over speed bump, ‘flump’ it blump flopd off & over it’s own invisible speed bump(basically ‘reformulated in2 existence’) & landed on floor, & I’m like yyyeeap, not srprIEzd
what sockets are those?
They’re Kobalt sockets
gr8 so the drivers 1 is ALSO a temperature 1👋
Yes, the driver’s side actuator is for temp, assuming you have the dual climate version like in the video.
So many camera cuts It took me so long to even find the mode actuator
I’m sorry I didn’t give clear enough location information. I try to keep all my videos as concise as possible while still including all of the necessary information, but sometimes a little too much ends up getting cut. Thanks for the feedback.
True, I can't stand that video editing technique.
How do i do this on a non duel climate control Impala? It seems fucking nobody makes videos on how to do it on one
I’d be happy to make a video on one if I had access to one. I would guess that either the driver’s side or passenger side actuator is “missing” from the non-dual climate model, but not sure which one would control both, and unfortunately there’s not much info available online about it.
@@FixandMaintain I believe the driver side is, the problem is the post because I can't get it to move
Has anyone figured out the lifespan of these piss-poor actuators?
Most of mine lasted around 11 years, but one went out a bit earlier than that. There’s so many factors that go into it - is the vehicle parked outside or in a garage, how often are the actuators being used, etc.