QuestionQUESTION: When driving my 2000 Dodge caravan, after about 30 minutes I will loose all air coming out my vents, either ac or just vent.
Do you think I have a bad actuator? If so how can I test and where are they located?
You can hear the air and feel the air if you open the glove compartment
ANSWER: Hi Kevin,
The door actuators have to do with mixing two air streams (warmed and cooled, to get the desired temperature) and dispersing the air to the various possible vent outlets. There is not an actuator for the quanity of air in total, rather that is controlled by the blower motor. So if you mean that the volume of air coming out of the vents altogether is lost, then I would picture it as a blower motor or blower control issue rather than a door issue. So consider that possibility and check to see if the blower is working from where it seems to be directing the air into the cabin. The actuators are under dash, attached to the sides of the distribution system proper.
The unit has some self-diagnostic capability. It takes about 8 sides from the manual which I can xerox and postal mail to you. Use the "thank and rate" tab where you will find a space to enter your mailing address if you want those pages and the blower motor seems to be working when you loose the air. Otherwise, lets talk about the blower motor.
Roland
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: The blower seems to be blowing fine.. You can feel the air when you open the glove compartment. Just will not come out the duct.
I will check it out when the car is back tomorrow night and let you know what is going on. Could there be icing on the coils preventing airflow. Maybe the drain tube is clogging?
AnswerHi Kevin,
It is possible that condensate from the coils is gathering in the ducts because of a blocked drain tube. If you are not getting any sign of water about midline under the firewall when you park the van after using the AC then that tube is doubtless blocked. So if you find that to be the case, from the underside look for the drain tube at the base of the firewall and insert a stiff wire up the lumen to clear it out. I don't know if such a blockage will reduce the air flow, but it will damage the blower motor resistor block in any case if it builds up water in the ductwork.
Try the heat only position when you have lost the air to see if the condensate on the coils is blocking the path. The air is diverter over the heater coils and by-passes the evaporator coils so that would be a test of that theory.
Roland
Roland
