BY JAMES BERRY (^) I PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE AUTHOR
Technically Speaking
Q
I wanted to let you know that
I look forward to getting the
magazine in the mail every
month. I am a little older and
still enjoy thumbing through a paper
copy of a magazine. I guess it reminds
me of my youth.
This is my situation. I own a C 5
Corvette with a Dual Climate Con-
trol System that has been problem-
atic since I have owned the vehicle. It
worked perfectly through most of the
summer, but I have not touched any
of the controls in months. Recently, I
adjusted the temperature up a little
and it started blowing out full hot on
the driver-side but the air is blowing
cold on the passenger-side. Ever since
I touched the controls there is a click-
ing noise coming from under the dash
every time I start the car.
Do you have any idea what I could
look for? I would like to try and fix it
myself since I have spent so much
on the air-conditioning system for
problems in the past.
Thanks for any insight into this
problem.
PaulA
Paul, I also love to browse
through a real magazine. I will
even pick up some of my old
issues from time to time.
All car models—no matter the manufac-
turer—have some common failures and the
Corvette is no exception, but, in general,
the Corvette is a great vehicle. I believe
I can help you with your problem. It is a
common failure on GM products, and, yes,
I think this is something that you probably
can repair yourself.
You gave me the answer to your prob-
lem when you said you heard a clicking
coming from the dash. It is most likely thatthe blend air door actuator has failed and
will need to be replaced. There are two
blend air door actuators, one for the driver
side and one for the passenger side.
Lucky for you, the driver-side blend air
door actuator does not require removing
the dash cover. You will need to remove
the bottom panel in the driver-side footwell
that houses the OBD-II diagnostic port
(knee bolster). Remove the amplifier boxand then you can locate the driver-side
blend air door actuator. The actuator has a
wiring connector and two screws holding
it in place. It is not easy to get to but just be
glad the actuator that failed in your vehicle
is the one on the driver side.
To access the passenger-side blend air
door actuator, you must remove the glove-
box and dashboard cover and you will
find both the driver- and passenger-sideCommon C5 Climate Control
Heating And Cooling Problems
The blend air door actu-
ator’s most common
failure is that over time
the plastic gears can
split or become worn
and strip the teeth out.12 VETTE 19.