Passenger vents blow hot, driver's not as cold, no zone control...

[Drunken Hamster]

So, last weekend shortly after doing my spark plugs and installing shorty wires, I fired up the truck and turn the air on as I normally would and when on a test drive. It all worked out all fine and dandy, but I soon heard a loud crack coming from my right somewhere along the firewall I'd estimate.

Since then, my passenger side vents don't blow any cold air, and my driver side vents are not as cold as they used to be. The blowing power in general is also greatly reduced even on the maximum setting. Also, my already reduced Zone control has been completely eliminated.

I understand that my blend box may have finally and coincidentally grenaded, but I do not understand how this would make the air not blow as cold in one area, and not blow cold at all in the other...

I would also like to point out that while I was under the hood I happen to move a few tubes two of which go into the firewall. The reason why I moved these two was because I noticed a plastic piece seemed to be designed to slide over a screw that poked out from the firewall.

The two tubes were disconnected from said screw and hung freely, so I thought to rectify the situation by pushing the plastic piece back over the screw. Could this in anyway have caused or catalyzed the issue?(pics below)

And finally, is it just the blend box causing the hot air issue on the right vents, or should I get a kit and check my whole AC system for leaks? Either way, I would greatly appreciate all the advice, tips, and instruction on how to get my air conditioning system fully functioning once again. I live in Florida and it is already getting hot as hell, I really want to have this all said and done within a month for sure.

Truck is in 05 5.7L Hemi quad cab with almost 113,000 miles.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Sent from my magic 5-inch

 

[xtremewlr]

So, last weekend shortly after doing my spark plugs and installing shorty wires, I fired up the truck and turn the air on as I normally would and when on a test drive. It all worked out all fine and dandy, but I soon heard a loud crack coming from my right somewhere along the firewall I'd estimate.

Since then, my passenger side vents don't blow any cold air, and my driver side vents are not as cold as they used to be. The blowing power in general is also greatly reduced even on the maximum setting. Also, my already reduced Zone control has been completely eliminated.

I understand that my blend box may have finally and coincidentally grenaded, but I do not understand how this would make the air not blow as cold in one area, and not blow cold at all in the other...

That crack was most likely the sound of the recirc door breaking and falling off. The blower is right under neath the recirc door and the door is now on top of the blower, blocking air flow.

This was my broken recirc door:



This is after it was replaced:

I would also like to point out that while I was under the hood I happen to move a few tubes two of which go into the firewall. The reason why I moved these two was because I noticed a plastic piece seemed to be designed to slide over a screw that poked out from the firewall.

The two tubes were disconnected from said screw and hung freely, so I thought to rectify the situation by pushing the plastic piece back over the screw. Could this in anyway have caused or catalyzed the issue?(pics below)

No, this would not affect the recirc door failure.

And finally, is it just the blend box causing the hot air issue on the right vents, or should I get a kit and check my whole AC system for leaks? Either way, I would greatly appreciate all the advice, tips, and instruction on how to get my air conditioning system fully functioning once again. I live in Florida and it is already getting hot as hell, I really want to have this all said and done within a month for sure.

Truck is in 05 5.7L Hemi quad cab with almost 113,000 miles.

Thanks in advance for the help!

My suggestion is to do the same thing I did to prevent any further issues. Buy the appropriate kit from blenddoorusa.com, get a new heater core and evap core and then replace them all at one time. It's a little pricier going this route but saves a ton of repeat work since you only need to pull the dash the one time to fix everything. Check out my thread on it: http://www.ramforum.com/threads/hvac-repair-blen-door-replacement.118037/

 

[Drunken Hamster]

That crack was most likely the sound of the recirc door breaking and falling off. The blower is right under neath the recirc door and the door is now on top of the blower, blocking air flow.

This was my broken recirc door:



This is after it was replaced:





No, this would not affect the recirc door failure.



My suggestion is to do the same thing I did to prevent any further issues. Buy the appropriate kit from blenddoorusa.com, get a new heater core and evap core and then replace them all at one time. It's a little pricier going this route but saves a ton of repeat work since you only need to pull the dash the one time to fix everything. Check out my thread on it: http://www.ramforum.com/threads/hvac-repair-blen-door-replacement.118037/

Alright. Are the components upgraded and more durable (ie metal gear teeth, latches, and pivot rods) so as not to break, or just direct replacements?

EDIT: Should've just read the damn thread first. I do this all the time... :/

Sent from my magic 5-inch

 

[xtremewlr]

Yeah, the blenddoorusa stuff is all made from aluminum. Opt for the additional arms and rods, they replace the weak, OEM plastic ones in use now. Then, the only failure point will be the motors, which usually doesn't happen and are easier to replace if needed.

 

[Drunken Hamster]

Yeah, the blenddoorusa stuff is all made from aluminum. Opt for the additional arms and rods, they replace the weak, OEM plastic ones in use now. Then, the only failure point will be the motors, which usually doesn't happen and are easier to replace if needed.

How, much did you spend on this in total including the A/C recharge?

Sent from my magic 5-inch

 

[xtremewlr]

Don't recall exactly but it was around $500 to $600 all together. The biggest expense is the blend door kit but it's worth the money to get the complete kit.

 

[Drunken Hamster]

Don't recall exactly but it was around $500 to $600 all together. The biggest expense is the blend door kit but it's worth the money to get the complete kit.

Thanks. Should I be okay taking it to a place like pep boys(chain store) for the a/c recharge, or should I take it to a privately run shop instead?

Sent from my magic 5-inch

 

[xtremewlr]

Thanks. Should I be okay taking it to a place like pep boys(chain store) for the a/c recharge, or should I take it to a privately run shop instead?

Sent from my magic 5-inch

Up to you. You need to take it somewhere to have the a/c system evacuated before you do anything. Don't release that **** to atmosphere. I took it to a local shop that does a/c work, they evacuated the system for free and charged $120 to replace the o-rings on the evap canister thing on the firewall that you have to disconnect the evap core from, hook that all back up and recharge the system. I don't suggest trying to recharge it on your own either, pay to have a professional with the correct equipment do that.

 

[Drunken Hamster]

I understand how it's done and the basic equipment needed, but yeah, I'll have it done instead. Won't do it until I have the parts, though. Might as well use the cold I still have y'know?

Sent from my magic 5-inch

 

[Demon-HeMi]

Up to you. You need to take it somewhere to have the a/c system evacuated before you do anything. Don't release that **** to atmosphere. I took it to a local shop that does a/c work, they evacuated the system for free and charged $120 to replace the o-rings on the evap canister thing on the firewall that you have to disconnect the evap core from, hook that all back up and recharge the system. I don't suggest trying to recharge it on your own either, pay to have a professional with the correct equipment do that.

Haha i just break the line and stand back, Al gore would hate me so much

 

[Drunken Hamster]

Up to you. You need to take it somewhere to have the a/c system evacuated before you do anything. Don't release that **** to atmosphere. I took it to a local shop that does a/c work, they evacuated the system for free and charged $120 to replace the o-rings on the evap canister thing on the firewall that you have to disconnect the evap core from, hook that all back up and recharge the system. I don't suggest trying to recharge it on your own either, pay to have a professional with the correct equipment do that.

Okay, man, I'm ready to order. I want this **** done this weekend. Is everything I need aside from the weather stripping and AC work available on blenddoorusa? If not, what else do I need and where do you suggest getting it?

EDIT: Checked out the site. Makes sense that they're called "blend DOOR USA" lol. So where's the best place to get the other things I need? I want good quality long lasting stuff that'll perform well, not some knockoff crap that sucks.

EDIT 2: Ordered the blend door kit and priority shipping. How would I go about checking if my servos are bad or not once it's all out???

 

[xtremewlr]

Okay, man, I'm ready to order. I want this **** done this weekend. Is everything I need aside from the weather stripping and AC work available on blenddoorusa? If not, what else do I need and where do you suggest getting it?

EDIT: Checked out the site. Makes sense that they're called "blend DOOR USA" lol. So where's the best place to get the other things I need? I want good quality long lasting stuff that'll perform well, not some knockoff crap that sucks.

EDIT 2: Ordered the blend door kit and priority shipping. How would I go about checking if my servos are bad or not once it's all out???

Did you spend the extra and get the arms that they make for their kits? Update your order if not, they are worth it.

I doubt the servos are bad, I didn't check mine, just reinstalled them. There should be a test procedure in the service manual though. Once you have the HVAC box back in the truck, you can verify that everything is working then of course. Doesn't help if you have a bad servo though.

Weather stripping I got from Home Depot. See my thread, post #5, for the stuff I got.

Get both the evap core and the heater core. I got them off ebay, try to find OEM Mopar stuff. And don't forget the tool for disconnecting the a/c connections from firewall. Also noted in my thread.

Take your time when doing this job. Plan a whole weekend to get it done to give yourself enough time in case something comes up. I washed all the plastic parts of the HVAC box before reinstalling them. Including the top and bottom halves. I washed those in my bathtub since they are so big. Just do one door at a time, keeping track of how everything was installed originally, it can get confusing. You can blow the fan out with compressed air, I used the canned, electronics kind for that since I don't have an air compressor. Watch those videos a few times to make sure you are going to be comfortable doing the job. Grab one of those kids you have around, a bigger one, to help you move the dash. Have a shop vac handy and some cleaning supplies, great time to clean things behind the dash that you otherwise can't get to.

 

[xtremewlr]

Here's the heater core I got - https://www.ebay.com/itm/HVAC-Heate...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

And the evap core - https://www.ebay.com/itm/02-06-Dodg...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

[Drunken Hamster]

Did you spend the extra and get the arms that they make for their kits? Update your order if not, they are worth it.

I doubt the servos are bad, I didn't check mine, just reinstalled them. There should be a test procedure in the service manual though. Once you have the HVAC box back in the truck, you can verify that everything is working then of course. Doesn't help if you have a bad servo though.

Weather stripping I got from Home Depot. See my thread, post #5, for the stuff I got.

Get both the evap core and the heater core. I got them off ebay, try to find OEM Mopar stuff. And don't forget the tool for disconnecting the a/c connections from firewall. Also noted in my thread.

Take your time when doing this job. Plan a whole weekend to get it done to give yourself enough time in case something comes up. I washed all the plastic parts of the HVAC box before reinstalling them. Including the top and bottom halves. I washed those in my bathtub since they are so big. Just do one door at a time, keeping track of how everything was installed originally, it can get confusing. You can blow the fan out with compressed air, I used the canned, electronics kind for that since I don't have an air compressor. Watch those videos a few times to make sure you are going to be comfortable doing the job. Grab one of those kids you have around, a bigger one, to help you move the dash. Have a shop vac handy and some cleaning supplies, great time to clean things behind the dash that you otherwise can't get to.

This is what my order summary says. "3rd Gen Ram (02-09) Complete Repair Kit (Click Here for All Models)Single Zone / Yes, Include Drivers for Trucks WITHOUT Rear Vents" so I'm pretty sure I got the arms, lol. $309+$25 for 2 day shipping. I hope Ebay can ship that fast, but I'll look for the parts on summit, jegs, and amazon when I get off work today in the meantime.

A second vehicle seems appealing, now, but if I had one, I'd procrastinate the **** out of this. I can't wait to feel the difference. Especially once I get 20% all around and 50% full windshield ceramic tint.

 

[xtremewlr]

This is what my order summary says. "3rd Gen Ram (02-09) Complete Repair Kit (Click Here for All Models)Single Zone / Yes, Include Drivers for Trucks WITHOUT Rear Vents" so I'm pretty sure I got the arms, lol. $309+$25 for 2 day shipping. I hope Ebay can ship that fast, but I'll look for the parts on summit, jegs, and amazon when I get off work today in the meantime.

A second vehicle seems appealing, now, but if I had one, I'd procrastinate the **** out of this. I can't wait to feel the difference. Especially once I get 20% all around and 50% full windshield ceramic tint.

I thought you said you had dual zone?

 

[Drunken Hamster]

No. 3 knobs and two buttons. No sliders. It's just that my right side isn't cold and my left sides are not as cold as they were...

Sent from my magic 5-inch

 

[Drunken Hamster]

Here's the heater core I got - https://www.ebay.com/itm/HVAC-Heater-Core-MOPAR-68004228AB-fits-03-08-Dodge-Ram-1500-5-7L-V8/162493650924?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

And the evap core - https://www.ebay.com/itm/02-06-Dodge-Ram-Full-Size-Pickup-Truck-Front-Body-A-C-Evaporator-Core-5073970AB/201914403321?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Okay, so I can find the genuine heater core on Amazon, but the Evap core you posted is from "Koolzap" and described as "high quality aftermarket". I CAN find IT on Amazon, as well, but I can't find a genuine OEM one, unless that's this?? IDK, are you sure about the Koolzap evap core?

 

[xtremewlr]

I couldn't find an OEM evap core and have the Koolzap installed in my truck now. Works just fine so far.

 

[Drunken Hamster]

I couldn't find an OEM evap core and have the Koolzap installed in my truck now. Works just fine so far.

Ordered my cores yesterday. Sadly, they won't be here until next week some time before the weekend.

Good news is my blend door kit came it. Funny it came in a bag like thing. I thought for sure it'd be a big ole box. It's also more squishy and lighter than I thought. Guess those foam parts are big and the aluminum isn't as thick as it looked.

 

[xtremewlr]

Ordered my cores yesterday. Sadly, they won't be here until next week some time before the weekend.

Good news is my blend door kit came it. Funny it came in a bag like thing. I thought for sure it'd be a big ole box. It's also more squishy and lighter than I thought. Guess those foam parts are big and the aluminum isn't as thick as it looked.

Yeah, for the price, I wasn't impressed with the packaging. The aluminum doors aren't super thick. The foam they use does take up a fair amount of room.