Climate control/vent issues

I have a 98 Tacoma and have had issues with the climate control and the two vents right above the climate controls.

The first issue is the temperature control. When I turn it either it makes a loud popping noise that sounds like something is breaking, but it has always done that.

The second issue is the two vents above the climate controls. These two vents barely blow any air out, hot or cold.

Any suggestions?

 

I have the second problem aswell.. in my 04 no clue why...

 

Blend door is not completley shutting or opening. The popping noise is the teeth on the actuator gear. Sounds like the door is hung up and wont move and the gear is stripping. When you turn the knob from say feet to upper you should hear a flap noise and the same for the climate control.

 

The blend door will get blocked if someone throws junk up on the dash and it falls down the defrost vents at the base of the windshield. Only way to know exactly is to gain access to the bland door and see if anything is blocking it. On my old truck I found 2 pens, a hair pin, several toothpicks and about $.40 in change in front of the blend door.

 

Know how to get to the blend door? Can I get to it behind the climate controls?

I hear the flapping noise when I switch from feet to upper. How would I fix the popping noise? New climate controls?

 

Pretty sure you just remove the lower dash panel and the lower center dash trim piece (driver's side). Then you can access the blend door et al from the driver's side wheel well.

I'm trying to recall off memory when I removed everything to paint it. I remember seeing the blend door et al during my journey.

 

Just a bit of information, but the OP said he has a 1998 model Tacoma. Those still use mechanical cables to move the blend doors and temp doors. Not electrical actuators. The 99 in my shop right now has round knobs, but they are cable driven as well.

 

This is what my panel looks like.

 

Would this still be the way to do with the above climate control panel?

If so, what are you calling lower dash panel and lower center dash trim piece? Black section around radio and climate controls? Panel underneath the steering wheel?

Thanks

 

Pretty sure you don't have to remove the climate control panel, pictured above, or the center dash panel (the trim piece around the radio and climate controls and center vents, etc)

The lower dash panel is the piece under your steering wheel that has the fuse panel door on it. And the lower center dash trim is the piece that's on the other side of the e-brake lever and next to that aforementioned center dash panel. (total of 3 bolts and a screw, or something like that. Very simple)

I'm pretty sure if you remove those two pieces you are able to at least inspect the blend door, etc.

Bamatoy would definitely have better insight though.

 

I have had those off before. Dont really know what I am looking for in the "blend door". Would these issues also affect my heating? It seems like it never really gets warm or takes forever.

 

If your blend door isn't operating properly then yes, it would affect your heating. For example if the blend door is jammed or something and won't mix hot air in with the cold, then no matter what you do to the temp knob, no hot air will make it to your vents.

Take the lower dash panels off and you should see a cable running from the knob/climate control area to the blend door. Inspect it to see if the door is bound up by something or if the cable is bound up by something, etc...

Also, if it takes forever to get warm, but still gets warm, then it might be an entirely different problem altogether.

 

Thanks, I will try this when I get a chance.

 

BUMP FROM DEAD!

Since this is the only topic I'm able to find about this issue, I decided to keep it going.

I'm having a similar problem. AC Works, Temp is good, all vent selections work as well as vent/recirculate. Cold/Hot knob is super rough, with very defined clicks (more like cracks). It seems to be stuck on "warm", as when I turn the A/C on it blows cold, but when I try to get heat, no luck.

How do you clear the flapper door of debris?

 

Nobody?

What needs to be removed in order to get access to the mixing door?

 

On my 1998 I believe the only thing you have to remove is the center dash and stereo head unit.. Then you can finagle your way to the blending door.

 

Think i might do this since i have all this removed already. Our cars dont have cabin air filters so i can imagine there is some crap in there if this is where everything seems to collect.

Does it pop out, or is it screwed in somehow?

 

Right, that's my question, how can you clear the doors if something is jammed down in there?

 

Well I ripped apart nearly everything in the center dash and everything behind the glove box. I was able to watch the blend door swing as I moved the actuator arm, but it appears that the binding is happening somewhere between the knob and the actuator arm. The door moves freely, its just that the knob doesn't have enough strength in the gears to move it.

 

Is the cable snagged on anything?