Took heater control apart...now not working.

Hi folks.

So, by every bit of my own fault (I thought I was pretty careful taking it apart, but I guess not), I took my AC/heat control apart to change the bulbs...the bulbs that aren't there, because I got over excited by a thread on here and didn't fully research what I was reading/buying/getting into ....anyway, took it apart, found the non-replaceable LEDs and put it back together and now the speed knob and AC button don't work. The re-circ button and the vent selector do work.

I'm assuming that's all in the left (bigger) connector, and I took the left side apart again and thought maybe the "Y" shaped connector wasn't making contact as it would slide in and out, just a bit (in, toward the engine, out toward the bed). And then, I found a small spring, maybe 1/4" diameter and not much longer than that, if any, laying on my table. Like I said I only THOUGHT I was being careful.

I put the spring in the only place it made sense, which is under the speed knob shaft so it pushes it "in" toward the engine and keeps the contact between the rotary contact and the "Y" shaped connector that's attached to the knob.

If necessary I can take pictures later, which will probably be tomorrow, to be honest, so please bear with me .

But if anyone has done taken this apart and can visualize what I was into, and what I might have done wrong, any thoughts/advice/direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance, and happy new year to everyone.

EDIT: By the way, this is a 15...so the new style of controller...which I assume the talk of LEDs would give away, but just in case.

 

Hopefully this will help someone else, if they have the same problem, which of course I hope nobody ever does. Thanks to all who read the OP...I knew it was a long shot because, honestly, how many people could there be out there that have taken the controller apart. Anyway, on to the fix...





Ok....so due to my own curiosity I took another look. Took the "rotary contact plate" off, that the white plug goes into. Pulled the "spindle" (goes through to the knob) out and originally I had the spring here:




And then I moved it to between the "Y plate" and the spindle...here:




So the complete assembly looks like this:






I guess with the Y plate resting directly on the spindle, it's not able to make contact with the contact plate. There is a place where it looks like a spring would seat in the spindle...and it does seat nicely . I guess my original location wasn't the ONLY place that made sense....if I'd slow down.

Anyway, it's amazing how if you put things together how they're supposed to be that they work how they're supposed to work....like magic.


In other news I lost the little red (rubber?) ball that makes the knob "click" into place at each speed...if that becomes an issue with vibration moving the knob out of place, I'll update here as to the importance (or lack of) of the little red ball, but for now I can live with it.

 

Thanks for coming back and posting the solution. Luckily never had to dig into the HVAC controls on the Taco.

Back when I owned my '06 Dodge Charger I had to tear that apart about once a year. That thing would eat mini bulbs like nothing else.. That one was always an adventure

 

It's funny that your adventure and mine started with the same intention....only difference is mine was due to my lack of research, as mine doesn't have mini bulbs. I assume your '12 don't either, but even if it does, they're accessible from the back without taking it apart...so don't do what I did lol. (See I can research things, but it's usually after the fact...like this time)