I apologize for the pictures but they are post fix. I tried to show the cuts and an overview picture with the hole covered with the plastic milk gallon piece. I also did this a while ago and didn't take notes or remember exactly everything but I think with some of my pointers it will make sense of what needs to be done.

Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/jhanseni...eat=directlink
The photos are large and I can email the originals if you need them and you can zoom in quite a bit. They were taken at high quality.

The Process:

My blend door broke at the *** that sticks out of the vent system. Therefore the blend door had fallen inside the vent system and the rest of the *** was still connected to the white connector piece. To get to the broken blend door out I had to remove a bunch of the lower vents. This included detaching the vents that run under the floor of the drivers and passenger side. I also had to remove the console to get access to some of the front vent pieces. Eventualy I was able to reach the broken door from the bottom and reaching up to it. I believe I pulled the broken blend door out through the bottom rather than just be able to reach it and lift it into place to remove it from the cut hole. But I can't say for sure. Try both. Be careful when disassembling the vents as I broke a few pieces in the process.

To make the cut I used what I call a whizzer. It is an air powered tool with a about a circular 1.5" saw at the end. I am sure you can use whatever you have available as long as it's small enough to make the cuts you need.

The cutting. If you look at the pictures you can see that I started my cuts near the top and bottom of the hole for the blend door. Then cut straight towards the back of the vehicle about 4-5 inches. I would estimate the height of the hole I cut is about 1 -1.5". It is key not to ruin the hole for the blend door. Otherwise the door will not work properly. The idea is that your cut needs to be slightly larger then the blend door. Once you have created the gap you can now place in the new blend door. There is a ledge on the opposite side of the vent that the blend door needs to fit into. The first few times I couldn't get it in but eventually I got a feel for it and was able to slip it in. You will know if it's in or not. Hopefully the door will fit snug where you started your cuts. Re-attach linkage and block the hole with whatever you choose. I used duck tape but it kept drying up and falling off. I know have the plastic milk gallon piece cut to fit and glued place. We will see how long this lasts.

So there you have it. It was a long process especially removing vent parts and creating the cuts properly. Be patient with it. Please contact me with questions. I'd like to help out as much as possible. Again I apologize the pictures may not be the greatest or my steps are hard to follow.

Good luck!

 

this is a great start.
so the floor blend door is connected to the red/blue actuator or the yellow/brown?

just want to double check.

thanks again, now to get started......

 

Yes red blue. I added a picture I had that might help just with the general picture of everything. It shows the red/blue going into the actuator. By the way I remember removing that module off to the right of the picture with all the wires going into it.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink

 

thanks to thejuicer for all the help.
sorry for the lousy pic.

ok, well the operation was a success.

.....but the patient died. (new problem)


well all dampers/vac. lines work , however my new problem is restricted air flow.
blower motor is working fine. i think it is related to this other part (see pic) the vac. arm snapped it off for some reason. i did not leave any parts behind when i pulled out old floor heat damper (was only 2 pieces). and after looking at the pic they are on opposite sides.

sooooo does anyone know part name /number for my new fix-it mission?

thanks

 

For anyone who whas the no heat on floor issue.I just did a simple fix, without haveing to cut vent tubes.I took a clothes hanger and opened it up, then fold in half, make a bit of a bend in it.Push it into floor outlet and moved my broken blend door, removed red and blue vacuum hoses and I put a screw in the end of them to stop vacuum sound.Now I have heat on floor and all other functions work as well.Not sure if this will be a permenant fix , but it might just get me through the winter

 

I would like to thank TheJuicer. This was initially his idea. I was in the same situation with a broken flap and no floor heat. All my heat would go to the top vents. I really didn't want to take apart my dash to fix it, so I started to try TheJuicer's idea. The only problem that I thought could come up is the location of the cut. I felt that it could compromise the structural integrity of the hole and the support of the flap. As I was examining the air box and wondering “ how in the heck am I going to get a tool in there to cut this?”. I also noticed that the air box is quite big. It’s possible to make a square cut towards the front of the box (towards the rear of the car) and make it large enough to put your entire hand in there as well. I took out the center console (about 5 minutes and 4 screws, very easy). I took out the bottom portion of the dash as well. Now you should see the car’s computer exposed. I unplugged my battery first and then unplugged the computer. Remove the computer and the bracket that is being held in place by 4 screws. Now you have a clear path to make a cut in the air box. If your flap is broken, the flap should be sitting right there waiting for you like mine. It’s easier to get at, then making the cut up high and on the side. It should come out with ease. Poke the rest of the broken flap out of the hole and your new flap goes in easier than you think. I was able to get my entire hand and some of my arm in the cut that I made. Once your new flap is in place, then use your cut piece that you took out and use it for the patch job. It should fit perfectly . I screwed a couple of brackets to it and put some silicone all around to completely seal it. I waited a day for the silicone to completely cure and put my dash back together. I now have a fully functional heat anywhere I want.

The entire project took me about a week, but only because I took my time. I would say the entire process took me about 3 hours and it was quite easy, surprised me actually. I used a dremill to make my cut. That was probably the hardest part of the job. Don’t worry about making a perfect cut because you’re going to use the same piece and it should fit back in just fine. Just don’t cut all the way to the corners of the box. Leave yourself some room so that you can put some screws in place.

P/N 15-50554 from www.oehq.com (defroster Valve)

I hope this post warms up some toes this winter.
Good luck.

 

i'd like to thank warthogdriver for indirectly refering me to this thread.

given me a little insight to my (lack-of) floor heat issue, and helped me formulate a new game plan.

 

Oldie but goodie!

 

nothing finer than a good ol home brew fix

 

With thanks to warthogdriver, I used a cutting tip in a soldering gun to make the cut. Very neat cut, fast and no debris. After replacing the flapper, I used the soldering gun to melt some of the plastic around the cut to hold the cut-out piece, then used black RTV to seal everything.


Tim