Blend Door Solution! Radical Surgery!
11-23-2010, 12:23 PM
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Location: cambridge, ma
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Year: 99
Model: Grand Cherokee
Blend Door Solution! Radical Surgery!
Hello All... OK... If you absolutely know your lack of heat is caused by broken blend doors (see other threads for advice) and you really need warmth in your older Grand Cherokee, I fixed the problem with some simple, but somewhat radical surgery.
As many of you know, the HVAC systems in Jeep Limiteds are a major pain and the expensive solution is the removal of the dashboard, then replacing the blend doors. After freezing last winter and not finding any Boston dealer that will fix the problem for under $1600, I removed the blend doors myself... in three hours... for $0.00.
Please remember, this is not a pretty repair for luxury SUV owners, it is a fix for long-time Jeepsters who just need heat this winter. You are basically cutting into the heater box, removing the blend doors and then resecuring the heater box wall. You are bypassing the blend door system and you will get around 50-76% of your original heat output.
Basic steps:
Remove the glove box on the passenger side and the heater box is right in front of you.
Remove the blend door control motor (4 small screws)
Using a hole saw, I cut two, overlapping 2-inch holes in the plastic heater box cover.
The protruding white **** is axle for the blend doors. If it turns freely, then it has detached from the doors. Using pliers, I pulled out the white axle.
Reach into the heater box and you can feel the blend doors to your left. Remove the closest blend door by hand. For a dual-zone heater (2 blend doors), repeat the above steps.
Turn on you heat and blower to high to clean and check system.
Fabricate a piece of plastic (juice carton, ?) to cover the hole you just made on the heater box, then firmly tape it in place with a good-quality duct tape.
You now have heat for the winter... Please remember, that this is radical is intended only for those who need heat and don't care if they lose the wacky dual-zone heating system.
If anyone would like more info, l took a few pictures to help you out... Good luck fellow Jeepsters and I hope this helps to keep you warm this winter!
As many of you know, the HVAC systems in Jeep Limiteds are a major pain and the expensive solution is the removal of the dashboard, then replacing the blend doors. After freezing last winter and not finding any Boston dealer that will fix the problem for under $1600, I removed the blend doors myself... in three hours... for $0.00.
Please remember, this is not a pretty repair for luxury SUV owners, it is a fix for long-time Jeepsters who just need heat this winter. You are basically cutting into the heater box, removing the blend doors and then resecuring the heater box wall. You are bypassing the blend door system and you will get around 50-76% of your original heat output.
Basic steps:
Remove the glove box on the passenger side and the heater box is right in front of you.
Remove the blend door control motor (4 small screws)
Using a hole saw, I cut two, overlapping 2-inch holes in the plastic heater box cover.
The protruding white **** is axle for the blend doors. If it turns freely, then it has detached from the doors. Using pliers, I pulled out the white axle.
Reach into the heater box and you can feel the blend doors to your left. Remove the closest blend door by hand. For a dual-zone heater (2 blend doors), repeat the above steps.
Turn on you heat and blower to high to clean and check system.
Fabricate a piece of plastic (juice carton, ?) to cover the hole you just made on the heater box, then firmly tape it in place with a good-quality duct tape.
You now have heat for the winter... Please remember, that this is radical is intended only for those who need heat and don't care if they lose the wacky dual-zone heating system.
If anyone would like more info, l took a few pictures to help you out... Good luck fellow Jeepsters and I hope this helps to keep you warm this winter!
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