98 Bravada auto climate control

cliffg8 · September 6th, 2006, 08:37 PM

Just got the car back from being in the shop for 2 weeks. It will only blow hot air no matter what the control is set at. Compressor is running and line is very cold. I can hear one of the air diverter valves move when I move the temp contol. The far right control does change the air output. Just no cold air. Is there a diverter that isn't closing to cut off the hot air? How do I fix it?

atownhockey19 · September 11th, 2006, 07:58 PM

maby the knob is broken...

cliffg8 · September 11th, 2006, 08:11 PM

No the knob is not broken.
However I did find the problem. The actuator that moves the air mix door from the heat to cool side goes into a mode where it will not move. This can be caused my the door sticking. Under the hood on the housing to the heater/ ac unit there is an area marked. "Cut for service". After removing the area marked there is an access panel with 3 screws. Remove this panel and you will see the air mix door. I manually moved the door from heat to cool a couple times until it didn't feel like it was binding. Do this slowly because the actuator is an electric motor to gear arrangement. GM wants about $120 for the actuator. They are available on ebay for around 35 plus shipping.
Anyway, after moving the door I started the Bravada and selected a mid temp. The mix door moved to a mid way position. I then selected all the way cold and the door moved to block off the heater core. Selecting all the way hot and the door moved to block off the AC side.

If you do have to change the actuator it can be gotten to by opening the glove box all the way. There is a metal loop on the upper left of the opening that prevents the box from swinging all the way out. The loop will swing out to allow the box to open all the way (and dumping its contents on the passenger floor).
You then can look on top of the heat unit and see the actuator. It is on top back by the firewall. It is held in place by 3 screws and has the control wire plug attached. Removig the screws and moving the actuator up will release it from the air mix door. Then just unplug the control wire plug.

I hope this helps someone else.

Oldsguy · September 12th, 2006, 05:52 AM

Good tech! Thanks

klenard · October 21st, 2006, 09:42 AM

Moved the door a few times......heater works again

MBenton · September 8th, 2008, 07:31 PM

"However I did find the problem. The actuator that moves the air mix door from the heat to cool side goes into a mode where it will not move. This can be caused my the door sticking. Under the hood on the housing to the heater/ ac unit there is an area marked. "Cut for service". After removing the area marked there is an access panel with 3 screws. Remove this panel and you will see the air mix door. I manually moved the door from heat to cool a couple times until it didn't feel like it was binding. Do this slowly because the actuator is an electric motor to gear arrangement. GM wants about $120 for the actuator. They are available on ebay for around 35 plus shipping.
Anyway, after moving the door I started the Bravada and selected a mid temp. The mix door moved to a mid way position. I then selected all the way cold and the door moved to block off the heater core. Selecting all the way hot and the door moved to block off the AC side.

If you do have to change the actuator it can be gotten to by opening the glove box all the way. There is a metal loop on the upper left of the opening that prevents the box from swinging all the way out. The loop will swing out to allow the box to open all the way (and dumping its contents on the passenger floor).
You then can look on top of the heat unit and see the actuator. It is on top back by the firewall. It is held in place by 3 screws and has the control wire plug attached. Removig the screws and moving the actuator up will release it from the air mix door. Then just unplug the control wire plug.

I hope this helps someone else.

This post worked perfectly... Thank you so much. I live in the southeast and it is Sept 2008 and it is about a million degrees out today and all I could get out of my ac unit today was HEAT!!! I looked up the fix found this post and did exactly what it said.. It worked.. I now have A C again. I disconnected the actuator in the cool position and now I have cool air.. Now I have to figure out how to get the actuator off to replace.. I can get to 2 of the screws but not the one on the underside?? any suggestions?

Thanks for this post it was a life saver and now I am cool.

kirk71 · November 7th, 2008, 09:04 PM

my heater blows hot and cold when it wants to, i turn the knobs and nothing changes help please

Boldsmobile · June 24th, 2009, 10:54 AM

When i had my Bravada i had this problem. What normally happens is that a gear in the actuator motor cracks and than wont move the door. I was able to fix it by making a washer ring out of aluminum that held the split gear tight and than epoxied it. It held up until the gear split in another spot and than i just bought another actuator. Please, please please search the web you can find the actuator for about $70. I bought it two years ago and unfortunately lost the web site info. They can be had cheaper than 120.

I removed mine by using one of those "thumb drive wheels" with a socket on it.

Sears has them cheap.

kurtdaniel · October 28th, 2009, 09:27 PM

The exact same thing is happening on my car.. It is intermittent, but incredibly uncomfortable when it occurs..it might affected by the egr valve..

September 6th, 2006, 08:37 PM	#1 (permalink)
cliffg8 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 5	98 Bravada auto climate control Just got the car back from being in the shop for 2 weeks. It will only blow hot air no matter what the control is set at. Compressor is running and line is very cold. I can hear one of the air diverter valves move when I move the temp contol. The far right control does change the air output. Just no cold air. Is there a diverter that isn't closing to cut off the hot air? How do I fix it?

September 12th, 2006, 05:52 AM	#4 (permalink)
Oldsguy Hot Rodder at heart Administrator Join Date: May 2004 Location: Lees Summit MO Posts: 5,315	Good tech! Thanks __________________ Dan '77 Cutlass Supreme '46 2 door "The rocket 455.....it's a sledgehammer approach to a thumbtack world" LuxBlue of HAMB.

October 21st, 2006, 09:42 AM	#5 (permalink)
klenard Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 1	Worked Great Moved the door a few times......heater works again

June 24th, 2009, 10:54 AM	#8 (permalink)
Boldsmobile Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 57	When i had my Bravada i had this problem. What normally happens is that a gear in the actuator motor cracks and than wont move the door. I was able to fix it by making a washer ring out of aluminum that held the split gear tight and than epoxied it. It held up until the gear split in another spot and than i just bought another actuator. Please, please please search the web you can find the actuator for about $70. I bought it two years ago and unfortunately lost the web site info. They can be had cheaper than 120. I removed mine by using one of those "thumb drive wheels" with a socket on it. Sears has them cheap. __________________ Pete 1971 Cutlass 1983 Hurst / Olds 1996 Aurora - Autobahn 2001 Alero 2001 Aurora

October 28th, 2009, 09:27 PM	#9 (permalink)
kurtdaniel Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 23	The exact same thing is happening on my car.. It is intermittent, but incredibly uncomfortable when it occurs..it might affected by the egr valve.. Last edited by kurtdaniel; November 3rd, 2009 at 06:33 PM..

September 11th, 2006, 07:58 PM	#2 (permalink)
atownhockey19 Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 15	maby the knob is broken...

September 11th, 2006, 08:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
cliffg8 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 5	No the knob is not broken. However I did find the problem. The actuator that moves the air mix door from the heat to cool side goes into a mode where it will not move. This can be caused my the door sticking. Under the hood on the housing to the heater/ ac unit there is an area marked. "Cut for service". After removing the area marked there is an access panel with 3 screws. Remove this panel and you will see the air mix door. I manually moved the door from heat to cool a couple times until it didn't feel like it was binding. Do this slowly because the actuator is an electric motor to gear arrangement. GM wants about $120 for the actuator. They are available on ebay for around 35 plus shipping. Anyway, after moving the door I started the Bravada and selected a mid temp. The mix door moved to a mid way position. I then selected all the way cold and the door moved to block off the heater core. Selecting all the way hot and the door moved to block off the AC side. If you do have to change the actuator it can be gotten to by opening the glove box all the way. There is a metal loop on the upper left of the opening that prevents the box from swinging all the way out. The loop will swing out to allow the box to open all the way (and dumping its contents on the passenger floor). You then can look on top of the heat unit and see the actuator. It is on top back by the firewall. It is held in place by 3 screws and has the control wire plug attached. Removig the screws and moving the actuator up will release it from the air mix door. Then just unplug the control wire plug. I hope this helps someone else.

September 8th, 2008, 07:31 PM	#6 (permalink)
MBenton Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1	"However I did find the problem. The actuator that moves the air mix door from the heat to cool side goes into a mode where it will not move. This can be caused my the door sticking. Under the hood on the housing to the heater/ ac unit there is an area marked. "Cut for service". After removing the area marked there is an access panel with 3 screws. Remove this panel and you will see the air mix door. I manually moved the door from heat to cool a couple times until it didn't feel like it was binding. Do this slowly because the actuator is an electric motor to gear arrangement. GM wants about $120 for the actuator. They are available on ebay for around 35 plus shipping. Anyway, after moving the door I started the Bravada and selected a mid temp. The mix door moved to a mid way position. I then selected all the way cold and the door moved to block off the heater core. Selecting all the way hot and the door moved to block off the AC side. If you do have to change the actuator it can be gotten to by opening the glove box all the way. There is a metal loop on the upper left of the opening that prevents the box from swinging all the way out. The loop will swing out to allow the box to open all the way (and dumping its contents on the passenger floor). You then can look on top of the heat unit and see the actuator. It is on top back by the firewall. It is held in place by 3 screws and has the control wire plug attached. Removig the screws and moving the actuator up will release it from the air mix door. Then just unplug the control wire plug. I hope this helps someone else. This post worked perfectly... Thank you so much. I live in the southeast and it is Sept 2008 and it is about a million degrees out today and all I could get out of my ac unit today was HEAT!!! I looked up the fix found this post and did exactly what it said.. It worked.. I now have A C again. I disconnected the actuator in the cool position and now I have cool air.. Now I have to figure out how to get the actuator off to replace.. I can get to 2 of the screws but not the one on the underside?? any suggestions? Thanks for this post it was a life saver and now I am cool.

November 7th, 2008, 09:04 PM	#7 (permalink)
kirk71 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: nebraska Posts: 1	my heater blows hot and cold when it wants to, i turn the knobs and nothing changes help please

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