kc1976

My 03 Malibu has good heat, just poor air flow from the vents.
Any tips on repairs or what to look for are appreciated!
Also, does this year Malibu have a cabin air filter? If so, where would it be?

Thanks!

EinST

Welcome to the forum. So, you get "good heat" which means the air temperature actuator and blend door is working. It sounds like your problem is the air deliver mode control which is vacuum-actuated. Either a vacuum actuator is faulty, linkage is broken or binding, or air door is stuck. I'm not sure on the cabin air filter.

kc1976

I can "hear" the air flow, it sounds as though it getting lost under the dash. Almost as if the ducts were disconnected. My control panel works like it's supposed to. Makes me think the air door might be the culprit. How big of a P.I.T.A. is that to get to?

Thanks for the response!

EinST

It obviously depends on what's broken but you may have to take the dash apart. Since it involves vacuum lines and vacuum actuators, it's not that easy to troubleshoot. If you were to tackle it, I'd suggest getting a hold of a factory service manual set (not the pirated PDF printouts on DVDs) from eBay or something. I've had a set for practically each of my past vehicles.

standard_911

Did you find a solution to your problem? I am having a similar issue but with both hot and cold. I can hear the fan blowing but there is hardly any air coming out of the upper vents. However, I can feel a strong flow coming out of the lower vents. No matter where I put my position selector (top, top/bottom, bottom, etc), there is no difference. It seems that the door or switch that changes the flow of air from top to bottom is stuck.

Just wondering if you fixed it?