Hydrostream1

Hello, i am a new guy here. I hope i picked the correct area to ask a technical question on a 2005 Suburban. My 2005 is doing this thing when the a/c is on, the driver side vents are blowing hot air. Any idea what i have to do to fix this? Is this something i can do with average mechanical skills or should i go to the shop and have it fixed?

thanks a lot.

Cusser

I had similar with a 2005 GMC Yukon. Do you hear any clicking under the dash?

Anyway, mine had three electric actuators under the dash to divert the air flow, and one was bad. At first I unplugged its harness and turned the actuator with a screwdriver to the other position, left harness disconnected. Later I replaced the actuator with a Dorman aftermarket unit.

Toughest parts were:
...grinding a 5.5mm socket shorter at both ends to get the #%&%$#$%&*(^$# lower panel bolts out
..."teaching" the computer to recognize the new part

Hydrostream1

Thanks. I used to hear like a tapping sound if the heat or cool "slide adjustment" was adjusted either all the way cool, or all the way hot. When i would adjust to the middle of hot and cool the sound would go away. it was like a tap sound that sounded like it was coming from directly behind the sliding adjustment i think, and it was kind of a slow tapping sound. does that tell you anything? is it hard to get to what i have to replace?

thanks a lot.

Cusser

The sound was from under the dash. The little plastic gears of the actuator were slipping and making the clicking noise. On my 1994 Suburban, cost me like $400 at independent shop I use to get that fixed, so did it myself on the 2005 Yukon. I simply searched the part number on the defective actuator and bought aftermarket unit that matched up, figured "factory" one didn't last all that long.

By the way: this is not an uncommon issue.

Cusser

Funny thing: since I posted the above a few days ago, Mrs. Cusser reported that the AC wasn't working on her 2014 GMC Yukon Denali. Then it started working again fine. Upon questioning, she said the air volume was fine, and blowing out the main vent as it should.

I told her that the next time this happens, feel if the passenger side still was cold, and the next day it blew heat but passenger side stayed cold. So I didn't even have to raise the hood to check for AC compressor engagement or feel the lines at the firewall. Since she had to drive about 250 miles today to Phoenix and in two weeks drive to Las Vegas, she needs AC. So I took off the lower panel on passenger side (7mm socket) and disconnected the wiring harness to the actuator while it was in the "cool" position, so it will stay in the "cold" position.

Unlike the 2005 and the 1994 I mentioned in an earlier post, there was apparently no clicking sound this time. I saw on YouTube a couple of guys cleaning grease off contacts inside the actuator itself, so I may try that sometime.

Cusser

I'd forgotten to write down the part number on the actuator so today I attempted to take off the console right-side forward cover as shown in this video at the beginning

You Tube

; unfortunately, I could not get the top part to unlatch. But I still was able to squeeze in and get the 3rd (driver-side) screw holding the lower panel off. Just like with my 200 Yukon, I had to grind a 5.5mm socket shorter to access the driver side actuator screw, what a poor design; after I got both actuator screws out, I still had to pry the actuator out, tight fit between the carpet and the "tab" of the HVAC blend door.

The part number was 52402588, exact same part as had gone bad on my 2005. I did take the actuator apart, didn't see any damaged gears, did wipe away some of the grease as I'd seen in other videos. I then plugged that into the harness (without bolting into place) and started the engine and worked the AC controls, and it did move through all its positions. So maybe in the fall I'll re-install that and see if it works OK; here in Arizona, we only need AC until end of November.

I did see somewhere where a guy cut down a 5.5mm nutsetter and then could use an open end wrench on that for R&R of the actuator bolt on the driver side.

Bshawn911

Did you get it fixed? I know sometimes if they are not broke like guys said before this, you can do a relearn process and it seems like there is a bunch of different ways to do this. All are simple and are videos on YouTube for them. I have a 01 yukon and I have trouble finding stuff on it for some reason. Alot of stuff for 03 and up which some stuff is the same but some is not

Cusser

Today, I decided to bolt the cleaned-out actuator back in but leave the electrical harness disconnected for now, primarily so I wouldn't misplace the cleaned-out actuator. I did cut shorter a 5.5mm nutsetter to use if needed.

I actually found it easier to start the passenger side actuator screw and then start the driver side actuator screw by reaching around from the driver side because I could actually see it from that side; then I tightened each hex head screw with the ground-shorter 5.5mm socket and 1/4" ratchet. Of course I wasn't able to completely remove the driver side front console cover either it was attached to the passenger side one, it's GM !!!

Hydrostream1

Hey, so i got the actuator out, and know how to reinstall a new one but the"spline" doesn't line up as it needs to be reset or something. I have the wiring plugged in to the new actuator and i tried all the stuff online to do a reset. my goal was to have the reset turn the "spline" of the actuator so it will line up with the piece that goes into it. but it won't do it. i tried all the internet stuff, remving a 10 amp fuse under the hood, disconnecting the battery, all that stuff. what gives? thansk a lot

Cusser

I used a screwdriver to turn the drive "spline" on the new actuator to the position where the shaft of the vent flap was. Then I moved the actuator into place to mate with that, pushed into place, installed the screws, then the harness. Then I went into the "learn" procedure.

I imagine that one could plug in the new actuator and move the controls to get the actuator into the correct position, then disconnect the harness to install.