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Air conditioner blowing incorrect temperatures?

Tiny
JAKE8771
  • MEMBER
  • 2022 NISSAN SENTRA
  • 0.5L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 4,850 MILES
I was rear ended and had to have about $10,000 worth of repairs to my brand-new car, after having a rental car for a month and a half, I finally got my car back. Unfortunately, the air conditioning is not working and one of my subwoofers is making a popping sound.

Specifically, the temperatures its set to vary between vents, the driver's side, middle and passenger vents blow different temperatures. Drivers side is coolest, the middle is warmer, the passenger's side is warmest. Regardless, the cool air on the driver's side is not the temperature it says it is. The cooling fan is working, and the coolant level is not low. I am very upset about this because they had my car for a very long time, and to have it returned with new problems is just not acceptable. I have tried taking the negative off the battery to reset it, but it did nothing.

As far as the popping sound on the subwoofer, what would this be? Only one side does this.

This is a new car, so there is not any wear and tear that can explain this. Lastly, I know very little about cars but I’m a fast learner.
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Saturday, October 15th, 2022 AT 8:08 PM

16 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 48,363 POSTS
First, I would check the ground wires for the subwoofer because it sounds like one has been left off during the repair. Next, it sounds like the mode door actuator is broken, does the air change when you go from heater to air conditioner to defrost? If not, this will be the mode actuator failure. Here is the location of the actuators so you can see if they work when you make changes, you can feel them move if you put your hands on them. Check out the images (below). Let us know what happens and please upload pictures or videos of the problem.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 11:42 AM
Tiny
JAKE8771
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So, when you say does the air change when going from heater to air to defrost, yes, I can do all that and turn the heat up and down, and they all change temperature but not at corresponding temperatures like they are supposed to. When I turn the air off and on, I hear the clutch engaging.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 12:46 PM
Tiny
JAKE8771
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Also, popping was a bad word to describe the subwoofer. It's like a rattling sound, but its mounted in my car and not easy to get apart.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2022 AT 5:19 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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It sounds like the mode door actuator is broken. Can you take a short video and upload it for the noise the woofer is making? Also you can use a flashlight to look and see if the mode door is cycling.
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Monday, October 17th, 2022 AT 11:37 AM
Tiny
JAKE8771
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Yes, here is the sub noise, now that I listen to it on video it sounds like rattling.

As for the actuator, am I able to see this without taking off my dashboard?
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Monday, October 17th, 2022 AT 1:26 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Thanks for the video. That sounds like a connection problem, or the subwoofer is bad. You should be able to reach the actuators. If not, you may need to remove the bottom panel or glove box door.
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Tuesday, October 18th, 2022 AT 10:28 AM
Tiny
JAKE8771
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I can see all of them moving except the one in the back, nothing back there is moving when I press anything. I also hear a clicking sound coming from somewhere when I turn the air on and off.
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Sunday, October 23rd, 2022 AT 10:50 AM
Tiny
JAKE8771
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Just kidding, there is some movement but not much. According to what you posted, the twitching back motor is the passenger side actuator.
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Sunday, October 23rd, 2022 AT 11:13 AM
Tiny
JAKE8771
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  • 11 POSTS
Another video of the back.
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Sunday, October 23rd, 2022 AT 11:54 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Nice work on the videos. Yep, I think you have found the problem, I think this is where the noise is coming from. More items will need to be removed before you can access the blend door actuator. Once you have removed it, please check the rotation of the pivot because sometimes objects can fall down into the ventilation system and block the door from moving.
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Monday, October 24th, 2022 AT 11:20 AM
Tiny
JAKE8771
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So, today the ambient temperature has been above 70 degrees and the air is working totally fine, I have noticed this lately. I unplugged the actuator where I circled, and the air continued to work normally.

When you say check the pivot, where exactly do you mean? The place where the white “arms” are moving or where the actuator attaches to the white arms?
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Monday, October 24th, 2022 AT 11:52 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Thanks for the image. So, when the actuator is off of the plenum you can move the pivot for the blend door by hand, please make sure it moves from lock to lock.

Here is a guide that shows what I am talking about:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/replace-blend-door-motor

Please go over this guide and report back.

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Tuesday, October 25th, 2022 AT 1:46 PM
Tiny
JAKE8771
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Thanks Ken. By the way, the sub was making that sound because the repair shop left a random screw sitting on the speaker. It works perfectly now.
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Tuesday, October 25th, 2022 AT 2:23 PM
Tiny
JAKE8771
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Well, I was hoping I could fix this myself but I’m running out of time. I removed the actuator and looked inside. Replacements are shockingly expensive. The car is under warranty, but I was just hoping I could skip not having my car for who knows how long when they fix it.
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Wednesday, October 26th, 2022 AT 8:22 AM
Tiny
JAKE8771
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Even when I turn the pivot myself this does not make the temperature stable, there is still a difference between sides.
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Wednesday, October 26th, 2022 AT 10:13 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Thanks for the videos. The actuator arm won't move without the commands from the HVAC controller so you can move it by hand. It sounds like the HVAC plenum has broken internally which cause be a result from the crash, nice work finding the subwoofer noise, that's a good one. If you connect the actuator and work the control does the actuator move?
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Thursday, October 27th, 2022 AT 10:01 AM

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