Center air vents blowing no air

DIDI7154

MEMBER
1993 TOYOTA CAMRY
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
215,000 MILES

I’m stumped. In my car I am getting no air out of the center dash vents. I only get air out of the side vents, on both the driver and passenger side, at my feet and at the windshield. When I turn the air diverter knob it can change between blowing air at your feet, the defrost or side vents but nothing comes out of the center vents. I hear a “thud” when I turn the air diverted knob but still no air out of the vents. Any help is greatly appreciated!

4 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,755 POSTS

Hi,

If the air flow direction is changing but not coming from the center vents, chances are the duct is disconnected under the dash.

This vehicle has one mode door actuator. That is what is responsible for air flow direction. So, you are getting air from the sides and not the center, the first suspect is the duct.

I attached a pic below showing where the mode door actuator is located. It will be under the dash on the left side of the HVAC box.

Look upwards to locate the plastic duct going to the center vents and follow them back to the HVAC box to see if anything is disconnected or damaged.

Let me know what you find or if you have other questions.

Take care,

Joe

See pic below.

Image (Click to make bigger)

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Tuesday, December 28th, 2021 AT 8:20 PM

DIDI7154

MEMBER
30 POSTS

Hi, thank you for the reply. Is the mode servomotoro on the driver side or passenger side? How do I access it? Do I have to remove the dash or anything else to get to it or can I simply see it and get it to it without removing anything? Thank you again for all the help.

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Wednesday, December 29th, 2021 AT 3:49 AM

DIDI7154

MEMBER
30 POSTS

Is the servomotor on the driver's side by the gas pedal? If so, I see it. But where is the HVAC box? Can you give me a diagram that shows the HVAC box and the duct you're referring to?

Thanks

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Wednesday, December 29th, 2021 AT 12:12 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,755 POSTS

Hi,

Because of the model year, I have very limited pics of the unit. What I attached above is the HVAC box. It contains the heater core and the different control doors, such as the mode door.

If you look under the dash toward the affected vents, are you able to see how the airflow reaches them? There should be ductwork going to them.

I was able to find a pic for a slightly newer one and have attached it below. I highlighted the ducts related to the center vents.

I'm sorry. I wish I had a better pic.

Let me know if that helps.

Joe

See pic below.

Image (Click to make bigger)