Heat/AC slider won't go to cool, it slides most of the way, won't "thump"

NOLAMAN

MEMBER
1995 DODGE CARAVAN
3.3L
V6
2WD
AUTOMATIC
138,000 MILES

I FOUND THIS ON YOUR WEBSITE: " If I understand correctly, the temperature gauge will read in the "normal" range, you slide the temperature lever to "hot", but you still get cool air. If that's correct, there was a common problem caused by rust buildup on the pivot for the temperature blend door. The door sticks in one position, but the temperature slide **** appears to be working. In fact it is not. The cable attaches to the door's lever through a three-fingered clip. That is the self-adjusting feature, but when the door binds, the cable just slides through that clip and doesn't move the door. The clue is you won't hear the nice "thump" when you move the lever fully one way or the other. Another clue is the two heater hoses going to the heater core will be hot. If that sounds like what you have, I can describe the repair procedure. You'll need a rag, a can of spray oil with a stem, (Chrysler's "Rust Penetrant" is recommended), a can of "Spray White Lube", (also from Chrysler), and a drill and about a 1/8" drill bit."
THIS IS MY PROBLEM, TOO. WHERE DO I DRILL THE HOLE? SPRAY THE LUBRICANTS THROUGH THE HOLE?

THANKS, NOLAMAN

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,916 POSTS

That was my reply. It has been a long time since I did one of these. In fact, I ignored this on my Ma's '95 Grand Caravan for years, and it's still sitting in my yard!

That pivot is in a plastic nipple hanging down from the heater box directly under the radio. I don't mean BY the radio. I mean it's straight down from the radio. If you have a center console that bolts to the floor, it's easier if you remove that. Place the rag on the floor hump, then look up from there about 4 to 6 inches, and you'll see a nipple hanging down. It's about an inch long, and the upper half inch or so is tapered. The lower half inch is straight and about 3/8" in diameter.

Drill into the side of that nipple in the tapered part just far enough to go through the plastic, and until you hit the metal rod. Squirt the Rust Penetrant in there. You can use other stuff, but Chrysler's Rust Penetrant does in 10 minutes what WD-40 will do in a weekend. The only thing is you can't leave that stuff in there because it opens the way for moisture to get in, then things will rust even tighter. This is especially true outside the vehicle where rain gets on parts.

Work the temperature lever back and forth until the door frees up, then wash the Penetrating oil out and lubricate it with a liquid grease. I like Chrysler's Spray White Lube because it runs in tight places, then the juice evaporates and leaves the grease behind. You can find similar lubricants under other names now at auto parts stores and hardware stores.