Cheater Fix... Foam Stuck In Mode Door
09-02-2014, 05:28 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Cheater Fix... Foam Stuck In Mode Door
It's been awhile since I've been on the forum. My truck experienced the dreaded "No defrost, or floor, just vent" syndrome. To give credit where it's due, I got this idea from someone in the comments section of a YouTube video. He drilled a hole in the vent with a holesaw and retrieved the foam stuck to the mode door.
Remove the Mode Door Actuator. You access this from the driver's side footwell on the heater box. use a Screwdriver to verify the Mode doors will not move. If it's stuck, time to pull the radio surround and radio. If you got a Sirius receiver, take that out too.
Tape off a 4"x6" section on the vent running up to the defrost. Directly under that vent is the Mode Doors. The plastic is soft and thin, like trash can plastic. I used a sharp box knife blade to cut it.
This is the foam that was stuck on the left mode door. I believe it came off the back side of the door. Check both sides to make sure there's no more loose foam. Now's the time to verify the doors are unstuck by turning the gear the actuator hooks into.
On the plastic piece that had been removed, I pop riveted a couple of strips of sheet metal so It wouldn't fall into the vent. Then I covered it with Duct tape.
Re-install the mode door actuator, the rest of your dash, and you're done. The whole fix takes just around an hour. The dealer wants to remove the whole dash to repair this, so I imagine it's expensive. BTW, every thing works like new!
Remove the Mode Door Actuator. You access this from the driver's side footwell on the heater box. use a Screwdriver to verify the Mode doors will not move. If it's stuck, time to pull the radio surround and radio. If you got a Sirius receiver, take that out too.
Tape off a 4"x6" section on the vent running up to the defrost. Directly under that vent is the Mode Doors. The plastic is soft and thin, like trash can plastic. I used a sharp box knife blade to cut it.
This is the foam that was stuck on the left mode door. I believe it came off the back side of the door. Check both sides to make sure there's no more loose foam. Now's the time to verify the doors are unstuck by turning the gear the actuator hooks into.
On the plastic piece that had been removed, I pop riveted a couple of strips of sheet metal so It wouldn't fall into the vent. Then I covered it with Duct tape.
Re-install the mode door actuator, the rest of your dash, and you're done. The whole fix takes just around an hour. The dealer wants to remove the whole dash to repair this, so I imagine it's expensive. BTW, every thing works like new!
The following 3 users liked this post by autoworker:
09-02-2014, 07:25 PM
#2
Senior Member
Awesome fix! It seems that all of the foam stuff that is in/on these trucks just falls apart. Great write up.
10-02-2015, 06:02 PM
#3
Fix implemented successfully
Thank you for the write up. I managed to survive all of last winter without functioning defrost vents and when I had ice on the wind shield this morning I knew I didn't want to risk another winter. I followed your instructions and was able to get my defrost vents operational again.
My only recommendation is to make the cut out as large as possible so as to make it easier to place your hand through the hole and grab the foam. My problem foam was on the drivers side opening and had attached itself to the side of the compartment and wedged itself between the mode door and the compartment side. It took a lot of tugging to get it all freed.
My only recommendation is to make the cut out as large as possible so as to make it easier to place your hand through the hole and grab the foam. My problem foam was on the drivers side opening and had attached itself to the side of the compartment and wedged itself between the mode door and the compartment side. It took a lot of tugging to get it all freed.
