Hey ya'll, I know it's been a while since I posted on the boards...but after some searching I think I found the right thread.
Currently I've got a 97 Limited 5.0 with the auto climate crap (I just got done upgrading the plug so I could replace the blower motor module).
Anyway, while running the antenna/harness for an aftermarket radio to the back, I noticed someone hacked up my box behind the glove. When I looked closer, i see a pair of vice grips in there.
I'm guessing that someone did this to fix the door inside to a certain position. Couldn't tell ya if a/c works because it won't hold a charge and hasn't been cold enough to really test heat.
Can anyone shed some light on what may have been done before I reach in and remove the grips? PM or post would be great.
Hi UDMSVT.
This thread explains this whole issue better than I can alone but I will summarize.
The top hinge post on the control door was manufactured sub-grade. It breaks and jams and it stops traveling from heat to AC. There is an inexpensive replacement door kit available that is built to serve. That kit is listed in this thread.
Some guys by-passed the designed workings in a number of different ways, from using a manual choke cable to vise grips I see now.
When you read the thread you see a number of good pictures, and will have a number of ways to solve the problem, including your own.
I have the same problem to fix when I get back to my 98. Sometimes it's just the actuator that attaches to the top of the black housing but it sounds like sooner than later the door problem will manifest. This repair can be completed without removing the whole black 'coffin' (I call it).