Heater Plenum Issue

[Mike Wenrich]

Have a neighbor with the well known heater issue. It's a 2003 Laramie truck and she has no heat coming in and cannot afford the $1500 fix to repair the "flappers". Since there the blower is working is there a manual work around just for the winter to get the heat flowing? Not sure where the air is venting right now but if I could change airflow without removing the dash or maybe cutting into the plenum maybe I could give her some level of heat coming inside the cab. Ideas appreciated.

 

[User113]

That would be pretty tough to finagle without cutting into the HVAC box. But if she's willing to let you cut it up, look at the videos on how to replace the blend doors. It would still require removing a lot of trim pieces, but with a few holes here and there, depending on which doors are actually not working, it seems reasonable. You might be able to reposition certain doors with a piece of dowel or a coat hanger. And if you're judicial about where you drill your holes, they might be easy to repair when she does get around to fixing it right.

Search "2003 Dodge Blend Door Replacement" in youtube.

 

[BigPapa]

I recall one of the doors was a major problem on the 3rd Gens. When I worked at the truck shop, we discovered you could pull the blower out and reach inside and pull that door out. If I remember correctly, this meant it was basically in recirc mode all the time. It was given as an inexpensive option for repair instead of removing the dash and HVAC box which was extremely expensive.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

I recall one of the doors was a major problem on the 3rd Gens. When I worked at the truck shop, we discovered you could pull the blower out and reach inside and pull that door out. If I remember correctly, this meant it was basically in recirc mode all the time. It was given as an inexpensive option for repair instead of removing the dash and HVAC box which was extremely expensive.

The recirc door is the only one accessible without removing the whole box. If you can reach it to remove it you can (and should) replace it.

 

[Mike Wenrich]

Good info and thanks for the idea(s). I recently had my heater motor out and found a broken plastic piece in the cage. Pretty easy to remove the motor and I will do that to see if it helps. I know I have this issue coming up as well. If I can get her past winter I will be trying to replace my doors after deciding which method to use. When I posted about my issue recently it was mentioned that the dash is not that hard to remove but I'm a one of one and could not do that by myself. Might be able to hire a second helper if I decide to go that route but seems cutting into the box works as well. Need to review the process again. I don't have an account with you tube but I will try to view the video.

 

[Mike Wenrich]

Just watched three videos on You Tube. Dash removal does not look too daunting as long as I have some help. Plus I saw the part that broke off my plenum blend door. Mystery solved. Cutting into the plenum appears to be a bad idea for those that are going to keep their vehicle. Taping over the cuts is bound to fail in my opinion. The worst part for me in removing the dash are the Chrysler electrical plugs. Damn those are hard to disconnect.

One other interesting video was on a lack of heat being related to a failing water pump. Symptoms can be the temp gauge fluctuating with rpm and a lack of pressure on a heater hose. I will have to look at my neighbors truck now to determine where the issue is and if I can do a quick fix for the winter until it gets warmer. The truck is her only vehicle so down time matters as well. The video suggested the Dorman doors are a good replacement but the mechanic preferred the MOPAR updated doors due to the shaft pivots being improved and stronger. Anyone having thoughts on that is welcome to give some advice. When I do mine I want the best parts.

 

[seafish]

If you're actually going through the trouble of replacing the doors, look into BlendDoor USA plenum doors.

 

[Mike Wenrich]

Thanks. I recall now they were recommended before when I was reading about this issue but did not have a problem on my truck. probably have a note in my file on them.

 

[Mike Wenrich]

One small update. I borrowed the neighbors truck and removed the heater motor. I could reach up and feel that the blend door above the motor was intact. Moving the control switch did little to change the flow of air. Small amount coming thru the defrost vents and the center dash vents. All the air is cold. Felt the heater hoses and they are hot so I guess the problem with this one is at the flap(s) by the heater core. Also checked to see if the A/C compressor was running and it was not. The cold air was just because it's cold outside. I suppose it's also possible an actuator switch is bad.

Drove mine into town last night to give it a run and although I have heat coming from mine it was barely clearing windows on defrost. Had to sit quite some time before I could drive away. Then the side windows began fogging. So mine is different but also a problem. Right now I'm happy I bought a new truck.

Lastly, checked on line and it appears the best price for the blend doors from Blend Door is direct from them. EPay and Amazon appears to be more expensive and I was having trouble finding the kit on Amazon. They seem to favor other brands. Looks like around $340 plus shipping for a kit.

 

[bcbender]

You can check door function by removing the actuator and turning the door by hand, if they are broke they you'll know it. I put heater treater metal doors in mine, only had to cut the plenum to do the mode 1 door if I remember correctly. just plastic welded it back after sliding it in, never had any issues with it over 10y after that.

 

[User113]

The Dodge actuators are really pretty robust. Which is why the problem is almost always a blend door that couldn't take the actuator's torque!

 

[bigceltic]

I bit the bullet (as the saying goes) when my AC quit due to a blend door going bad. I had them all replaced with Blend Door USA doors (great product, recommend) and also got the actuators replaced at the same time since I was already having the box removed. The shop told me some of the actuator rods were all bent up.

 

[Mike Wenrich]

I've been looking at the websites for Blend Door and Heater Treater, which also has metal doors but less expensive. Not sure if there is a quality difference in the two but I have made up my mind that I will do the dash removal. The sites mention the actuators are robust and can strip/break the stock plastic parts. I did not see a mention of them bending rods. Since I have to do two trucks and both have the dual zones I might be able to get a little better price on the kits. Not looking forward to this job for sure and I would pay for mine to be done but the local shops here don't want to do it. That means a dealer or shop where I can't monitor the work. So when better weather hits I will take this on with a helper. If anyone following this post knows which are the better doors between the two companies I would appreciate a comment. I believe one says aluminum doors and the other steel.

 

[seafish]

Heater Treater was the original aftermarket upgrade blend doors for these trucks, and either them or Blend Door USA will be better then the oem replacement. That said, unless Heater Treater has upped their game some, there is a definite difference in quality of manufacturing between the two, with Blend Door coming out on top.

 

[bcbender]

I had heater treater.. they worked fine, never had another issue, I don't know if Blend Door was out when I did mine as it was many moons ago. With Dual Zone (I also had it) the blend doors are separated and one actuator is on the front, the other on the back of the HVAC box if memory serves me. Not to bad a job, as I said, I did not remove the whole box, as I did not want to deal with the coolant, or the refrigerant, I did have to section the lower housing to do the MODE 1 door ( I think) but the rest were accessible with the dash out and some wiggling.. Best of luck on your repair.

 

[Mike Wenrich]

Thank you for the replies. It's about 100 bucks or so difference each so not that big a deal. I've been needing to have my A/C charged or topped off anyway and the neighbor tells me hers has not been working for about four years. I had no idea she had gone without heat that long. She lost her husband about that time and I think all this was on the back burner until now. So I imagine hers is in need of freon too and likely the coolant change. Hers is a gasser and looks like some blood letting to do to get to the A/C hose clamps and heater hose clamps. I might see if the local mechanic is inclined to capture the remaining freon knowing I will be back to charge the systems. Then maybe they have a better tool to release the A/C lines. I see they snap in but the release might be problematic. My old and thin skin is not going to like this job. Otherwise I have the necessary tools and should be able to get a helper to get the dash out and back in.

 

[bcbender]

Follow the FSM if you have it, I found that trying to wing it caused me to unbolt, disconnect, remove more stuff than I needed to.. The manual lists exactly the steps you need to take, which connectors to disconnect, etc, overall its not as big a job as it seems, but it certainly feels daunting, especially the first time. FWIW on my 95 Bronco, you dont even remove the steering column,..it goes with the dash assembly. If you dont have the FSM, PM me and I can try to see if I can save the applicable pages from mine and give them to you.

 

[Mike Wenrich]

I do not have the manual but I do have a Haines?? Haynes?? and I have not checked to see if they cover this issue. I did look at a couple on line videos which were very good and it looks like you can lay the steering column down on the seat without total removal which is something I would have done had I not seen the video. Showed the location of all the bolts/nuts including the two behind the ECM at least on the 5.7. Have not looked at access on my diesel yet. If it begins to look like I need something from the manual I will message you and thanks for the offer. Doing the first one should grease the skids for the second. If word gets out I may have a side business here.

 

[bigceltic]

Searching "Blend Door USA vs Heater Treater" yields some good posts and videos that compare the two. I watched a couple of them before making my choice and thought the BDU seemed to be better made, but I am sure you can't go wrong with either. If one of your trucks is a Mega Cab, I recommend having the screen removed on the top of the box - really helps airflow to the front seats. I am super happy with it removed.

Here is a thread on the TDR https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/heater-treater-vs-blend-door-usa-pic-heavy.255207/

And a good video

 

[brucejohnson]

I do not have the manual but I do have a Haines?? Haynes?? and I have not checked to see if they cover this issue. I did look at a couple on line videos which were very good and it looks like you can lay the steering column down on the seat without total removal which is something I would have done had I not seen the video. Showed the location of all the bolts/nuts including the two behind the ECM at least on the 5.7. Have not looked at access on my diesel yet. If it begins to look like I need something from the manual I will message you and thanks for the offer. Doing the first one should grease the skids for the second. If word gets out I may have a side business here.

Try this: http://www.ossh.com/dodge/03DRM.pdf