Chevy Blend Door Actuator Reset Instructions

When the AC in your Chevrolet car stops working, one of the solutions you’ll consider is to reset the blend door actuator. The problem is: you don’t know how to reset the actuator.

That’s why I’ve written this article to help you.

In this post, I’ll break down the process into simple steps, so you can reset your blend door actuator easily.

To reset the blend door actuator in a Chevy car, you need to switch on your AC and turn it off. The next step is to remove and reconnect the HVAC ECAS fuse, after which you must reboot your engine to complete the reset.

Keep reading for a detailed guide on how to reset the blend door actuator in a Chevrolet vehicle.

Reset Instructions for Chevy Blend Door Actuator

Follow these steps to reset the blend door actuator in your Chevy truck:

Turn the switch on your climate control module to Cool.
Keep moving the switch until it’s only a few settings short of Full Cold.
Leave the AC to run for a few seconds. Then turn off your engine.
Now, come out of your car and open the hood. You’ll find a fuse box at the front of the engine.
Use your fuse diagram to locate your HVAC ECAS fuse.
When you find the fuse, pull it out. Then wait for one minute.
Avoid touching your AC while waiting, or you might ruin your climate control module. Then re-insert the fuse into the fuse box.
Shut your hood and go into your vehicle.
Turn on your engine and leave it to run for two minutes.
Switch off the engine. Then wait for 30 seconds before turning on the engine again.
The blend door actuator reset is complete.

Causes of AC Problems in Your Chevy Vehicle

Here are the common causes of AC problems in a Chevy vehicle:

Low Refrigerant Level

A low refrigerant level is the most common reason for an AC issue in a Chevy car. Without sufficient refrigerant gas, your evaporator cannot extract the heat from your AC interiors. This will force your AC to release warm air.

If your refrigerant level is low, you’ll need to recharge your AC. Take your Chevy to the nearest repair shop for the recharge.

Clogged Cabin Filter

Your cabin filter extracts dirt from the air in your AC before it is released through your vents. Over time, the dirt in this filter will pile up and block it, thus preventing the component from working.

Without a functional filter, all the other components in your AC will get blocked. So, the air in the system won’t move freely. This is the reason the AC only releases a small quantity of air at a time.

The fastest way to repair a clogged cabin filter is to clean the filter with soap and water.

But if dirt has spread into the deeper layers of your cabin filter, soap won’t salvage the issue. In that case, you’ll need to replace the filter. Your cabin filter is located behind the glove box.

Please note that a cabin filter gets clogged frequently. If you always wait until dirt blocks your cabin filter before changing it, your AC will get damaged soon. Avoid this problem by replacing your cabin filter after every 10,000 miles.

Dirty Evaporator

Even when your cabin filter works properly, some debris may bypass the filter and move to the evaporator. When enough dirt has accumulated around the evaporator, the system will start malfunctioning.

The most distinctive sign of a dirty evaporator is a bad smell coming from the vents. This is because the evaporator is responsible for removing heat and humidity from the air in your AC. When there is too much heat in your evaporator, it emits foul odors.

You can resolve this problem by cleaning your evaporator. That said, cleaning your evaporator is a challenging task. In most Chevy cars, you have to remove your entire dashboard to access your evaporator.

If you aren’t an auto expert, we recommend asking your mechanic to clean the evaporator instead of doing it yourself.

Dirty Condenser

Another common cause of AC problems in a Chevy car is a dirty condenser. When the condenser is dirty, the AC often blows warm air.

As your evaporator collects heat from the air in your AC, it transfers the heat into the refrigerant gas. This gas moves to your condenser, which absorbs the heat and releases it outside the AC.

Like other components in your AC, dirt can block the condenser, especially when your cabin filter is faulty. A dirty condenser may fail to collect all the heat in your refrigerant gas, leaving the gas warm.

If the refrigerant gas stays warm for too long, the heat may escape the gas and transport itself through your AC again. This causes your AC to blow warm air.

To fix a dirty condenser, you’ll need to clean it with a power washer. The condenser in a Chevy car is usually located behind the front bumper. Set your condenser to low pressure while cleaning it, as high-pressure settings can damage the component.

Leaky Condenser

Your Chevy car’s AC might also fail to work properly because the condenser is leaky. This problem shouldn’t be confused with a dirty condenser. While a dirty condenser causes the AC to blow warm air, the AC usually releases blazing hot air when the condenser is leaky.

If the condenser in your AC is leaky, the refrigerant gas in the system will spill out of the condenser. Because there is no refrigerant to cool the air in your AC, the system will release the air in its original condition—blazing hot.

You can fix this problem by replacing your condenser.

Broken Compressor

If your AC is blowing cool air, but the air isn’t cold enough, you might have a broken compressor.

Releasing heat from the AC isn’t enough to cool the air in the system. This is why the AC compressor converts gaseous coolant into liquid, which is then used to cool your AC’s indoor air.

Usually, compressors get bad when you fail to switch on the AC for a long time. This is why you must turn on your AC regularly, even in the winter.

Once your compressor is broken, you can’t fix it. You’ll have to get a new compressor to restore the proper functioning of the AC. You’ll find your compressor below the engine bay on the passenger side.

Weak Blower Motor

Does your driver’s seat feel cooler than the passenger seat when your AC is on? Then, you can be fairly certain that you have a bad blower motor.

The blower motor is part of the AC that circulates the cold air from your vents across the seat in your car. So, when this motor gets bad, the air from your AC won’t be distributed evenly in your vehicle.

Consider changing your blower motor if you notice these signs in your AC. You can locate your blower motor underneath your passenger-side dashboard.

Faulty Blend Door Actuator

Does your AC release warm or cool air, instead of cold air? Then your blend door actuator might be faulty. You can confirm this by listening for a tapping noise from the dashboard after turning on the AC.

The role of your blend door actuator is to ensure that your AC blows air at the temperature you’ve set. If your blend door actuator gets faulty, your AC may fail to detect when you change your temperature settings. So, it might blow air at a warmer temperature than you want.

If you suspect that your blend door actuator is faulty, you’ll need to replace it. Search for your blend door actuator behind your dashboard.

Other Ways to Troubleshoot Chevrolet Vehicle’s AC Problems

Apart from resetting your blend door actuator, you can troubleshoot the AC in your Chevy car by applying these tips:

Recharge Your AC

Recharging your Chevy car’s AC with refrigerant is one of the fastest ways to fix the system. Please note that this process is best done by a professional. So, if you need to recharge your AC, hire a mechanic to do the job.

Clean Your Cabin Filter

You might need to clean your cabin filter if you realize that your AC is only releasing little air.

Here’s how to clean the cabin filter in a Chevy car:

Open your glove box.
Remove the screws holding it to the vehicle. Then pull it out.
Next, unlock your cabin and take out the cabin air filter.
Connect a hose to a running tap.
Use the hose to spray water over the filter. Then use a paintbrush to remove excess dirt from the filter.
Keep brushing and rinsing the filter until you can’t find any dirt on it.
Now, mix soap and water into a bowl.
Spread the soapy mixture over the filter.
When the bowl is empty, rinse the filter with more water.
While rinsing the filter, use the paint brush to scrub off the soap.
Leave the filter to dry.
Once the cabin filter is completely dry, re-insert it into your vehicle’s cabin.
Finally, screw your glove box over your cabin and close it.

If your AC doesn’t blow air smoothly after you’ve cleaned the filter, remove the filter again and replace it.

Clean Your Evaporator

Do you feel like your AC is stinky? Then your evaporator might be dirty.

Changing your evaporator should fix this problem.

The following guide will show you how to clean your evaporator:

Unscrew your glove box from your passenger-side dashboard.
Next, search for your blower motor below your dashboard.
Detach the terminal holding the blower motor to your vehicle.
Pull out your blower motor to reveal your evaporator.
Unscrew the bolts on the evaporator.
Next, remove the evaporator from the vehicle.
Spray a foam-based evaporator coil cleaner over the evaporator. Then pour water into a spray bottle.
Rinse your evaporator coil with the water from the spray bottle.
Leave the evaporator to dry.
Finally, re-insert the evaporator, blower motor, and glove box into your car.

Change Your Condenser

If your AC blows warm air, the condenser might be due for a replacement. Before changing your condenser, ask your mechanic to recover your refrigerant. This will prevent your engine from developing problems after the replacement.

Do the following to replace the condenser in your Chevy car:

Open your hood.
Unscrew all the bolts and pins that hold your front bumper to your car.
The condenser is the large square-shaped component behind the front bumper.
You’ll notice some bolts on the condenser. Remove these bolts.
Pop the airbox at the top left side of the condenser and slide it out.
With the airbox out of the way, you’ll be able to see the AC lines coming from the condenser.
Leave the AC lines for now, and focus on the rad support directly above the condenser.
Remove the bolts on the rad support to loosen it.
Next, pop out the second airbox, which faces the condenser.
Now, you need to disconnect the AC lines running from the condenser.
You’ll notice small plastic shields on your AC lines.
Slide off these plastic shields from the lines.
Detach the AC lines from your engine.
After removing the AC lines, you’ll find a 13 mm bolt on the rad support above your condenser.
Unscrew this bolt with a 13 mm socket.
You’ll be able to see the condenser clearly now.
Carefully pull the clips on each side of the condenser.
You’ll notice a tab on both sides of the condenser.
Press on these tabs to release the condenser from the engine bay.
Finally, remove the bolts on your rad support.
Once you can get the rad support out of the way, you’ll be able to pull out your condenser.
Pull up your condenser and slide it out.
Check for a bracket on your old condenser.
You need to remove the bracket from the old condenser and hook it onto the new condenser.
Now, insert the new condenser into your engine bay and replace all the bolts, screws, and components you’ve removed.

Replace Your Compressor

If you think the air from your AC isn’t cool enough, you may need to replace your compressor.

Follow these steps to replace the AC compressor in your Chevy car:

Make sure you’ve already bled the refrigerant from your system.
First, remove the serpentine belt, which runs through the compressor.
To take out the belt, you have to unscrew the 15mm bolt on the left tensioner arm.
You can’t take out the belt immediately because the intake tube is restricting it.
Remove the bolts on the intake tube and detach them from your engine.
You should be able to pull out your serpentine belt now.
Next, jack up your car and remove the front wheel on the passenger side. Then use a flathead screwdriver to pull out the clips on the fender liner behind the wheel.
Remove the screws on the fender liner with 8 mm and 10 mm sockets.
Detach the fender liner from the car.
You should be able to access the compressor easily now.
The next step is to disconnect the AC lines from the compressor.
Remove the bolts beside the lines with a 13 mm socket.
This should release the lines from the compressor.
Tie up the lines with a plastic bag to prevent them from absorbing dirt.
Shift the AC lines out of the way and continue with the compressor removal.
Now, you need to unscrew the 15 mm mounting bolts on the compressor.
Your compressor is loose now, and you can slide it out through the oil cooler lines.
Get your new compressor.
Remove the plugs on it. Then pour eight ounces of PAG 46 refrigerant oil into the compressor.
Rotate the clutch face on the compressor to cycle the refrigerant oil through it.
Re-install the plugs onto your compressor.
Then, wiggle the compressor through the cooler lines.
Now, put everything you’ve removed back into their correct positions.

Change Your Blower Motor

Another way to troubleshoot AC problems is to change your blower motor.

Here’s how to replace your blower motor in a Chevy vehicle:

Locate the kick panel underneath your glove box.
Remove the screws on the kick panel with a 7-mm socket.
Check the bottom of the kick panel for more screws and remove them.
Pull out your kick panel. Next, you need to remove the panel at the bottom of the passenger side.
Use a 7 mm socket to unscrew the bolt, holding this panel to the dashboard. Then detach the panel from the dashboard.
You will be able to see the blower motor now.
Remove the connector at the bottom of the blower motor. Then use your 7 mm socket to pull out all the screws around the blower motor.
Remove your blower motor. Get your new blower motor and re-insert it into the space where you’ve just removed the blower motor.
Now, re-install the screws and kick panel onto the car.

Related Resources:

What is the Cost of Replacing/ Fixing the AC in Chevrolet Cars?

According to yourmechanic.com, it costs $245 to fix the average AC problem in a Chevy car. That said, the severity of the issue will determine the exact amount you pay to repair the system. For instance, while a compressor change may cost $856, you may only need $260 to recharge your refrigerant.

In addition, your Chevy car’s model can also affect the amount you pay. A new compressor in a Chevy Camaro may cost $814. However, your dealer may charge up to $1256 for a Chevy Trax replacement compressor.

Wrapping Up

Although resetting a blend door actuator is a good way to fix the AC in a Chevy car (Chevy Cruze, Impala, Silverado, Trailblazer, etc.), it isn’t the only solution. Other tips like changing the compressor, recharging your AC, and cleaning the condenser are other effective troubleshooting tips for AC problems.

Try these other tips if your AC doesn’t work properly after you’ve reset the blend door actuator.