[Dirk]

DIY Blend door actuator repair plus dead motor cleaning & photos

Finally my wife's '05 Sienna XLE driver side blend door actuator was begging for replacement. About 18 months ago the forum posts here and elsewhere helped me make a temporary and superficial repair to the driver's side actuator but this time it wasn't working. The previous repair was to remove the actuator, open the case, bend the 3 copper contacts upward to make better contact with the underside of the large gear and apply some dielectric grease to improve continuity.

This time that fix didn't work and the intermittent problem would last for days, blowing cold air in winter time (unacceptable!). After Advance Auto, NAPA, and Pep Boys told me they couldn't even get the part I was resigned to purchase the part from Toyota tomorrow. As such, I figured there was no harm in going all out to fix or break the part trying. Previous research told me that there were contact points on the back of the large gear and three copper arms which made contact with these points which provide feedback to the control unit about the position of the arm/blend door. I knew if I could remove the arm, I could remove the large gear, clean the contacts and bend the contact arms back into position to make good contact with the gear. Prying on the arm to remove it has no effect. The parts were probably ultrasonically welded and well fused together. Applying heat from a paint stripping gun softened the arm but did not break the bond.
View attachment 3865 View attachment 3866
The arm has a "cap" on the end which obscures the end of the axle. I wanted to see the end of the axle to see if there was a way to separate the two. The first thing I did was use a hacksaw to cut off about 1/4" of the "cap" part of the arm which covered the end of the axle. This revealed the end of the axle which has a flat keyway section. Heating it better defined the margin between the arm and the axle. Separation appeared possible (maybe).
View attachment 16121 View attachment 16145
View attachment 3867
For mechanical separation, the heated tip of an Xacto knife did the trick. Following the outline of the axle and keyway, I alternately heated then plunged the knife between the arm and axle until I worked my way all the way around, presumably separating the pieces.
View attachment 3868
I applied some prying force and managed to separate the arm but broke off part of the end of the axle. There appeared to be plenty of axle and keyway left to reconnect the arm (proven correct later on). I used a screwdriver to punch out the piece of broken axle left in the arm. This provided for easier re-installation of the arm.
View attachment 3869
Once the arm was off, the large gear could be removed. There was plenty of black, greasy build-up on the back of the gear and one of the copper contact arms was noticeably lower (farther from the gear) than the others. I suspect this was the main culprit of the problems.
View attachment 3870 View attachment 3871
View attachment 16089 View attachment 16089
View attachment 16089
Once apart, I cleaned the gear and copper arms, bent the arms upward, applied dielectric grease to both parts, and reassembled.
View attachment 16097 View attachment 16105 View attachment 16113
View attachment 3872 View attachment 3873
To reinstall the arm, I considered epoxy but that would leave me in the same predicament of disassembly if another repair were needed. The axle is hollow and the keyway section created a choke point. A panhead screw seemed to do the trick and allows me to disassemble in the future. The mix door is not heavy and doesn't create outward pressure on the arm/axle joint, so I figured a screw probably work just fine.
View attachment 3874 View attachment 3875
I am happy to report that initial testing and a test drive were successful. It seems to work perfectly. Only time will tell if this fix holds up, but it saved me $150 for the part and the total repair time is about 30 minutes. If you decide to give it a try, good luck to you.

Take the time to cut the arm/axle weld all the way around and as deep as you can. There is a shoulder below the keyway so only cut about halfway the depth of the arm in this area. I hope this helps!

I opened my Blend Door & found the medium size gear wheel was wobbling badly - ban it be fixed?

 

[GenXer69]

I opened my Blend Door & found the medium size gear wheel was wobbling badly - ban it be fixed?

If you bring this to the devilship it would cost you a head and limb. I worked around the wife's 04 Toyota Sienna blend door actuator when it was starting to fail and spent a considerable amount of time trying to configure how it works. The original blend door actuator failed and I was not careful with the snap ons so no matter what I did it was toast. But in the interest of science I investigated while I was waiting for the part replacement from the devilship. And what I know now, in terms of its operation, that for it to function, both ends should snap inside the HVAC housing hole where it ends & acts as a pivot point, for the actuator on one side and the passenger side, the other servo motor. As a housing, the HVAC is removed by removing all screws sorrounding it and slowly sliding it back. It is a two-part house. You put it back the same way, carefully making sure that its ends goes in that hole, otherwise it will not seal. And don't force it in with a mallet, make sure its ends, as you should have two blend doors, one that distributes to the vents, and one that empties to the front, goes into those holes in the HVAC and snaps in place. Paint the picture?

The answer is yes, it can be fixed. It is labor intensive though. You have to remove mostly the part of the driver side switches controlling the power windows, sliding doors, lights, TPMS, OEM alarm wires, cover, the steel plated body housing the OBD 2, the left side post that anchors that side, and the vents connecting it to the HVAC for distribution of hot/cool air to the feet. That would give you access to the blend door motor servo. Did someone before you try to dismantle the dashboard and instrument panel? The screws sealing the HVAC should be tight. The gear wheel moved because the housing screws were probably loose causing the blend door to move and dislodged the wheel.The fix is to manually clean it, check for its overall integrity and snap it back in. If the dashboard was removed, I would check all servos for function. You wouldn't want to reinstall the actuator and the servos, only to realize that when you thought everything was reassembled, tightened and covered, that it was DOA! Reason why sealing and torquing it to specs is the last thing you should do. Otherwise a DIY fix should work.

1999 Toyota Corolla VE; 2002 Toyota Camry LE (4 cylinder), 2002 Toyota Camry 3.0; 2004 Toyota Camry 3.0; 2006 Toyota Camry LE; 2004 Toyota Sienna LE and 2007 Toyota Tacoma SR5 Pre Runner V6.

 

[argillott]

DIY Blend door actuator repair plus dead motor cleaning & photos

Finally my wife's '05 Sienna XLE driver side blend door actuator was begging for replacement. About 18 months ago the forum posts here and elsewhere helped me make a temporary and superficial repair to the driver's side actuator but this time it wasn't working. The previous repair was to remove the actuator, open the case, bend the 3 copper contacts upward to make better contact with the underside of the large gear and apply some dielectric grease to improve continuity.

This time that fix didn't work and the intermittent problem would last for days, blowing cold air in winter time (unacceptable!). After Advance Auto, NAPA, and Pep Boys told me they couldn't even get the part I was resigned to purchase the part from Toyota tomorrow. As such, I figured there was no harm in going all out to fix or break the part trying. Previous research told me that there were contact points on the back of the large gear and three copper arms which made contact with these points which provide feedback to the control unit about the position of the arm/blend door. I knew if I could remove the arm, I could remove the large gear, clean the contacts and bend the contact arms back into position to make good contact with the gear. Prying on the arm to remove it has no effect. The parts were probably ultrasonically welded and well fused together. Applying heat from a paint stripping gun softened the arm but did not break the bond.
View attachment 3865 View attachment 3866
The arm has a "cap" on the end which obscures the end of the axle. I wanted to see the end of the axle to see if there was a way to separate the two. The first thing I did was use a hacksaw to cut off about 1/4" of the "cap" part of the arm which covered the end of the axle. This revealed the end of the axle which has a flat keyway section. Heating it better defined the margin between the arm and the axle. Separation appeared possible (maybe).
View attachment 16121 View attachment 16145
View attachment 3867
For mechanical separation, the heated tip of an Xacto knife did the trick. Following the outline of the axle and keyway, I alternately heated then plunged the knife between the arm and axle until I worked my way all the way around, presumably separating the pieces.
View attachment 3868
I applied some prying force and managed to separate the arm but broke off part of the end of the axle. There appeared to be plenty of axle and keyway left to reconnect the arm (proven correct later on). I used a screwdriver to punch out the piece of broken axle left in the arm. This provided for easier re-installation of the arm.
View attachment 3869
Once the arm was off, the large gear could be removed. There was plenty of black, greasy build-up on the back of the gear and one of the copper contact arms was noticeably lower (farther from the gear) than the others. I suspect this was the main culprit of the problems.
View attachment 3870 View attachment 3871
View attachment 16089 View attachment 16089
View attachment 16089
Once apart, I cleaned the gear and copper arms, bent the arms upward, applied dielectric grease to both parts, and reassembled.
View attachment 16097 View attachment 16105 View attachment 16113
View attachment 3872 View attachment 3873
To reinstall the arm, I considered epoxy but that would leave me in the same predicament of disassembly if another repair were needed. The axle is hollow and the keyway section created a choke point. A panhead screw seemed to do the trick and allows me to disassemble in the future. The mix door is not heavy and doesn't create outward pressure on the arm/axle joint, so I figured a screw probably work just fine.
View attachment 3874 View attachment 3875
I am happy to report that initial testing and a test drive were successful. It seems to work perfectly. Only time will tell if this fix holds up, but it saved me $150 for the part and the total repair time is about 30 minutes. If you decide to give it a try, good luck to you.

Take the time to cut the arm/axle weld all the way around and as deep as you can. There is a shoulder below the keyway so only cut about halfway the depth of the arm in this area. I hope this helps!

You did a nice job of sharing the details. I have a 2005 Sienna XLE Limited and had cold air at my driver side feet with hot air everywhere else. I removed the same actuator and manually moved the arm on the damper box and I got hot air. OK, it must be the damper actuator. I removed the actator and opened it up to remove the motor and worm drive. Your post allowed me to avoid trying to pry the large gear/actuator arm apart. I did wipe a lot of crap off the underside of the gear contact face using paper towel rolled into a small sausage, soaked in acetone, forced into the underside of the gear while rotating the gear with the arm. I then plugged the actuator unit into the van (less the motor and worm drive) and started her up. I played with the heater controls while a meter on DC Volts was connected to the connections that feed the motor. Depending on the temperature and actuator arm position I got -13.8V, 0V and +13.8VDC. My conclusion: the gear wheel/actuator arm face was making a good connection with the copper commutator fingers. I then put 12VDC direct to the motor and it was dead. Nothing. Tried to get it apart but no luck - so far. I have also had no luck getting a replacement motor. My next trick is to dip the motor in acetone and see if it cleans something. I want to buy another actuator, just in case... Does anyone have a good experience with a particular vendor - other than paying full price at Toyota? BTW, what is the correct Toyota part number for this actuator? My actuator says AE063700-8820 with 12V 12F 3213 beneath it.

 

[Majafam]

To sometimes get a discount on Toyota parts, I often order from the official Toyota parts site online for pickup at local dealer. I think I paid around $150 for my mode motor (similar but different part) about a year or two ago.

 

[cupertino]

My 2006 Sienna driver side is making all the clicking noise from the servo. I order a couple from amazon when it Amazon says it fit while it does not fit.
I end up ordering this from Amazon to try it out. And it works...
HVAC Heater Blend Door Actuator Replacement for Toyota Avalon 1999-2004 Left Main

 

[Lee Geary]

Hi docg2,

No disassembly is required to get to the actuator. A Sienna with dual zones will have 2 actuators, driver side & passenger side. Our problem was the driver's side. It can be accessed from the floor of the driver's side, behind the center of the dash near the floor. Basically to the right of the accelerator pedal. A search here will reveal more detail on how to remove it, but it's relatively simple.

This thread has photos showing the acutators, called "airmix damper servo sub-assembly".

http://www.siennachat.com/forum/64-general-discussion/151290-removing-blend-door.html

If this does not belong here please delete
I am working on the 08 Siena XLE I have hot air blowing on the driver side when a/c is on I replace the actual on the driver side and no change but I ran across a post on line and they said replace the one above it has a piece of metal that it bolts to I just need to know does anybody knows what it is called so I could order one sorry so long

 

[ToyotaSiennaMan]

Hi Everyone. I followed the information on this thread to replace the blend door servo in my 2008 Sienna LE. After the new motor was in, I basically only had face and defrost and nothing in between. The blend door would occasionally cycle through all the different settings on its own. I decided to dig into the control panel and I quickly discovered that the knob controlling the blend door servo was loose. There is an 11mm nut behind the knob that holds the selector in place. Mine was loose causing a loose connection. I tightened that nut and now my blend door servo and knob work as they should.

Pull the knob off and gently tighten with an 11mm nut driver. Doesn't require removing any dash panels.

So for all of you out there chasing gremlins, I hope this helps.

 

[navi_blanc]

For the ones trying to look for a cheap alternative, the highlander actuator works on the sienna:
I can confirm, i open both and the electronics are different, the sienna one has less granularity(gears), the highlander moves almost with every press of the temp button.

Manufacturer Part Number:
Z11367801G
OE/OEM Part Number:
5143193AA

I hope it helps.

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[supra129]

I finally had to tackle this in my 2007 after hearing my significant other say that there was automatic gunfire coming from the dash. This was louder than the typical clicking that's been happening for while now. It would make noise after starting the van for 10 seconds then stop.

I broke off the tab holding the pin plate on the driver's side blend door and used hot glue to keep it in place reinstalling it. I cleaned up the inside and put some grease on like the pictures on here. The hardest part is aligning the pins. I probably spent 45 frustrated minutes. I finally got it in the correct position with the help of a second person turning the settings while I adjusted underneath. Defrost position was the easiest to align the pins from top to bottom.

 

[sbs]

Been about 6 weeks since my "repair" and all seems to be well, so I thought I'd add my 2c.

My driver's actuator had been making noise for a few years and finally gave out when weather turned cold recently.

No visible issues inside and appeared to work fine under no load, but failed when installed.

Saw some posts about the motor itself being the problem so I swapped the motors between the driver and passenger actuator. Figured if the problem followed the motor then I'd be able to replace the cheaper passenger actuator instead of the gold-plated driver's one.

Both actuators working fine since the swap.

 

[MazinblasterZ]

I finally had to tackle this in my 2007 after hearing my significant other say that there was automatic gunfire coming from the dash. This was louder than the typical clicking that's been happening for while now. It would make noise after starting the van for 10 seconds then stop.

I broke off the tab holding the pin plate on the driver's side blend door and used hot glue to keep it in place reinstalling it. I cleaned up the inside and put some grease on like the pictures on here. The hardest part is aligning the pins. I probably spent 45 frustrated minutes. I finally got it in the correct position with the help of a second person turning the settings while I adjusted underneath. Defrost position was the easiest to align the pins from top to bottom.

Just wanted to thank you for bringing up the defrost position. It helped me get those pins aligned. You rule!

 

[jim kurk]

am in north central south dakota, can anyone recommend a person or a shop that actually know how to replace these blend door actuators? i am 70's with back troubles

 

[BillG]

am in north central south dakota, can anyone recommend a person or a shop that actually know how to replace these blend door actuators? i am 70's with back troubles

The only place that you can be 99% confident that they know how to diagnose and replace them would be a dealer. Looks like you've got Lake Toyota and Minot Toyota. Independent mechanics that are reliable and experienced are hard to come by. Usually, you want the guy that's crammed into a single-car bay in the back of an industrial park or next to a Subway restaurant (for some reason). Since we're in the "season," you can visit an antique/classic car show and ask a few of the people for recommendations and, potentially, ask someplace like NextDoor or in Facebook group for your local area.

 

[jim kurk]

The only place that you can be 99% confident that they know how to diagnose and replace them would be a dealer. Looks like you've got Lake Toyota and Minot Toyota. Independent mechanics that are reliable and experienced are hard to come by. Usually, you want the guy that's crammed into a single-car bay in the back of an industrial park or next to a Subway restaurant (for some reason). Since we're in the "season," you can visit an antique/classic car show and ask a few of the people for recommendations and, potentially, ask someplace like NextDoor or in Facebook group for your local area.

hello-thanks for reply, had it at the dealer and they said it needs a whole new 'box unit' $4300 plus 7 hours labor, i managed to reach under dash and gave the track thing a shove with my finger and it went to the defrost modes like it should and they said that could not be, that is when i made the comment here looking for an independent mechanic.

 

[BillG]

hello-thanks for reply, had it at the dealer and they said it needs a whole new 'box unit' $4300 plus 7 hours labor, i managed to reach under dash and gave the track thing a shove with my finger and it went to the defrost modes like it should and they said that could not be, that is when i made the comment here looking for an independent mechanic.

Yeah, unfortunately, depending on vehicle options and exactly which servo(s) are malfunctioning, it can be a huge job that requires essentially complete removal of the dash. With that cost, I'm assuming you have the XLE/Limited options with the 9 servos and they're giving you a worst-case quote if they all need replacement. That said, I'm not sure what a "box unit" is. If you have your estimate, I'd be curious to see what it says. I'm almost wondering if they said your evaporator core is leaking. I don't know what else would be defined as a "box unit."

 

[jim kurk]

Yeah, unfortunately, depending on vehicle options and exactly which servo(s) are malfunctioning, it can be a huge job that requires essentially complete removal of the dash. With that cost, I'm assuming you have the XLE/Limited options with the 9 servos and they're giving you a worst-case quote if they all need replacement. That said, I'm not sure what a "box unit" is. If you have your estimate, I'd be curious to see what it says. I'm almost wondering if they said your evaporator core is leaking. I don't know what else would be defined as a "box unit."

it is the least expensive model ce, i have been so slowly takeing it apart and finally today got the electric motor thing out, it has the tracks for 3 doors and all the doors are real free, what i need to know is what brand motor shall i get or should i go to toyota and get one....do not want to go through this again. i will have to get the neighbors son to help put it back in cause with old joints and cataracts i do not see so good or fit under dash well thanks for any reply

 

[samadams52]

DIY Blend door actuator repair plus dead motor cleaning & photos Finally my wife's '05 Sienna XLE driver side blend door actuator was begging for replacement. About 18 months ago the forum posts here and elsewhere helped me make a temporary and superficial repair to the driver's side actuator but this time it wasn't working. The previous repair was to remove the actuator, open the case, bend the 3 copper contacts upward to make better contact with the underside of the large gear and apply some dielectric grease to improve continuity. This time that fix didn't work and the intermittent problem would last for days, blowing cold air in winter time (unacceptable!). After Advance Auto, NAPA, and Pep Boys told me they couldn't even get the part I was resigned to purchase the part from Toyota tomorrow. As such, I figured there was no harm in going all out to fix or break the part trying. Previous research told me that there were contact points on the back of the large gear and three copper arms which made contact with these points which provide feedback to the control unit about the position of the arm/blend door. I knew if I could remove the arm, I could remove the large gear, clean the contacts and bend the contact arms back into position to make good contact with the gear. Prying on the arm to remove it has no effect. The parts were probably ultrasonically welded and well fused together. Applying heat from a paint stripping gun softened the arm but did not break the bond. View attachment 3865 View attachment 3866 The arm has a "cap" on the end which obscures the end of the axle. I wanted to see the end of the axle to see if there was a way to separate the two. The first thing I did was use a hacksaw to cut off about 1/4" of the "cap" part of the arm which covered the end of the axle. This revealed the end of the axle which has a flat keyway section. Heating it better defined the margin between the arm and the axle. Separation appeared possible (maybe). View attachment 16121 View attachment 16145 View attachment 3867 For mechanical separation, the heated tip of an Xacto knife did the trick. Following the outline of the axle and keyway, I alternately heated then plunged the knife between the arm and axle until I worked my way all the way around, presumably separating the pieces. View attachment 3868 I applied some prying force and managed to separate the arm but broke off part of the end of the axle. There appeared to be plenty of axle and keyway left to reconnect the arm (proven correct later on). I used a screwdriver to punch out the piece of broken axle left in the arm. This provided for easier re-installation of the arm. View attachment 3869 Once the arm was off, the large gear could be removed. There was plenty of black, greasy build-up on the back of the gear and one of the copper contact arms was noticeably lower (farther from the gear) than the others. I suspect this was the main culprit of the problems. View attachment 3870 View attachment 3871 View attachment 16089 View attachment 16089 View attachment 16089 Once apart, I cleaned the gear and copper arms, bent the arms upward, applied dielectric grease to both parts, and reassembled. View attachment 16097 View attachment 16105 View attachment 16113 View attachment 3872 View attachment 3873 To reinstall the arm, I considered epoxy but that would leave me in the same predicament of disassembly if another repair were needed. The axle is hollow and the keyway section created a choke point. A panhead screw seemed to do the trick and allows me to disassemble in the future. The mix door is not heavy and doesn't create outward pressure on the arm/axle joint, so I figured a screw probably work just fine. View attachment 3874 View attachment 3875 I am happy to report that initial testing and a test drive were successful. It seems to work perfectly. Only time will tell if this fix holds up, but it saved me $150 for the part and the total repair time is about 30 minutes. If you decide to give it a try, good luck to you. Take the time to cut the arm/axle weld all the way around and as deep as you can. There is a shoulder below the keyway so only cut about halfway the depth of the arm in this area. I hope this helps!

I just wanted to post a big thank you 10 years after this post was created. I have a 2007 Honda Accord that had the same actuator and I used the hacksaw off 1/4" and then the heated Xacto knife method to get the arm off. Worked like a champ as long as you are patient. And the arm was so tight when I put it back on the D keyhole that I didn't need a screw. All 3 actuators (2 temperature and 1 mode) in my car have stopped working at some point and I have been able to open them up and clean them with electronic cleaner spray and add new dielectric grease. All 3 working like new. Thankfully the other 2 had much more easily removable arms than this one!

 

[rangerbentman]

Hmmmmn I have of late noticed that the amount of hot air reaching the drivers feet on my 2008 XLE is minimal . It is not blowing cold but it is also not anywhere near the gale force winds of the hot air coming out of the dashboard when I want it to. So I surmise the lower foot blend door is the culprit, and what I have yet to find is a description of the how to access it without the removal of the dashboard?

 

[BillG]

Hmmmmn I have of late noticed that the amount of hot air reaching the drivers feet on my 2008 XLE is minimal . It is not blowing cold but it is also not anywhere near the gale force winds of the hot air coming out of the dashboard when I want it to. So I surmise the lower foot blend door is the culprit, and what I have yet to find is a description of the how to access it without the removal of the dashboard?

I vaguely thought I read once that the actuator for the lower blend door was accessible from the footwell? I've been waiting for my actuators to fail. If any of them do, I'm almost certainly NOT fixing them. As it is, I barely get heat before arriving at work in the winter and I never even bother using A/C most times because I'd rather keep the windows open. Really, the only value to my HVAC system in my car is to cover over the annoying noises like the sounds of, "I'm freezing! Can you turn on the heat?" and "It's too cold in here! Can you close the windows?"

 

[Roader]

So I surmise the lower foot blend door is the culprit, and what I have yet to find is a description of the how to access it without the removal of the dashboard?

There used to be a thread with photos but the link is coming up broken. Here's a written one:

https://www.siennachat.com/threads/mode-door-motor-woes-sienna-2005.62998/post-343950