Blend door actuator driver, permanent solution?

[ProDigit]

So, I don't often use the feature,
I generally keep the AC on the front top vents.
But recently (37k miles) they started tapping.
And it seems to be a common issue.

I was wondering if there's a more permanent solution available, or if I will need to replace the darn thing every other year (~35k miles)?

Or, is it ok to just disconnect it, seeing that I mainly use only 1 setting anyway?

 

[xxiaze]

Would also like to know info on this. Pretty confident it’s just a trash piece we will need to live with though.

 

[haste]

Supposedly, the aftermarket Dorman part is a little more robust than the OEM.

 

[ProDigit]

The part seems to be the same everywhere.
Some sites selling it for $11-$13, others for double the price.
They all are remakes of the genuine part, no specs page mentions tackling the weakest link (the one plastic cog that always breaks).

I want to know if I can get my vents to stay in a certain position, meaning, what would happen if I just pull the unit, how will the air be routed?

 

[Justakonablue]

Went with the dorman replacement. The entire part is way more robust, specifically the gears. Going on 20k +miles after the change and not a single click.

 

[albertucsb]

The part seems to be the same everywhere.
Some sites selling it for $11-$13, others for double the price.
They all are remakes of the genuine part, no specs page mentions tackling the weakest link (the one plastic cog that always breaks).

I want to know if I can get my vents to stay in a certain position, meaning, what would happen if I just pull the unit, how will the air be routed?

Yeah I had the same question, can you keep it set in one position. It's it rerouting of air or blending of cold and hot air. Hmmm.

 

[Intuit]

The plastic gear breaking on the OEM part, may just be a symptom of the problem. It needs to know the real position of the blend door in order to operate it. To that end and memory serving, I think they have a potentiometer type track in the part. That type of potentiometer design, even more so for non-sealed potentially humid environments, are unreliable. Even if you swapped out all the gears for metal parts, it still wouldn't stop the system from loosing blend door position.

 

[albertucsb]

Bummer, need old school.hand cranks, lol