Blend Door Actuator Reset

The blend door actuator is an important part of the climate control system. If you’ve recently replaced it, here’s how you can reset it at home. Sometimes, when parts of a car are replaced, it’s necessary to perform a reset operation to keep things moving properly. One such example occurs after you replace the blend door actuator. Do you know how to perform a blend door actuator reset?

In this article, we discuss what the blend door actuator is and show you how to reset it. We also discuss the reasons why you would want to recalibrate the actuator.

A blend door actuator reset is usually done when it has been replaced because of a mechanical or electrical fault.

What Is a Blend Door Actuator?

A blend door actuator is a part of the HVAC system. Why they’re called blend doors because of their ability to blend hot and cold air.

With the actuator, you can control the door responsible for airflow in your vehicle; it permits the opening and closing of the door. This actuator is a small motor that is linked to the door electronically.

Is the Blend Door Actuator Reset Procedure the Same for All Cars?

Almost all cars have some semblance of a blend door actuator, there is not much difference in all car models except in their packaged case and the removal process involved.

But their resetting and calibration system is the same. The difficulty involved in blend door reset is locating the particularly damaged door actuator which requires carefulness.

Generally, blend door actuator reset simply means removing the fuse in charge of the power supply to the HVAC control module and turning ON the car.

But before the process, it’s important to get the HVAC cycle from full hot to full cold before turning OFF the vehicle and then reinstalling the fuse. When you turn ON the car, the blend door actuator will calibrate. With this article, you will be able to perform blend door actuator reset with ease and other necessary information needed for the work.

How Do You Reset Blend Door Actuator?

The blend door actuator is made up of worm gear, a small motor, and a set of confine gears that connects the geared shaft and the motor output that is responsible for the system control.

When the temperature setting has been tampered with on the dashboard, it will draw air from the evaporator and heater and propel them into the cabin.

There’s a pair of copper fingers which are behind the output shaft that connects with copper tracks at the actuator’s copper surface.

These record the blend door position and pass the information to the climate control module. This module then sends a signal to the motor based on the temperature settings selected.

Steps to Perform Blend Door Actuator Reset:

Step 1: Access the Actuator Assembly

As seen in some car models, you can have about one or two blend doors on the driver and passenger’s sides. It is seen at the back of the radio setup situated in the center of your car dashboard.

Lose the bolts of the center console to take it out; then get the electrical connection disconnected and removed, remove the shifter, and all the connections there associated with transmission.

After that, take out the radio unit with its wiring to see the actuator assembly behind it.

You should make sure you’re removing the damaged one. You can identify it by turning ON the vehicle’s Climate Control System and observing the air on the driver’s and passenger’s sides. Then replace the damaged actuator.

Step 2: Align the Actuator’s Output Shaft Gears

Before the actuator output shaft will move, it must align with its gear.

To make it align, just spin the gears using your hands till they’re properly aligned and the movement is now smooth. If you fail to align it, the gear teeth will break during operation.

Step 3: Disconnect the Power

To disconnect the power, take the fuse out of the HVAC control module where it is. You can identify their numbers by observing the electrical drawings depending on your car model. The number could be No 15 or No 42. You can also disconnect the power terminal of the battery through the electronic board that controls the climate system.

This is necessary to avoid electric shock.

Step 4: Start the Car

After you have disconnected the power, switch ON your vehicle using the Stop or Start switch or the Ignition key. Then turn ON the HVAC system in your car.

Step 5: Tuen on the AC

Use the selector switch or the function knob on your dashboard to power ON the HVAC system. After that, switch the features from hot to cold setting to conclude the cycle. Then turn Off your car and connect the fuse.

After 2 to 3 minutes:

• Put OFF your vehicle
• Connect the fuse that is inside the junction box again.
• Test the continuity with a multimeter and the HVAC module’s voltage.

Step 6: Calibrate the Blend Door Actuator

So, you will need to calibrate the actuator now. To do this, start your vehicle and observe the motion in the blend door actuator. The signals from the HVAC control module, within 30 to 40 seconds, will regulate the position.

By feeling the air from the vents and altering the temperature settings, you can modify the operational function. After about 3 minutes, the changes will be significant at the end of each function.

Once the process is satisfactory, follow the reverse of these steps to fix back everything.

Reasons To Reset Blend Door Actuator

•  Installed new actuator

The actuator is a small component and can be easily broken. It’s not made of high-quality materials, so it could easily wear down after many uses. For this reason, it’s possible that you need to install a new actuator to keep the air conditioning system working.

If you’ve replaced the actuator, it’s important to reset and reconfigure it. While everything might work normally on its own, it’s important to ensure proper regulation. Otherwise, the air conditioning system might not operate the way you planned.

• Requires Recalibration (Electronically)

If you’ve disconnected the system module fuse for any reason, the module may need to be recalibrated. You want the actuator to remain at its best position, so it’s wise to take these steps.

In most cases, the module will force recalibration at the beginning of ignition. It’s part of the startup process. However, you may need to manually recalibrate it if you hear unusual clicking or noises during this startup time.

• Actuator is Stuck

Those noises could have something to do with the actuator getting stuck. It’s also possible that there’s been some kind of mechanical or electrical failure that must be dealt with. In either case, you don’t want to manually shift the doors to get them working. It’s best to work through a proper diagnosis and run the recalibration steps.

If there’s been a glitch in the amount of power received, the motor can also go into a failsafe mode. However, resetting the actuator might be enough to fix it. Additionally, you should always consider the possibility that failure is due to contaminated tracing pins. These are found near the back of the output shaft. If there’s debris on the pins, the connection could be lost. In this case, you must only wipe the pins clean and reset the actuator to get running again.