86,403 miles.
Back in December 2011 I posted about the yellow wrench light which started showing up on the dash. It disappeared for a while, but then started periodically returning. After replacing both actuators in the front dash with great success, and reading the TSB that accompanied that repair, I decided that the failures of these actuators are not due to wear, but to improper manufacturing of some kind. It's not like you can just clean them out and have it work again (as I attempted initially). You must replace the unit with a new one.
Fortunately it's not terribly hard to replace the actuator for the rear hybrid AC vent, and I was able to swap in a new one in about 10 minutes. What helped save significant time was that last time I took the rear AC system apart I only used two of the three screws to install the blend door actuator. That third screw is nearly impossible to remove without tearing apart the whole thing, so I left it out. With only two screws you can actually replace the rear motor actuator without opening up anything else.
I purchased the replacement actuator on ebay from am-autoparts for about $20.
See the directions I posted previously to gain access to the faulty blend door actuator.
Finally I am free of the yellow wrench!
Cripes, I almost spent a few hours to do your 2011 fix - glad I found this first! Thanks! It's about $26 today.
ReplyDelete