deliciousdaly
Full Access Member
I saw this on another site and it totally applies to my jeep
So here's the story. I bought a used 2002 Liberty about two months ago. I noticed the a/c wasn't blowing as ******* max air (recirculate) as it was on the fresh air setting (two notches up). It sounded like all the air was blowing into the dash and barely coming out the vents, even on the highest setting. In Florida this is not good.
I went to the dealer and asked some questions. They told me that it could be a broken recirculate door or the recirculate door actuator was bad, or maybe even a vacuum leak. I ruled out the vacuum leak and decided to go ahead on a day off and dig into the dash to find out if it was the door or the actuator.
Well let me tell you, getting to the air box contraption was a real PITA. Required removing the whole dash, steering column and all to reach it. I finally got to the recirc door and I figured out what was wrong. The door and actuator were working fine. The issue was the plastic screening on the door housing was clogged with dust and debris, almost to the point where you could barely see the door. I rubbed off most of the gunk with my finger, used a compressed air can to blow some more off and finished off with a vacuum cleaner. Plugged everything back in and it blows like a hurricane, what a difference! Entire job took me a little over 6 hours, in the hot Florida sun, and it was no fun. lol But atleast I will be more comfortable while driving now.
The moral of this story is..... if your A/C isn't blowing as ******* recirculate it may not be a mechanical or vacuum problem and you may not need to take it to a dealer. Once you've ruled out any obvious vacuum leaks check the recirc door housing. Easiest way is to remove the dash parts on the passenger side, will require air bag removal (unplug battery first), and you should be able to see if the screening is clogged. You can also see the door opening and closing, or not, and if the actuator is working properly. You won't be able to see the whole screen this way, but find yourself someone with small and they should be able to get it cleaned. Wish I woulda used this method to begin with, would've saved me about 5 hours.
Well I hope this saves someone time out there.
So here's the story. I bought a used 2002 Liberty about two months ago. I noticed the a/c wasn't blowing as ******* max air (recirculate) as it was on the fresh air setting (two notches up). It sounded like all the air was blowing into the dash and barely coming out the vents, even on the highest setting. In Florida this is not good.
I went to the dealer and asked some questions. They told me that it could be a broken recirculate door or the recirculate door actuator was bad, or maybe even a vacuum leak. I ruled out the vacuum leak and decided to go ahead on a day off and dig into the dash to find out if it was the door or the actuator.
Well let me tell you, getting to the air box contraption was a real PITA. Required removing the whole dash, steering column and all to reach it. I finally got to the recirc door and I figured out what was wrong. The door and actuator were working fine. The issue was the plastic screening on the door housing was clogged with dust and debris, almost to the point where you could barely see the door. I rubbed off most of the gunk with my finger, used a compressed air can to blow some more off and finished off with a vacuum cleaner. Plugged everything back in and it blows like a hurricane, what a difference! Entire job took me a little over 6 hours, in the hot Florida sun, and it was no fun. lol But atleast I will be more comfortable while driving now.
The moral of this story is..... if your A/C isn't blowing as ******* recirculate it may not be a mechanical or vacuum problem and you may not need to take it to a dealer. Once you've ruled out any obvious vacuum leaks check the recirc door housing. Easiest way is to remove the dash parts on the passenger side, will require air bag removal (unplug battery first), and you should be able to see if the screening is clogged. You can also see the door opening and closing, or not, and if the actuator is working properly. You won't be able to see the whole screen this way, but find yourself someone with small and they should be able to get it cleaned. Wish I woulda used this method to begin with, would've saved me about 5 hours.
Well I hope this saves someone time out there.
