Behind cabin filter - what is this?

[Fu Manchu]

I know that @J_D 2.0 did the evaporator core by removing the fan motor duct section from the car without removing the whole dash.

He posted a video of the job.
Pretty sure this was it.

Even though you won’t need to go to that extent, it might help you with parts of the job, I’m pretty sure you’ll get at it via removing the actuator on the very side and the fan motor.

Removing the side vent trim on the dash where the door opens, should improve access to the actuator.

 

[Fu Manchu]

 

[mtd]

Thanks. He he, was just looking at that vid. Thanks for both.
Assuming the actuator is actually working, which could be a possibility? I mean, the re-circ door/flap/cover could just be 'stuck' or broken?

But then that makes me think - if its JUST broken that's one thing... but if it's stuck then why would it get stuck, a different problem maybe.

 

[J_D 2.0]

Hey guys, can the gurus please tell me what the below is and it’s job? I’m talking the thingi with the white plastic stripe down the middle. I thought behind the cab filter was just the fan - quite obviously I’m wrong. (The cabin filter is removed here). I can see the fan behind this as I can pivot it up. I thought it might be an extra filter but it’s plastic - so how does the fan suck in?
View attachment 252695

If you can pivot the recirc door up by hand then it is broken (or the actuator is broken). It shouldn’t move unless the actuator commands it to.

The star drive on the end of the recirc door that the actuator slots into shatters and then the actuator cant actuate the door so it just flops around by hand. Well thats what happened to mine anyway.

It’s a bitch of a job to replace. The plastic plenum in the engine bay (that the cabin air filter is in) needs to come out as well as the glovebox and the fan plenum that holds the fan and the recirc door. The fan plenum is bolted to the firewall from the engine bay hence why the cabin air filter plenum needs to come out.

Make sure you clean off the AC evaporator while you’re there as it’s in a relatively handy position after you remove everything to get at the recirc door. There was plenty of crap on my evaporator and was probably reducing efficiency by about 50%. It also had the AC funk smell which went away after cleaning the evaporator out.

 

[mtd]

Thanks J_D 2.0,

I can only pivot it up a bit, and its crooked, which makes me think one side is gone...
So I really have to follow your video to completion to get to the re-circ door. Sound correct?

And yes, not much point doing all this and not cleaning the evap while i'm there. Any suggestions what to clean it with?
BTW, since my vehicle was only fitted with the default mesh filter (if you call that a filter) I'm even more inclined to clean the evap.
Thanks for the help people!

 

[J_D 2.0]

Thanks J_D 2.0,

I can only pivot it up a bit, and its crooked, which makes me think one side is gone...
So I really have to follow your video to completion to get to the re-circ door. Sound correct?

And yes, not much point doing all this and not cleaning the evap while i'm there. Any suggestions what to clean it with?
BTW, since my vehicle was only fitted with the default mesh filter (if you call that a filter) I'm even more inclined to clean the evap.
Thanks for the help people!

The video isn’t mine, I just posted it up cause I found it on YouTube when I was looking how to do my recirc door and thought it would help others.

I just used dishwashing detergent mixed with water in a spray bottle to clean my AC evaporator. Rinsed it off with the garden hose once it had soaked for a while.

You need to be careful obviously as you’re running the hose inside the car and you A) don’t want to flood the car out or B) use such a high pressure it bends the evaporator fins.

You can buy proper AC evaporator cleaner spray which would probably work a lot better but I went with the cheap option.

 

[mtd]

Sorry, yes, I thought Fu said the vid was yours, but all he said was that you posted it - my mistake.

Bit confused...

You need to be careful obviously as you’re running the hose inside the car...

But you "rinsed it off with the garden hose"??

I would have thought the evap just comes out and you clean/rinse off well away from the car.
I'm missing something...?

 

[Fu Manchu]

Nope. The evaporator is in there tighter than yoga pants. It’s not coming out easily, nor is it accessible.

You just need some of that info to release the door.

By removing the fan motor and the actuator first, you might be able to work that recirc door out without removing the end half of the housing.

 

[J_D 2.0]

Sorry, yes, I thought Fu said the vid was yours, but all he said was that you posted it - my mistake.

Bit confused...

But you "rinsed it off with the garden hose"??

I would have thought the evap just comes out and you clean/rinse off well away from the car.
I'm missing something...?

You can’t remove the evap without degassing the aircon and removing a heap more parts. You need to clean it off in place unless you want to degas the system and then take it to an aircon mechanic to regas it again.

 

[J_D 2.0]

By removing the fan motor and the actuator first, you might be able to work that recirc door out without removing the end half of the housing.

No you can’t. Been there, tried that. The retarded thing is that if Holden had made the firewall aperture a little bit bigger you could have pulled the recirc door out through the front without removing anything on the inside.