2003 Bonny - AC only blows out of the defrost vents

Discuss your 2000-2005 Bonneville SE, SLE, SSEi, Buick Le Sabre 00-05 and Buick Park Avenue 97-05. Please use General Chat for non-mechanical issues, and Performance and Brainstorming for improvements.
Post Reply
bluize3
LE Member
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 3:40 pm
Year and Trim: 2002 SLE 3.8 non supercharged

2003 Bonny - AC only blows out of the defrost vents

Post by bluize3 »

Good Morning,

Hoping someone could give me a quick idea on where to look for a problem I have with the AC only blowing in defrost mode in my Bonneville? I have electronic controls. I replaced the motor about 9 months ago and it was working great. About a week ago my wife got in it and tried to turn it on and it would only blow in the defrost vents. Does this model have a chip or board with actuator door program? I would think this model was past the vacuum controls by now?

2002 Bonny SLE 3.8 Not supercharged.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks everyone !
rogers9c1
SSEi Member
SSEi Member
Posts: 155
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:53 pm
Year and Trim: 1999 buick park ave 1996 chevy caprice 9c1
Location: ontario canada

Re: 2003 Bonny - AC only blows out of the defrost vents

Post by rogers9c1 »

hello im sure this isn't much help but i do believe that it uses a small servo motor to control the air flow to dash or floor, im having similar issues with a 99 park ave.
User avatar
nos4blood70
Certified Bonneville Nut
Certified Bonneville Nut
Posts: 9522
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 6:11 pm
Year and Trim: 2003 SLE
Location: Chicago, IL

Re: 2003 Bonny - AC only blows out of the defrost vents

Post by nos4blood70 »

Yup, the airflow actuator probably bit the dust. Gonna need to find yourself a replacement and then dig into the dash. The procedure is outlined in the 2000-2005 common problems thread at the top of this section.
-Car Guy Carl
"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 250k Miles
"Sydney" - 2000 Honda S2000 - 101k miles
Image
bluize3
LE Member
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 3:40 pm
Year and Trim: 2002 SLE 3.8 non supercharged

Re: 2003 Bonny - AC only blows out of the defrost vents

Post by bluize3 »

A big Thank you to all who replied. I am going to take care of this repair next week.
repnatl
SLE Member
SLE Member
Posts: 64
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2015 10:43 am
Year and Trim: 2003 ssei
Location: Kennesaw, GA

Re: 2003 Bonny - AC only blows out of the defrost vents

Post by repnatl »

bluize3 wrote:A big Thank you to all who replied. I am going to take care of this repair next week.

I know this is old but have you checked the plastic vacuum line coming off the engine to the firewall that's usually an issue with the line getting a hole in it. Have you fixed the issue yet?
2003 ssei 88k miles
3.4 zzp mps, 3" off road downpipe, zzp front plog, zzp pcm, fwi, gxp front and rear brakes with ss hoses
bluize3
LE Member
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 3:40 pm
Year and Trim: 2002 SLE 3.8 non supercharged

Re: 2003 Bonny - AC only blows out of the defrost vents

Post by bluize3 »

repnatl wrote:
bluize3 wrote:A big Thank you to all who replied. I am going to take care of this repair next week.

I know this is old but have you checked the plastic vacuum line coming off the engine to the firewall that's usually an issue with the line getting a hole in it. Have you fixed the issue yet?


Sorry guys, I should have updated my post earlier.

The problem has been fixed. I put a new radio in this car, along with a sporty set of rims, and set it up for my son to drive. 16 year old new driver ! Anyway, with taking the dash apart to get to radio I found the plug in for the HVAC controls was not plugged in all the way. Once I put it all together it started working again. I will check on that hose from the motor though so thanks for that piece. Its good to know every part of the system when it comes to trouble shooting.

Thanks again for everyone's help!
Post Reply