95 (98-05) Blend Door Repair Kit

[pokerplayer]

Have you guys bought this $225 kit? Please let me know, I know for the fact that this is my problem. Stealer charges about $1900 for this fix(%90 of it is labor). I would love to get a feedback, like how long does it take, and pictures if you have it. This is the only problem I have so far with my car. Here is the page, bottom part is what I am talking about(part number is SSBDRK.

http://www.thesaabsite.com/95/95Cabinfan.htm

Your feedback is sincerely appreciated.

Thank you

[robw]

Have not tried it though I am a victim of the 08 ACC fault code. If you get it let me know how it works out. It's getting cold here!

[Kermit]

Not used this kit...its rrp is over £400 in the UK. :(

[robw]

Just ordered the kit. I'll let you know how it works out. ;)

[pokerplayer]

Just ordered the kit. I'll let you know how it works out. ;)


I can't wait. It would be awesome if you took pics and time yourself. There is an article on http://www.thesaabsite.com/95/95heaterboxrepair.html guy says it should not take more than 2 hours. But according to pictures, he took the whole heater box out. I went in there, it doesn't look like a 2 hour job.

Your help is sincerely appreciated.

Thank you

[robw]

Alright,

So my $225 blend door shaft repair kit arrived over the weekend and I went to install it today......
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1934.jpg


First, remove the lower dash piece as shown here:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1922.jpg



When I removed it, this little piece fell out :

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1936.jpg


I then removed the motor (yellow arrow) and the vent elbow (white arow):

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1925.jpg

Once these were off, I had access to the belnd door shaft:




http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1932.jpg

Turns out, my shaft was still intact. Apparently the 1...08 code can also be caused by a broken stop lever which attaches to the end of the blend door shaft.

So now I have ordered a new stop lever(the broken piece above part #5334701) from the dealership for $17. I will try and see if I can get Saabsite to accept a return of the aluminum one as I have no need for it but their site clearly stated "NOT RETURNABLE".

My advice to all would be to remove the pieces and physically confirm that the shaft is broken before ordering the kit. It is a pain in the *** working under the dash on the drivers side, but it didn't take too long to get in there (about 30 mins or so and would have been less if I didn't bother taking piccys).

I can see how this would be an easy fix for a broken shaft and one that Saab themselves should employ rather than charging customers $2000 to put a plastic shaft back in that would still be susceptible to breaking again:roll:.

[Chris 9-5]

Great pics thanks for the update, good luck on the refund :confused:

[Kermit]

Good job Rob. Can you enlarge the piccys a little more? ;)

[robw]

Thanks guys.

Andy - I'll see how big I can get them - how big is your monitor?;) :lol:

[Chris 9-5]

He's got a 42" plasma :o


But they still didnt fit :lol:

[robw]

Ah there now.....

That should be better!

[Saaby]

So the consensus is:

If you get 01.....08 take apart the dash. If the motor or stop lever are broken, than you can replace them yourself for cheap. If the shaft is broken, you can fix it using the $225 kit.

Yes?

[pokerplayer]

Hey Rob! First of all I want to thank you for the trouble taking pictures. That is very kind of you. My code is 08 too, and months ago I did what you did. I realized that yellow plastic piece broken. Is that the shaft you are talking about? If that is the case, this is the kit I need. See? I went as far as you did, I took the stepping motor out, it was working. I saw the yellow plastic door holder(mover) broken.

Good luck with your fixand refund. Please post more pictures if you take them. It took me roughly 15-20 minutes to get there too. Pain in the %^$# to fit there....

[robw]

So the consensus is:

If you get 01.....08 take apart the dash. If the motor or stop lever are broken, than you can replace them yourself for cheap. If the shaft is broken, you can fix it using the $225 kit.

Yes?

Correct.


I realized that yellow plastic piece broken. Is that the shaft you are talking about?

Yes.

If that is the case, this is the kit I need.

Yes it is, and I may have one I need to get rid of ;).

[Saaby]

THANKS A MILLION ROB! AND YES, I KNOW I'M SHOUTING!

I'm sorry you ended up with an expensive kit that is of little use to you, but I can now sleep better at night knowing that the $1500 boneheaded problem that possibly awaits can be fixed for much cheaper.

You know what this means don't you?

Engine sludging? Yeah, it's a worry, but totally preventable.
ACC problem? It can be fixed for a reasonable amount of money.

What other big problems does the 9-5 suffer from?

[robw]

Ok So I got my $17 little plastic stop lever and installed it on the end of the shaft:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1940.jpg

Then I go to reassemble and realize that the shaft on the motor side is not turning :x even though I hear the motor crank when I adjust the temperature. Call Saab - it's a $164 part that needs to be ordered. Before ordering, I take the motor apart into its 3 pieces:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1938.jpg

- turns out the small shaft with the gear on it (yellow arrow) is sticking out too far and is not making contact with the gears in the gearbox. Gently tap it back in, reassemble the motor, install it and voila! The heating and cooling work great and no more 08 code! I am now a happy man!:cheesy: (Let's just hope it doesn't go again!)

[Finn]

Top job fella, and very well done on the photos.. :cheesy:

[Chris 9-5]

Top job fella, and very well done on the photos.. :cheesy:

Agreed, well done Rob ;)

[mfong]

How do you know if your blend door is broken?
just maaking sure =)

~Mike

[robw]

Thanks guys.

How do you know if your blend door is broken?
just maaking sure =)
~Mike

If you are getting hot air when you turn up the temp on the ACC and cold air when you turn down the temp, you're blend door shaft is probably fine.

If not, press the OFF and AUTO buttons simultaneously (at the same time for you:D) and wait to see if the display returns anythin other than 0. A code 1......08 may mean a broken blend door shaft.

If that doesn't work, just insert a new light bulb, being careful not to bend the connector pins :p.

[Cambio]

I get 1.......08 when I do the diagnostics, the only thing is both my heating and air conditioning work fine. Air conditioning is always icy cold and heat is always oven-hot. The only thing which could possibly be wrong is that when I turn the whole whole climate control systm off I still feel a slight draft of outside air from the vents....

[SectorNine50]

Thanks so much guys, I'm gonna go check out to see what's up. If I need that part, I'd be willing to take it off your hands man. I'll keep you filled in.

-Justin

[Finn]

Another link for Code 08 Fix.


Clicky Here (http://www.thesaabsite.com/95/95heaterboxrepair.html)

[Finn]

http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37762

[Mie Saab]

Thanks for the extensive details of your work. This is the best I have seen for this specific repair. The photos are a great help. I just removed the left side trim panel off this afternoon and that in itself was a pain.

We are getting air flow only from the defrost vents - both right and left side. There is no controlling the temperature either. Until I dismantle a few more parts I will assume that the 08 code is part of the problem, but can anyone tell me how to fix the system so that air flow is through the appropriate vents - be they defrost, dash or floor?

Ours is a 2000 9-5.

Thanks much

[Nimisys]

there is a seperate door and motor for mode control. i have seen 2 bad motors and one bad mode control door. unfrountily the mode control "door" is a drum and hwn they break they cause a bind condition, that sometimes a reclaibrate can get to move once before it binds again. that one required a complete box replacment to fix... BTW box removal, with tools and understandign on how its done is about a 2 hour job by itself. keep in mind you have to discharge the ac and remove the heater hoses to get it out. it is not a small task.

[Mie Saab]

Thanks for your information, Nimisys.

Can you privide instructions/diagrams etc. and a list of necessary tools to do the job?

Also, can you recommend a testing proceedure that I can use to narrow down the problem?

I am going to try and remove some more parts today to see if I have the "08" broken part.

Thanks again

[robw]

Also, can you recommend a testing proceedure that I can use to narrow down the problem?

I am going to try and remove some more parts today to see if I have the "08" broken part.


Sorry if I'm being dense:confused: , but did you run the ACC diagnostics and get the 08 fault code? The diagnostic routine is run by pressing the OFF and AUTO buttons at the same time and seeing if a code other than 0 is returned.

[Nimisys]

Thanks for your information, Nimisys.

Can you privide instructions/diagrams etc. and a list of necessary tools to do the job?

Also, can you recommend a testing proceedure that I can use to narrow down the problem?

I am going to try and remove some more parts today to see if I have the "08" broken part.

Thanks again

the drivers blend door is on the left side of the car, mode is on the right. you will need to remove the glove box and lower glove box panel, and generally pulling the vent tube also helps. there are 4 25 torx screws for the lower panel, then 3 25 torx for the lower edge of the glove box. opent he glove box and there are 4 more on the top edge. the peice of carpeting on the side of the center console you remove by pushing in the center of the pins then pulling out the outer ring. the vent tube should pull right out. IIRC the motor you want is the more accessable of the two front ones (one being the passenger side blend door motor), which i believe is the one higher up. while holding your hand on the motor, command it to change vent positions. if the motor vibrates or you cna feel it tryign to move then it means its getting the signal. if it does nothing, and none of the other ones do either, then its most likley the motor that needs replaced. if the motor works, then turn off the car and remove the motor formt he side of the box. its been awhile so i have forgotten the size screws that hold it on, but there should be two. now try t turn the shaft by hand. it should move freely and smoothly without any binding.

[Mie Saab]

Many thanks to robw and Nimisys.

Robw, I have run the dignostics and usually don't get the "08" code, but it has appeared once. I still haven't removed the elbow and motor to examine the suspect part. At present, I just run the system for short periods because regardless of the temperature I set, the heat is full bore out of the defrost vents.

Nimisys, thanks for the detailed instructions. I'll give it a try over the weekend if it warms up any.

In an earlier post by a name I don't recall, reference was made to adjusting the flaps/doors manually. Can either of you explain how to do this?

Thanks again.

[judyhbergquist@comcast]

Hi everyone - thanks so much for the information on the blend door kit.

We ordered it last week and received it on Saturday. My husband put it in and the heat is working great!!!

Thanks again. The Saab dealer quoted my $2600.00 for a new heater box and charged my $54.00 to look up the fault code 08. We are going to try to get our $54.00 back. What a racket!!!

Judy:D

[Chris 9-5]

Well done ;) And good luck :)

[Curryman]

Hi all... just registered to this incredibly useful site.
Special thanks to RobW for the detailed pics on the stop arm. Have the exact same problem, and the pics will get me through the stop arm fix for $17. Sweet!!

Unfortunately, I have no airflow, hot or cold into the cabin. Guessing its a problem with the acc fan. Diagnostics give 1 - 08. Will check again after fixing the stop arm, but don't think the stop arm is the end of my road.

I've done some searching, and didn't come across any posts on no airflow.

Any thoughts or links to checking the fan?

Sweatin' in PA.

Thanks.

[SectorNine50]

Hey there,
Search for "ACC 08" in this forum. Sometimes the gear on the stepper motor can come off causing the flaps to not work right. It's late so I can't really do a search for ya right now. I had the same problem, just pushed that gear back on and it worked fine!

Good luck!

[robw]

Curryman,

Jamison? You're in my backyard! Glad the post was helpful to you. ;) When you turn on the AC, do you hear ANY fan noise, or is it all quiet? Have you noticed it blowing poorly lately? The cabin fan will often act up prior to dying on you. Have you checked all of the fuses?

Here are some instructions on replacing the fan if that's what is needed:
http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56818&highlight=cabin

[Curryman]

Yup... Jamison, right down the road.
Thanks for the response.

No fan noise at all... just quiet.

Guessing I need a new fan, but is there anything else I should check? Saw a post on relay #12 (i think it was 12)... any other fuses, relays or electrical problems that might case the fan not to work.

looked at the fan replacement post... looks time consuming.

Any thoughts appreciated.

[pinion247]

I've just encountered some weird sounds with my cooling system. I ran the ACC diagnostic and it showed 1...08. However, the heating/cooling in the car is fine, from all vents. What prompted me to run the check is that everytime I step on the gas, I can hear this mechanical "whiz" sound in my left ear (I'm in the US), coming from what seems to be directly beside my seat. If I slam on the brakes, I get a slightly different "whizzing" sound... almost like something's opening and closing depending on which way I jolt the car.

Can the 1...08 fault code effect something other than the blend door thing under the dash? This sound is definitely not coming from the dash area... more to the side of the car. I'm going to follow the directions posted previously and check under the dash just in case, though.

[bigmac121]

Alright,

So my $225 blend door shaft repair kit arrived over the weekend and I went to install it today......
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1934.jpg


First, remove the lower dash piece as shown here:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1922.jpg



When I removed it, this little piece fell out :

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1936.jpg


I then removed the motor (yellow arrow) and the vent elbow (white arow):

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1925.jpg

Once these were off, I had access to the belnd door shaft:




http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1932.jpg

Turns out, my shaft was still intact. Apparently the 1...08 code can also be caused by a broken stop lever which attaches to the end of the blend door shaft.

So now I have ordered a new stop lever(the broken piece above part #5334701) from the dealership for $17. I will try and see if I can get Saabsite to accept a return of the aluminum one as I have no need for it but their site clearly stated "NOT RETURNABLE".

My advice to all would be to remove the pieces and physically confirm that the shaft is broken before ordering the kit. It is a pain in the *** working under the dash on the drivers side, but it didn't take too long to get in there (about 30 mins or so and would have been less if I didn't bother taking piccys).

I can see how this would be an easy fix for a broken shaft and one that Saab themselves should employ rather than charging customers $2000 to put a plastic shaft back in that would still be susceptible to breaking again:roll:.

I have the same issues, 01 08 On the drivers side there is a black plastic housing, in the centre is a blue circle with a grey rod. Now this rod is at an angle with seems strange, with testing this rods tries to turn but slips...any ideas???

[bigmac121]

:o Am I doing something wrong here????

[Kermit]

Yes those pictures are of Rob's car which is a left hooker due to it being US based.

[JettaRed]

Will the 08 (or any ACC code) cause the compressor to be disabled? I'm getting the 08 code and the compressor does not come on.

[SectorNine50]

That shouldn't cause the compressor to not come on. You've checked wiring and the belts right?

[bigmac121]

I'm Blind.....whereas all the little plastic "stop levers" are all white, mine is GREEN!!! couldn't get the motor back in so I decided to take the green thing off. It was split....trying to super glue it together now

THANKS to All

[robw]

bigmac,

super glueing might work, but it will probably give again in a little while or may break in another spot. I would suggest you go out and buy a new one - they're cheap. If you are set on glueing, try a good plastic epoxy of some type - super glue just doesn't last and can't hold up to any torquing IMO.

[bigmac121]

:) your right, did last night, applied a little pressure, broke again, will buy one Wednesday when I get paid! thanks again

[robw]

You bet - best of luck! ;)

[gohunter]

Hi guys, just found this. If you don't fancy paying a few hundred dollars for a repair, here's the plastic alternative. It means making a shaft yourself, but surely the effort is worth the saving!

http://www.thesaabsite.com/95/95-blend-door-repair-plastic.html

[gohunter]

BTW this is useful too. Just in case you get a fault code other than 08, here is the full list.

http://www.saabservices.com/9-5%20ACC%20codes.htm

Regards,

Gordon

[camaro02dk]

Hey guys

First off.... dammmmm this is not something for me to be working on, actually thought about driving the car into the harbor... I am not good with small spaces and my fat hands he he

ANYWAY.... I have a code 1 - 13 and then a 2 - 08.

I have checked the everything I could and the left door blend is fine, it works and all.

As I read from the link to the explanations on what the faults codes means i should have a:
1 - 13 air distribution motor that is jammed.... is there any info on that?

2 - 08 left blend door that is loose but it's not, it works fine??????

I am really lost right now...

Hope some of you can help.

[connie_russ]

I'm getting the 1...08 (all the time) and 2...13 (intermittently). I get no better than the outside temp at the lowest setting on my ACC, but the heat works great. No leaks, decent fan spead, coolant fine. There is a high pitch whining that comes on with the A/C that lingers for a few seconds after I turn it off. I'm not sure if this is just a red herring but I'm also not convinced that the 08 error is responsible for the lack of A/C cooling. I've got an extended warranty which I think covers these issues but I hate to leave the car for days while they try to figure it out. Any thoughts?

[robw]

camaro,
are you having any problems with the AC other than getting the codes? If not, then what's the worry? If you are having troubles, then can you describe them?

connie,
If this is covered by your warranty, get it in and have them sort it if they will give you a loaner as this can be a bit of a PITA to diagnose. If you're really reluctant to take it in, go read from the beginning of this thread and get prepared to climb under the dash to take a few things apart and see what's going on.

[connie_russ]

The code 08 in itself does not bother me however for the past two summers the A/C does not blow anything but the outside temp (100 summers in the south are painful). The techs at saab (new working on saab cars though). Changed out the ACC, changed the drier motor, and filled the coolant. It did provide some cool air but only for about a week. Eventually the air is hot assuming it is outside air passing over a hot engine. After reading this forum I learned to check the ACC and started getting the 08 and 13 code hope this is the problem. Any other thought greatly appreciated. If I have to go back to the saab dealer I'd like to give them some guidance.

Thanks

[SectorNine50]

Connie:
I'm actually willing to bet you that the 08 error is your problem. The blend door is how the ACC system changes the temperature that comes out of the vent. If the blend door doesn't rotate all the way into the cold zone, then it will mix the cold air and hot air, giving you what feels like the outside temperature. (The hotter it gets outside, the hotter your heater gets... :confused: ) I had this same problem before, only I could not get the system to heat at all. There are instructions all over this site on how to get under your dash and make a quick fix. For me, the gear on the blend door motor had simply slid off the shaft enough to disengage the whole system. The problem with having the dealer do it, is a lot of times they want to remove your entire system under your dash, which is very very expenisve in terms of labor and the unit it's self. Try getting under your dash to see if you can't diagnose it yourself before you spend a fortune. It's going to be a PITA for sure, but it was worth it for me.

[ron22]

I'm kinda worried about this too now. I ran the diagnostic and the screen said 0 for a while and then 1...08. Everything works fine, however. The AC is very cold, the heat is very hot. Does that code mean that I need to fix it becuase the part is on its way out because there doesn't seem to be anything wrong at all. Thanks guys.

[Kermit]

Ron, if its working fine then don't worry about it. The door is probably opening 90% so you're not getting any problems, the fault code is occuring because the sensor doesn't register 100% movement.

[ron22]

Thank you Kermit!

[camaro02dk]

Hey there

well i got under the dash to look and here is the thing... The white tab who is moved by the motor is fine, and i can move it with my hand and you can even hear how the airflow changes.... BUT... NO HEAT... really I cannot figure out what is next.......

I get the 08 code..... no heat, but the tab is fine and airflow changes (the sounds)

PLEEEEASE help...



Connie:
I'm actually willing to bet you that the 08 error is your problem. The blend door is how the ACC system changes the temperature that comes out of the vent. If the blend door doesn't rotate all the way into the cold zone, then it will mix the cold air and hot air, giving you what feels like the outside temperature. (The hotter it gets outside, the hotter your heater gets... :confused: ) I had this same problem before, only I could not get the system to heat at all. There are instructions all over this site on how to get under your dash and make a quick fix. For me, the gear on the blend door motor had simply slid off the shaft enough to disengage the whole system. The problem with having the dealer do it, is a lot of times they want to remove your entire system under your dash, which is very very expenisve in terms of labor and the unit it's self. Try getting under your dash to see if you can't diagnose it yourself before you spend a fortune. It's going to be a PITA for sure, but it was worth it for me.

[camaro02dk]

Hey there

well i got under the dash to look and here is the thing... The white tab who is moved by the motor is fine, and i can move it with my hand and you can even hear how the airflow changes.... BUT... NO HEAT... really I cannot figure out what is next.......

I get the 08 code..... no heat, but the tab is fine and airflow changes (the sounds)

PLEEEEASE help...


Ron, if its working fine then don't worry about it. The door is probably opening 90% so you're not getting any problems, the fault code is occuring because the sensor doesn't register 100% movement.

[robw]

Is the stepping motor turning when you adjust the temp? If so, is the gear on the motor engaging the gears in the gearbox? (see the beginning of this thread)

[camaro02dk]

Hey

Yes it is turning and working fine. I also tried to take the motor off and then turning the white tap with the finger, and I can hear that the airflow is changing but there is still no hot air.... it is so wierd...


Is the stepping motor turning when you adjust the temp? If so, is the gear on the motor engaging the gears in the gearbox? (see the beginning of this thread)

[AIrey1507]

alright, I have a very odd acc problem (the tech said he never saw such a thing before), and I need some help. Here's the story:

I bought my car about 2 months ago and got a pretty good deal on it because the driver's side heat wasn't working. It had the 08 fault code. I used the directions in the other thread about it. Once I removed the trim panel under the steering wheel, the broken plastic stop lever fell out. I bought the piece for $17 and replaced it myself.

After we put on the new plastic stop lever, we had trouble putting the little motor back on through it. The shaft on the motor has to fit through the hole on the stop lever and the hole on the yellow thing that the stop lever went over (sorry I can't explain it that well). Since all three had to match up, we had to physically twist the shaft on the lever with a pliers. There was no abnormal resistance in doing this, so we assumed that it wsn't hurting any gears, etc. inside the motor. Once everything was connected again, I ran the diagnostics test on the ACC system and it returned with 0 fault codes, but it still seemed as if the problem was there.

A few days ago, I took my car to a local, independant Saab repair shop that was reccomended to me by someone else on this site. he plugged in the TechII and found that there were absolutely no codes in the entire car. I'm sure that's a good thing since mechanically, the car is trouble free, but it's odd that there's still a heating/cooling problem with the system and the computer doesn't realize it.

Next, the technician turned up the heat on both sides of the car. The TechII has a read-out of information regarding the heating/cooling systems. It showed that the passenger side temperature went up instantly and that the flap was 100% open. The driver's side temp inside the heater box was rising, but at a much slower rate than the passenger side. Also, throughout the various tests he ran, the TechII showed at times that the heater flap on the driver's side was 107% open, and it even gave a couple negative percentages, both of which are impossible.

Because of these things, the technician and I came to the conclusion that there is a calibration problem with the heater flap on the driver's side. We figured that when I physically adjusted the position of the shaft on the motor, the ACC did not detect this and adjust for it accordingly. The reason I wasn't getting any fault codes was because when the system is doing it's checks of all the flaps and fans, the heater flap was actually moving and functioning, jus tnot in the right position.

So the good news is that I have an operating heater box flap, and the motor functions as well. The problem is that I need the little motor calibrated or reset somehow so that the 'zero' position is correct with the ACC system. There must be some way to do this...If the motor was dead and had to be replaced, wouldn't the new motor have to be recalibrated somehow like this? Is it possible to do the recalibration within the TechII, and if so, how? The technician wasn't sure, but he was going to consult the manual for the TechII and also search through a mechanic's archive of similar problems. I told him I was going to do my best to research this to, so that's why I'm here. It's starting to get cold in MN and I really need the heat back.

Any help/input/ideas would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

cliff notes: previously had 08 code, but code went away after I replaced the plastic stop lever piece. When doing so though, I had to physically turn the shaft of the motor so it would align with the hole it fits in. Heating problem still persists since the calibration is off between the motor and the ACC. Holding auto and off obvioulsy isn't recalibrating it, so I need to know if and how it can be done with the TechII.

basically getting no codes, but still have symptoms

[SectorNine50]

The only way to calibrate that I know of are to hold AUTO and OFF, the same way you check for fault codes. There is a possibility that the reason the blend door shaft broke in the first place was because the ACC unit wasn't calibrating and pushed too far so it snapped the shaft. Try borrowing another ACC unit, doing a calibration, and see if that fixes your problem. I'm willing to bet it already snapped your new shaft. Either that, or that little motor isn't communicating with the ACC unit telling it where the motor is in it's rotation.

[rayw69]

I'm having some trouble figuring out how to remove the motor and the vent shaft. If anyone has any hints for me, it would be much appreciated.

Edit: Ok, I got in there after some body contortion. Not only is that little plastic stop lever broken. But my blend door shaft is too.

My question is, do I need or order both the Blend Door Repair Kit and the Stop Lever? Or do I only need to buy the Blend Door Repair Kit?

[camaro02dk]

Yep guys and girls I am still here.....

I am lost with this. So i have the stepping motor off and I can move the white tab with my finger and hear the airflow change... sunddenly I am now only getting a 1-06 code as a failure... wierd...

I will try to post up a pic of the white tab... But I am sure it is good... I can move it and can also hear the airflow change.....

I GOTTA ASK THIS ONE, I THINK THIS COULD MAYBE BE AN EXPLENATION:

I had the heater control valve changed.... can the dealer ship assemble the hoses wrong??? and that might be the reason why I have no hear????

[rayw69]

Just completed this fix a few days ago. It was about a 2.5 hour job. Would have been faster had I remembered to index the stepper motor with the aluminum piece. Since I forget this step, the stepper motor would not fit back in when it came time to put it back on. Had to go back in, remove the elbow and aluminum piece, and put it all back together for a second time.

Interestingly enough, most of my time was spent removing the broken yellow part of the shaft. Since there was no easy way to just slide it out, I had to break it with pliers and angle it through towards the blend door.

FYI to anyone else who is attempting to do this fix in the future. Some sort of angled screwdriver or ratchet would really make the whole process infinitely easier. I didn't have anything of that nature, so I ended up not being able to replace all of the screws I removed. Five screws need to be removed to access the area need to make the repair. Due to lack of space, I was only able to replace 2 out of the 5. No big deal, since the motor and elbow are held firmly in place just with those 2 screws. But I'm definitely going to put them back in later, just in case.

[magconpres]

I did the pvc fix for the shaft, but am still having some propblems.

At times, I get no heat on the driver's side. Passenger's side is fine.
If I calibrate the ACC, I get no fault codes, and the driver's side heat works again, though I am not sure it gets as hot as the passenger side.

Not sure what to check at this point. Any ideas?

[camaro02dk]

PLz. someone help me here....

So when I do the test on the system with the AUTO/OFF switch, sometimes I have the 1-08 1-13 2-13 sometimes I do not have them

I have taken the stuff apart and I do not have anything that is broken, even when I move the leveler from side to side I can hear the airflow changing but I still do not get any hot air at all..... does this mean that I need that repair kit for 225$?

I am so lost right now with this...

[magconpres]

PLz. someone help me here....

So when I do the test on the system with the AUTO/OFF switch, sometimes I have the 1-08 1-13 2-13 sometimes I do not have them

I have taken the stuff apart and I do not have anything that is broken, even when I move the leveler from side to side I can hear the airflow changing but I still do not get any hot air at all..... does this mean that I need that repair kit for 225$?

I am so lost right now with this...

If the shaft and the little white/green clip that goes on the end of it is not broken, then you don't need the kit.

The 08 code is thrown when the stepper motor that controls the blend door moves outside its expected range. Usually that happens when the shaft or stop lever is broken.

Someone else posted that the gear in his motor had slipped out of place. I could see how that could also cause this symptom. I used to get the 13 code as well, but then it jsut stopped, though I still have some heat issues with the car. If I recall, the 13 code is a loose flap. Not the blend door though. I think it is the one that diverts air flow from driver to passenger. There's a list of codes on the net somewhere. problaly a link to it in this thread.

[camaro02dk]

Ok the white clip is not broken and have a hard time seeing if the shaft broken... how do I check that. I can say this much when i move the clip from side to side I can see it moves the shaft too and I can hear the airflow changes.

If those two things are not broken, what am i then looking fore?




If the shaft and the little white/green clip that goes on the end of it is not broken, then you don't need the kit.

The 08 code is thrown when the stepper motor that controls the blend door moves outside its expected range. Usually that happens when the shaft or stop lever is broken.

Someone else posted that the gear in his motor had slipped out of place. I could see how that could also cause this symptom. I used to get the 13 code as well, but then it jsut stopped, though I still have some heat issues with the car. If I recall, the 13 code is a loose flap. Not the blend door though. I think it is the one that diverts air flow from driver to passenger. There's a list of codes on the net somewhere. problaly a link to it in this thread.

[SectorNine50]

Camaro, check the motor that spins the flap. There is a little gear on the end of it that sometimes can slide out of the way just enough that it doesn't contact the other gear anymore. Push that gear back on and give it another try.

[bigjl]

My 9-5 also shows the 08 code but my complaint is that i have no air flow to the face and footwell vents, nice and hot to the demist vents and the vents in the rear, also when on the motorway(highway) i notice that i get air from the demist vents even with the fan turned off, i can stop it by pressing recirculate, ans i sometime get a code for loose flap i think it was 14.
Any hints would be gratefully recieved, and as most people on the site drive LHD, would i still be looking under the left hand side of the car for this fault or would it be on the right hand side in a RHD car?

[SectorNine50]

All of our cars will let air in when the ACC is off, unless you push the recirculation button. This is because the air pressure from driving forces air into the system, and when you turn recirculation on, it closes off that passage.

[Paul Harris]

Hi all

Read through this thread because I have a noise like a motor gear slipping/groaning when turning on the ACC :cry: .

Started a few days ago so I did the Auto + Off test, these are the codes the ACC displayed (it pauses a few seconds between displaying each one):

1________21
2________21
2________08 ( slipping /groaning noise accompanies this code)

Never had any codes on the ACC before this noise appeared.

Air con works fine on auto and also with heat where you direct it, and cold where you direct it. It also is fine with a set temperature difference between driver and passenger side. No problem with rear vents either.

Info from another saab site says Code 21 refers to "recirculate motor" and code 08 refers to "left blend door" (is this correct ? :confused: )

If so do you think that the motor toothed gear could be disengaging (need pushing back in/on ) and this is causing the 08 code, by the blend door not opening / closing completely (would this motor affect this door) could these codes also be caused by a broken stop lever p/n:5334701 ?

Basicaly I am hoping that nothing is broken :cheesy:. But as I don't see anybody else here mention the code 21. I suppose I will have to dismantle it for a look.

Why can't these things happen in a nice hot summer instead of the during the biggest snowfall in the UK for the last ten years.

[DJ53]

My 9-5 also shows the 08 code but my complaint is that i have no air flow to the face and footwell vents, nice and hot to the demist vents and the vents in the rear, also when on the motorway(highway) i notice that i get air from the demist vents even with the fan turned off, i can stop it by pressing recirculate, ans i sometime get a code for loose flap i think it was 14.
Any hints would be gratefully recieved, and as most people on the site drive LHD, would i still be looking under the left hand side of the car for this fault or would it be on the right hand side in a RHD car?


Exactly the same fault as mine.Had it for 3 years now and after lots of enquiries about what causes it I gave up. I just live with it as long as it warms the car. I would like to fix it though as I hate things that dont work.

[TremmRG1]

I am also having problems with getting the step motor syncronized in the right spot. Any ideas to pass along that would give me an idea where to start? I too had to turn the motor manually to get it to line up with the new stop lever, but now when you hit the auto/off to align everything, you can hear it stressing out trying to go to far. Right now if you run the a/c and move the lever manually I am getting heat/a/c, but when you add the motor back to the equation, it just won't align right and I don't know how much longer I can hang upside down in this car before I set this thing on fire!! Please help.......

signed----frustrated aka Rob :confused:

[robw]

Rob. Really not sure the best way to do this. Back when I had this problem, I spoke with the guy who developed the aluminum kit fix and he said the indexing was a bit tricky to get correct.
The only suggestion that I can think of would be to turn the lever all the way on one direction and see what temp blows out of the vents. If it's hot, then with the motor connected to the wiring, but with the gear spinning freely, adjust the temp all the way to HI and then connect the motor. I guess, in theory this could properly line up the motor as HI should match up with the fully open (or closed :confused:) blend door shaft. Just a suggestion as I'm far from certain that this will fix it.

[TremmRG1]

So can anyone tell me this. Does the stop lever travel the entire distance of the slot it is in when working normal? I can get mine to work some what, but depending on where it starts at, it will either not travel all the way to the bottom or all the way to the top. The step motor seems to actually work well, just a little confused as to how it knows to stop, since it seems to travel ALOT further then it actually has space to go.

Maybe I will just put in an old choke lever like my dads old pick up truck had!! And then sell them for $225.00!! :cheesy:

[vess]

I was able to fix the blend door by cutting a small piece of aluminum ski pole off and using that instead of the plastic PVC pipe as described earlier in this forum. It works much better, as it doesn't flex- however, you need to have the stop lever, or the unit will continue to twist, possibly breaking it. So far, so good.

[fplouw]

Great forum; excellent information - has saved me at least a few thousand bucks so far!

I get both code 08 and 14, but besides the fact that the airflow is ONLY via the defrost vents, everything else works perfectly.

I have already established that I also have the broken plastic piece and will be getting it soon and attempting to replace it .

My question, though: Will this fix the airflow problem and allow air to flow out the driver/passenger face vents again or is there yet another problem that needs to be resolved?

Thanks again for all the great contributions!

[fplouw]

Hi guys, just found this. If you don't fancy paying a few hundred dollars for a repair, here's the plastic alternative. It means making a shaft yourself, but surely the effort is worth the saving!

http://www.thesaabsite.com/95/95-blend-door-repair-plastic.html

This link is dead - does anyone know if there is a replacement link for it?

[Mie Saab]

bigjl,


did you ever get your problem fixed, and if so how did you do it? I am plagued by the same problem.
Thanks.

My 9-5 also shows the 08 code but my complaint is that i have no air flow to the face and footwell vents, nice and hot to the demist vents and the vents in the rear, also when on the motorway(highway) i notice that i get air from the demist vents even with the fan turned off, i can stop it by pressing recirculate, ans i sometime get a code for loose flap i think it was 14.
Any hints would be gratefully recieved, and as most people on the site drive LHD, would i still be looking under the left hand side of the car for this fault or would it be on the right hand side in a RHD car?

[vess]

I too noticed that the page describing how to make the plastic fix is gone. I think they are trying to sell the more expensive aluminum fix, which makes sense. Perhaps someone on this board will have it still. I will post the dimensions the next time I have my unit apart. The plastic fix only lasts a few months, as it flexes too much, and the slot that you cut into the tubing begins to separate. As I stated, I used a ski pole for the shaft, cut a slot into it, and attached that to the existing yellow shaft that connects to the blend motor. You have to grind off the flanged edge of the yellow shaft after removing it from the blower area. That allows you to insert it into shaft housing, much like the aluminum piece they are selling. Look at those pictures to get an idea. I will post dimensions as soon as I can get them.

[dandean]

Well, count me in among the 1 - 8 code initiated. Thanks to the good folks who have already traveled down this path, I was able to successfully diagnose the problem (broken blend lever and broken shaft). Using the guidance posted here previously, I managed (with a lot of difficulty - those spaces are damn hard to reach!) to disassemble and remove the broken components, and have ordered one of those expensive blend door repair kits (re. costly-aluminum-combination-lever-and-shaft). When it arrives I'll post a follow-up on the installation, whether or not it works, and any lessons I may have learned along the way.

In the meantime, here are a few pointers I picked up:

- The suggestion that the driver's seat be fully reclined and moved back was spot-on. It saved a lot of contorting, but that didn't make navigating in those tight spots under the dash much easier. It worked for me, but "large" folks might have a bit more trouble.

- I found it enormously helpful to have a small hand-held mirror nearby to look in hard to reach spots.

- I doubt I could have gotten as far as I did having to rely on a flashlight. It would really make your life a whole lot easier to go out and invest in a simple drop light that can be moved and placed wherever needed.

- I agree that a very small (i.e., short-handled) phillips screwdriver would have been quite useful. Unfortunately, the stubby-handled screwdriver that I thought would work proved to be too long. That screw at the top of the door motor was near-impossible and took me about 15 minutes to finally get out. You may want to invest in a small offset screwdriver (I actually own one, but it too proved to be the wrong type, i.e., it's slotted, not phillips). If not, a socket set may work, provided the handle is short - and I mean short!


That's all my pearls of wisdom for now. I'll update when my replacement part arrives and the job of rebuilding begins.

To be continued.........

[fplouw]

Because everything in my case works fine except that the face vents do not work.

My question that I really need to get answered is: Will replacing the plastic shaft help or is it just going to be a matter of time before it breaks again?

I assume that something must have gone haywire (system not calibrated) for it to break in the first place, so would recalibrating the system before/after replacing the plastic shaft do the trickk?

Thanks for your help on this one

[vess]

I think you need to recalibrate, and see what error codes you are getting. Of course, you need to make sure that you have the stop arm in place, otherwise the motor will turn until it breaks the plastic on the shaft- you need to keep that intact for the aluminum replacement shaft to have any grip. I made this mistake when crafted my own shaft- the stop lever broke, and I left it as is, thinking it wouldn't be needed after it calibrated. Believe me, it is required. I snapped off much of the remaining yellow shaft inside. However, it still works with the aluminum shaft installed, so I am lucky thus far.

[dandean]

Does anyone have THE definitive method for accurately and correctly indexing the stepper motor with a new aluminum replacement shaft / arm?

I'm preparing to install the part, but I've got a lot of reservations about how to begin the indexing, and more importantly, I'm uncertain how to tell if it's done properly. I don't want to stress the remaining broken plastic component by improperly calibrating the motor.

Although there are a few mentions earlier on in this thread about indexing, is there a step-by-step that anyone's aware of that I can print out and study before I embark on the big rebuild?

Thanks!!

[vess]

Here is what I did: Place the new shaft into the opening, and align the slot with the tab on the side of the plastic yellow shaft that turns the blend door. Make sure the stop arm is where it should be, resting between two stop points, around 2 o'clock as you look straight at it. If the stepper motor will not fit onto the shaft now because it isn't aligned properly, you can get it to move by calibrating. Press auto and off simultaneously, and the stepper motor will start to turn. When it indexes far enough to fit onto the shaft, turn the engine off- this will stop it where it is, and you can reassemble. I recommend attaching the motor only, so you can watch it when you start it up. Now calibrate again (auto,off), and it should index only as far as the stop lever will allow it to move. Look for free movement inside. If all looks well, reassemble the entire unit, and you are done. If you have other codes pop up on the ACC display, you will have to investigate that.

[dandean]

Not only did I understand all of the steps you outlined, but I feel a lot more confident as I embark on this reconstruction this weekend. The idea that a single metal after-market part can replace the two original parts supplied by Saab seems to be somewhat counter-intuitive, but after studying exactly what the part(s) are designed to do, and how they do it, it makes much more sense to me (are you beginning to get the picture that I'm not a very confident or skilled mechanic?).

I was brave enough to tackle the dreaded "ABS Sensor removal-rebuild-replace" last spring (if you haven't had that experience, check out the forum for a description of the problem, the fix, and the cost if you DON'T do the repair yourself - you'll be shocked!), and I guess it's emboldened me to try and tackle this latest blend door issue myself.

Thanks for your tips. I’ll post a follow-up when I get things buttoned up again.

[vess]

Ugh. To think that I have another difficult fix ahead of me is depressing. Keeps me busy, however, so I guess I can't complain. Good luck with the blend door this weekend. It really doesn't take long to do- maybe an hour at the most. I used a trouble light in there so I could see, and have a small ratchet-style screwdriver that allows minimal clearance, as you can't reach some screws. The tips are interchangeable, so you can use phillips, torx, etc. Once you install the motor, you really don't have to take it back off to install the plastic housing that routes the flow of air. I only installed 2 screws to hold it in- the one at the top and left side. The one to the right side is under the stepper motor, so you would have to take the motor off to get to it. Forget it. It isn't needed to hold it in. Just reassemble everything, and you are ready to go.

[Hendrik]

Correct.



Yes.



Yes it is, and I may have one I need to get rid of ;).

Hi Rob,

Yes i have a broke shaft and i have take the ½ end to the motor out.
My qestion is why it is broken, is it posible to turn the other half end by hand?

Btw do you have stil the not used aluminium piece?

[Mitchmente]

My front air con and heat work fine left to right. However on a long journey the rear vents get very hot (even with air con switched off)


I ran the diagnostic and think i got a 01 8 error

wud this still be the door shaft thingy of a different problem/cause

Thanks in advance ;)

[Hendrik]

Hi,

I have repair my broken shaft and have it already insall it.
Now i'm looking for a new stop lever.
Can somebody tell me where to buy it?
Thanks Henk

[dandean]

Hi,

I have repair my broken shaft and have it already insall it.
Now i'm looking for a new stop lever.
Can somebody tell me where to buy it?
Thanks Henk


Hi Henk:

If you want, you can order the stop lever from this website in the U.S.:

http://www.thesaabsite.com/95/95cooling.htm#VENTILATION+BLEND+DOOR+REPAIR+KIT

I hope this helps.

Dan

[Hendrik]

Hi Henk:

If you want, you can order the stop lever from this website in the U.S.:

http://www.thesaabsite.com/95/95cooling.htm#VENTILATION+BLEND+DOOR+REPAIR+KIT

I hope this helps.

Dan

Thank you Dan it's verry helpfull, i will first try to buy it from the local dealer

Henk

[dandean]

Well, I reassembled the whole blend door assembly using my new aluminum shaft and lever device, and sadly I have to report that all is not well.

Although it appears that everything is operating well and is mechanically correct, I'm still getting cold air blowing out on the floor and dashboard of the driver's side.

When I calibrate (auto-off), I get no message of any sort other than a single "0" on the readout, and it makes me wonder: is that correct? Should there be no message, or is there a message that tells you all is well?

Anybody have a similar experience?

By the way, the replacement shaft fits and operates beautifully, which makes me wonder if perhaps I should be doing something else before I reassemble everything?

[SectorNine50]

That zero means that the system is detecting no errors. Strange that your still experiencing this though, especially since you're not throwing a code. I would guess that the temperature sensor near your blend door (long needle looking thing) is not working right. That might explain the no code and the cold air, I think someone else had this problem a while back, not 100% sure though.

[vess]

Dan- sorry to hear you are still having issues. The sensor that sector nine is talking about is expensive, as I remember, so troubleshoot it before just replacing it. I think I would start with the blend door. When my unit wasn't working, it would blow cold air because the blend door was sitting in a position that only allowed the cold through. I knew it was the door because the passenger side temp was normal. Check and feel how the passenger side is working- if it is normal, you know it has to be the door or sensor on driver side. I would get under and watch the operation of the door. With the deflector off, you can look up into the unit while it is moving. There is surprisingly little room for the blender to swing, so if you are not connected well or are connected to the wrong area, it won't move where it should. I would start the car, lay under the dash and watch the door move while pushing the increase and decrease temp buttons. This gave me the full swing of the door, so I knew it was moving correctly. One thing I noticed is that if you are not connected properly and the aluminum unit is pushing against the yellow tang, it impinges on the diverter behind it, so you have difficulty moving from defrost to heat.
If this all looks OK to you, you may need a temp sensor. Though I would think that would throw a code. I am new to this also, so I would have to look that issue up.

[dandean]

Dan- sorry to hear you are still having issues. The sensor that sector nine is talking about is expensive, as I remember, so troubleshoot it before just replacing it. I think I would start with the blend door. When my unit wasn't working, it would blow cold air because the blend door was sitting in a position that only allowed the cold through. I knew it was the door because the passenger side temp was normal. Check and feel how the passenger side is working- if it is normal, you know it has to be the door or sensor on driver side. I would get under and watch the operation of the door. With the deflector off, you can look up into the unit while it is moving. There is surprisingly little room for the blender to swing, so if you are not connected well or are connected to the wrong area, it won't move where it should. I would start the car, lay under the dash and watch the door move while pushing the increase and decrease temp buttons. This gave me the full swing of the door, so I knew it was moving correctly. One thing I noticed is that if you are not connected properly and the aluminum unit is pushing against the yellow tang, it impinges on the diverter behind it, so you have difficulty moving from defrost to heat.
If this all looks OK to you, you may need a temp sensor. Though I would think that would throw a code. I am new to this also, so I would have to look that issue up.
These are some very good ideas. I hadn't thought about adjusting the hot/cold temp buttons while watching the door. That should be an indication whether or not the unit is actually responding to commands.

I was able to watch the door open and close all the way when I ran the auto/off diagnostic routine. It appears as if there is nothing wrong, and the door seems to move the full range throughout the test. To my untrained eye, it would appear as if everything is mechanically sound and operating correctly.

As Sectore Nine noted, it may perhaps be an issue with the temperature sensor. I was able to play around and move the sensor (which was still disconnected from the deflector). I thought I sensed a change in air temperature as a result of moving the sensor in and out of the flowing air, but I can't be entirely certain.

I've decided to put everything back together again today and run the car for a while to make absolutely certain that the problem isn't a result of the car's engine not having warmed enough to generate warm air. Also, I'll give the hot/cold air button test a go while watching the blend door to see if that reveals anything.

I have a feeling I'm close to solving the issue.

Thanks for everyone's advice/suggestions. They are greatly appreciated!

[Hendrik]

I receave my stop lever today from the dealer but it hase a white plastic item in the small hole? Have annybody see this before

[Hendrik]

I have completed the instalation from repaired shaft, stoplever and motor and now all works fine again:lol: Thanks to averyone's advices

Henk

[rsances]

This is the shaft repair we usually install, we also use the lever aswell from saab.

paperclip is used only for this pic to give proper size lol, not repair..:p

[dandean]

Dan- sorry to hear you are still having issues. The sensor that sector nine is talking about is expensive, as I remember, so troubleshoot it before just replacing it. I think I would start with the blend door. When my unit wasn't working, it would blow cold air because the blend door was sitting in a position that only allowed the cold through. I knew it was the door because the passenger side temp was normal. Check and feel how the passenger side is working- if it is normal, you know it has to be the door or sensor on driver side. I would get under and watch the operation of the door. With the deflector off, you can look up into the unit while it is moving. There is surprisingly little room for the blender to swing, so if you are not connected well or are connected to the wrong area, it won't move where it should. I would start the car, lay under the dash and watch the door move while pushing the increase and decrease temp buttons. This gave me the full swing of the door, so I knew it was moving correctly. One thing I noticed is that if you are not connected properly and the aluminum unit is pushing against the yellow tang, it impinges on the diverter behind it, so you have difficulty moving from defrost to heat.
If this all looks OK to you, you may need a temp sensor. Though I would think that would throw a code. I am new to this also, so I would have to look that issue up.
Follow-up to the saga of the broken blend door shaft: I started thinking more about the suggestion that I check the temperature sensor, and sure enough, it seems that's where I was making my mistake. When I tested the new stop lever / shaft, I was doing it WITHOUT the temperature sensor in place (since it was easier to see what was happening with the blend door with the vent and temp sensor taken off). I guess the sensor was detecting the ambient air temperture and NOT the flow of air from the blend door area. It was causing the system to adjust the temperature - but not the temperature of the air flowing out of the vent.

When I reassembled everything - including the vent and temp sensor - everything worked properly. I'm getting no codes when I do the "auto / off" test, so it appears that everything's working properly.

Thanks to everyone who supplied advice / suggestions!!

[valbowski1980]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1938.jpg

- turns out the small shaft with the gear on it (yellow arrow) is sticking out too far and is not making contact with the gears in the gearbox. Gently tap it back in, reassemble the motor, install it and voila! The heating and cooling work great and no more 08 code! I am now a happy man!:cheesy: (Let's just hope it doesn't go again!)

You are the man!

I just finished sorting mine, turns out my blend door shaft was prefectly fine and it was the motor shaft that popped out. Tapped it back in-place and and no more 08!

Good thing too since it's getting warm here and I was getting sick of hot air blowing in my face.

[broun]

Very helpful, thanks all!

Before I start, you can contact me if you need any help. And if you live nearby, I can give you a hand (that'll cost you a little under $2000 :) )

I just finished checking my system last night after I heard some grinding noise coming from under the dash when I switched from heat to AC. Although the air was switching OK between hot and cold, I was getting a code 1-08 from the ACC diagnosis tool (which is kinda neat feature)

After I was able to fit under the dash, which is a feat by itself :suprised; , I removed the motor assembly to discover that both the control arm and the shaft were OK. It even looked like the arm had been retrofitted with the new version. I took the motor assembly apart; it turned out the motor shaft had slided out. Put it back in, reassembled everything and it cleared the code! Very nice. It took me about 1h 15min total to get my tools, remove, get more tools, check, get more tools again, fix and reinstall.

What I'd like to add (nice pictures by the way; I borrowed some of them, if you don't mind):

1) You DON'T have to remove the vent assembly (white arrow) out to check the problem, just the motor assembly (Yellow arrow). It has 2 screws, bottom and top. The top one is the problem. You have to go over the steering shaft with a long extension to your socket tool. Don't force the motor out of the shaft, just wiggle it back and forth, it'll eventually come out; you don't want to break your shaft if it's not already broken!!!

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1925.jpg

2) You need to check 3 things: swinging white arm, the yellow shaft and the step motor shaft (inside the motor assembly).

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1940.jpg


3) If it looks like the swinging arm (white part) and shaft (yellow part) work smoothly and are not broken (you can grease the whole assembly while you're at it), the problem might be the motor shaft.

4) Take the motor assembly apart, 2 screws. Then the motor out, 2 more screws. Check how much the gear connected to the shaft of the motor sticks out (distance between the motor casing and the dented gear). If it's more than 2 mm (1/16"), get the shaft back in by tapping gently on the gear/shaft towards the motor casing. If it goes too far, don't worry, turn the motor upside down and tap the shaft back out with a pointy tool or nail. When you think it's back to about 1/16", put everything back together. Check the picture following this link. Good luck!!!

http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=7787&stc=1

[Chris 9-5]

Nice post well done :p

[abdukted1456]

this should be stickied.

I had the little white plastic thing fall out when putting in a boost guage, so i am guessing I need to get a new one. havent' gotten to take it apart and check the shaft yet. now at least I know why the ACC only works well when both sides are set to the same temp :cheesy:

[robw]

this should be stickied.

It's linked to in the sticky called "FAQs" ;)

[mzvi3]

Ok I Have not seen anyone with code 11 does anyone have any ideas?
I get that together with 08 which was just the stepping motor - got that done but having a prob reindexing.

[GurMin]

Hi!
today had problem. driving through rain, my a/c refused to work :(

When I'm pressing "auto" button. A/c display going ON. Showing temperature setting, fan speed, react to temperature inside the car, trying to adjust the fan speed, but no any air coming out. Tried "auto + off" combination. Do not showing any fault codes. Cannot understand what is the problem? May be blowing motor?

Thanks!

[vadim]

Rob,

The motor you were talking about is the stepper motor? correct?

Thanks.
Vadim

[vadim]

Excellent pictures! I was trying to get the stepper motor out like you said with 2 screws but I can't seem to get to those screws if those are the ones . I don't have the right tool for it, it's very limited space in there. Any idea which tool I can use for it? Thanks again!



Very helpful, thanks all!

Before I start, you can contact me if you need any help. And if you live nearby, I can give you a hand (that'll cost you a little under $2000 :) )

I just finished checking my system last night after I heard some grinding noise coming from under the dash when I switched from heat to AC. Although the air was switching OK between hot and cold, I was getting a code 1-08 from the ACC diagnosis tool (which is kinda neat feature)

After I was able to fit under the dash, which is a feat by itself :suprised; , I removed the motor assembly to discover that both the control arm and the shaft were OK. It even looked like the arm had been retrofitted with the new version. I took the motor assembly apart; it turned out the motor shaft had slided out. Put it back in, reassembled everything and it cleared the code! Very nice. It took me about 1h 15min total to get my tools, remove, get more tools, check, get more tools again, fix and reinstall.

What I'd like to add (nice pictures by the way; I borrowed some of them, if you don't mind):

1) You DON'T have to remove the vent assembly (white arrow) out to check the problem, just the motor assembly (Yellow arrow). It has 2 screws, bottom and top. The top one is the problem. You have to go over the steering shaft with a long extension to your socket tool. Don't force the motor out of the shaft, just wiggle it back and forth, it'll eventually come out; you don't want to break your shaft if it's not already broken!!!

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1925.jpg

2) You need to check 3 things: swinging white arm, the yellow shaft and the step motor shaft (inside the motor assembly).

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1940.jpg


3) If it looks like the swinging arm (white part) and shaft (yellow part) work smoothly and are not broken (you can grease the whole assembly while you're at it), the problem might be the motor shaft.

4) Take the motor assembly apart, 2 screws. Then the motor out, 2 more screws. Check how much the gear connected to the shaft of the motor sticks out (distance between the motor casing and the dented gear). If it's more than 2 mm (1/16"), get the shaft back in by tapping gently on the gear/shaft towards the motor casing. If it goes too far, don't worry, turn the motor upside down and tap the shaft back out with a pointy tool or nail. When you think it's back to about 1/16", put everything back together. Check the picture following this link. Good luck!!!

http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=7787&stc=1

[joskiluv]

robw-you're the man, or woman! I took the pannel down and guess what, same broke piece with some sort of white lube all over it. Why the hell would Saab make the part plastic and so easy to break!! Anyway here i go calling the dealer to order the small piece. Thanks a million just hope i dont have a problem with the gear on that motor. :roll:

[SectorNine50]

robw-you're the man, or woman! I took the pannel down and guess what, same broke piece with some sort of white lube all over it. Why the hell would Saab make the part plastic and so easy to break!! Anyway here i go calling the dealer to order the small piece. Thanks a million just hope i dont have a problem with the gear on that motor. :roll:
Hind sight is 20/20! :cool:

[joskiluv]

So I got my little plastic stop lever, took out the motor and the elbow vent but the yellow shaft was totally busted and broken in two pieces. There's this black wheel of fortune looking wheel with a squared metal rod connecting to it. Also there are like 4 or 6 pie pieces on this wheel and one of the pie pieces is flat and yellow & I assume went to the shaft. Is this the shaft every is refering to? When you turn on the heat and press different buttons on the ACC controls- defroster, floor, vent, etc i can see this wheel spin around. My question is what do i need now? Do i need the $225 kit I heard others mention. The yellow rod that broke also looks like it attached to that wheel but how? Or does the kit explain it all? Anyone know? Please help

Thanks-:roll:

Another thing, does the passenger side have the same type set up?

[joskiluv]

Hey Robw you still have that shaft kit? I'm pretty sure i need one...

[robw]

joskiluv,

Sorry no, I sold the kit a while back. As for the "wheel of fortune", not sure exactly what that is - perhaps a pic of what you are looking at might help. Does sound like the aluminum kit is what you need based on the "broken yellow shaft" description. Also, if you get the kit, you don't need the stop lever you just bought so you can return that to Saab.

I do believe the passenger side has a similar setup but don't seem to hear of problems over there nearly as much. Maybe because it's the driver side that gets adjusted more frequently?

robw-you're the man, or woman!
Ahem........it would be "the man" thank you. :p

[joskiluv]

Nice...ok. Yeah I didnt think to take pics, my back and arms were too kinked for that.

If you lay down near the pedals looking straignt up into the dash, behind where the motor was and vent was you see this rotating wheel about 3 1/2 to 4 inches wide. Attached to that wheel somehow was this yellow shaft.

Where does the rod comming out of the motor attactch to durring assembly. and what does the smaller end of the stop lever attatch to? Guess I'll figure all this out once i get the kit huh..

Thanks for all the help so far.

[bmwjoe]

http://home.jtan.com/~joe/saab/blend_door_6s.jpg

I fixed the blend door on my 9-5 this weekend and it went well. I added a few pictures to help others, especially aligning the positioner.

http://home.jtan.com/~joe/saab/code_08.htm

I hope this helps others.

Drive Safe,

Joe

[crosseye]

Well, I'm just missing the swinging white arm alltogether. The yellow shaft appears to be in good shape and not broke. My question is, if I pick up a replacement arm, is there any adjustments I need to make other than sliding the arm over the shaft? I'm currently getting only cold air on the driver side (left for me) and everything is fine on the passenger side.

[BrentB]

I found the same broken stop ring that was mentioned in one of these threads. I see that the electrical connector was removed from both the motor and elbow. Does the motor need to be separated from the elbow, or can the whole thing come out as one piece as there's a screw in the motor up on top which I don't think I can get at with my tools.

[SPATL]

Dumb question here but what is the difference between the $225 kit you bought and the $159 blend door kit I bought off the same site?

I am about to do this so top props for the pics and tutorial.

[crosseye]

I found the same broken stop ring that was mentioned in one of these threads. I see that the electrical connector was removed from both the motor and elbow. Does the motor need to be separated from the elbow, or can the whole thing come out as one piece as there's a screw in the motor up on top which I don't think I can get at with my tools.

Try a thin handled screwdriver. I used my right hand to slide it over the top of the steering column and my left hand to stabilize and help turn on the left side of the steering column. You'll get a little grease on you, but it allows straight on access to the screw.

[SPATL]

SUCCESS! Blend door aluminum shaft installed!

This thread was worth it all. Thanks to the original poster with the pictures as this helped me tremendously.

My shaft was indeed broken in two so the aluminum replacement was necessary.

It took awhile to get the busted shaft out but once I got it out, the new aluminum replacement fit over the existing inner part without an issue. I did have to break apart the outer part to get it out and reorient the stepper motor to the aluminum shaft but once on, and a recalibration of the ACC, NO CODES and glorious heat to the driver's feet!

Thanks again for a great thread!

By the way...a few notes. I bought the replacement shaft from the saabsite for $199. Since then, they reduced the price to $159. They refunded me the difference.

ONE OTHER IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE:
Another wellknown saab parts company is selling a previous version(for $99) of what The Saabsite came up with. This version has had problems with the indexing and over stepping the stops and in some cases ruining the heatercore. Just a FYI if you decide to go with the one from the other company. I would suggest going with the one from the saabsite. If you are about to do this fix, I would call them to get the word on their part. It really seems like they knwo what is going on and how this other, cheaper version got to the market.

Not a bad afternoon after turkey day!

[brentcbrooks]

Unfortuneately it appears the shaft is broken after I replaced the stop lever with no luck. After checking behind it appears the shaft just turns but is not connected. So how do you remove the broken shaft? I can remove the stop ring, but to get the shaft out it would appear you need to cruch it to get it out through the opening? I have ordered the kit.



Alright,

So my $225 blend door shaft repair kit arrived over the weekend and I went to install it today......
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1934.jpg


First, remove the lower dash piece as shown here:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1922.jpg



When I removed it, this little piece fell out :

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1936.jpg


I then removed the motor (yellow arrow) and the vent elbow (white arow):

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1925.jpg

Once these were off, I had access to the belnd door shaft:




http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1932.jpg

Turns out, my shaft was still intact. Apparently the 1...08 code can also be caused by a broken stop lever which attaches to the end of the blend door shaft.

So now I have ordered a new stop lever(the broken piece above part #5334701) from the dealership for $17. I will try and see if I can get Saabsite to accept a return of the aluminum one as I have no need for it but their site clearly stated "NOT RETURNABLE".

My advice to all would be to remove the pieces and physically confirm that the shaft is broken before ordering the kit. It is a pain in the *** working under the dash on the drivers side, but it didn't take too long to get in there (about 30 mins or so and would have been less if I didn't bother taking piccys).

I can see how this would be an easy fix for a broken shaft and one that Saab themselves should employ rather than charging customers $2000 to put a plastic shaft back in that would still be susceptible to breaking again:roll:.

[SPATL]

I had to break some of it apart to push it through and out of the way of the other side of the shaft that will stay there and connect to the new aluminum shaft. You kind of have to play with it and wiggle it around until it comes out from the inside.

[brentcbrooks]

Anybody thought that this ought to be some sort of NHSTA recall? When you can't see because the defroster blows cold air and this is such a common failure for so many 95's, you'd have thought Saab would have adopted this aftermarket fix and covered it. Kind of like the recall with the ignition cassette. I won't buy another Saab.

I had to break some of it apart to push it through and out of the way of the other side of the shaft that will stay there and connect to the new aluminum shaft. You kind of have to play with it and wiggle it around until it comes out from the inside.

[SectorNine50]

Anybody thought that this ought to be some sort of NHSTA recall? When you can't see because the defroster blows cold air and this is such a common failure for so many 95's, you'd have thought Saab would have adopted this aftermarket fix and covered it. Kind of like the recall with the ignition cassette. I won't buy another Saab.
Nah, it doesn't matter what temperature the air blows, as long as the air is dry it will defrost the windshield.

Kind of a random ending to your post... but you have to remember, every car has it's issues, this is not that big of a deal compared to some cars. My dad's BMW had to have it's entire wiring harness replaced because they were apparently faulty, and there was no recall on that.

It's funny, I think I attribute the heater troubles in this car to me owning it. The car was a VERY good price, and I didn't notice until winter came that the heater was bad. Fixed it, and it didn't cost me a thing. I think the seller knew what the problem was, and was selling the car because of the dealer's $2,000 heater core quote to fix it. :o

[BrentB]

You are probably right on the selling issue. I think the shaft broke on mine during the summer because my wife said she had issues with the A/C. I figured it just needed to be charged at the time. Now that it is winter in Maine, cold defrost is not really practical, and I don't see how I can sell or trade it in the shape it's in. So, I'll cram myself back into that cubby when the repair kit comes...




Nah, it doesn't matter what temperature the air blows, as long as the air is dry it will defrost the windshield.

Kind of a random ending to your post... but you have to remember, every car has it's issues, this is not that big of a deal compared to some cars. My dad's BMW had to have it's entire wiring harness replaced because they were apparently faulty, and there was no recall on that.

It's funny, I think I attribute the heater troubles in this car to me owning it. The car was a VERY good price, and I didn't notice until winter came that the heater was bad. Fixed it, and it didn't cost me a thing. I think the seller knew what the problem was, and was selling the car because of the dealer's $2,000 heater core quote to fix it. :o

[SectorNine50]

You are probably right on the selling issue. I think the shaft broke on mine during the summer because my wife said she had issues with the A/C. I figured it just needed to be charged at the time. Now that it is winter in Maine, cold defrost is not really practical, and I don't see how I can sell or trade it in the shape it's in. So, I'll cram myself back into that cubby when the repair kit comes...
It feels great once you get it all fixed, especially when you start thinking about what would've happened if you asked the dealer what was wrong! :cool: On mine, a gear had just slipped off a motor, could you imagine if I had the whole core changed because of that?! :o

[nfknight]

Hi

I'm new to the forums here, and read through this post, as I have the error code 08 showing up. I was just wondering if someone can confirm if it sounds like the same problem as most everyone else is having.

When I press AUTO, the fan doesn't turn on at all. No blowing air. If I get up to highway speeds, I can feel some warm air leaking out of the vents, but that is all. Does that sound consistent?

I am scheduled to bring it to a dealer tomorrow because I have an extended warranty, but am nervous this is not going to be covered. Any idea if this would be covered?

Thanks, it was 1 degree F this morning in Mpls when I left for work!

[BrentB]

With these cars it seems like the extended warranty is proving worthwhile. My fan worked fine, so you may have multiple issues. If it is a problem with the SID unit (electronic display) make sure you reference the clock as that's what I needed to get mine replaced under an extended warranty.

[nfknight]

Thanks Brent. The only error code I get is "8", as in "1 8", so I didn't think that there might be a fan issue as well.

Can anybody else confirm that they have an ACC fault code 8, with the heater vents still blowing air? (mine don't)

Thanks!

[Hendrik]

Thanks Brent. The only error code I get is "8", as in "1 8", so I didn't think that there might be a fan issue as well.

Can anybody else confirm that they have an ACC fault code 8, with the heater vents still blowing air? (mine don't)

Thanks!

I think you have two problems, the fan motor hase worn brushes and the blend door shaft and/or the stoplever is broken.
Henk

[nfknight]

Thanks Hendrik. So if the fan motor is broken, or has worn bushings, then that won't necessarly produce a seperate error code?

Thanks!
Nate

[Hendrik]

Thanks Hendrik. So if the fan motor is broken, or has worn bushings, then that won't necessarly produce a seperate error code?

Thanks!
Nate

No, there is no message, it stops with blowing.

Henk

[SectorNine50]

No, there is no message, it stops with blowing.

Henk
The blower fans have been known to go out on these cars, so that's probably your problem. As for the 08 error... That's really never wrong, so you might wanna do a search and poke around your heater box.

[clown8]

I've been driving for almost 3 weeks with no heat from the driver side vents, after a visit to my dealer, they said the blend door for the air mixture is broken, and the only remedy is to replace the whole heater box ...:o :x ..at Eur.3500,- excl.fitting, which will take approx. 5 to 6 hrs labour !!, luckyly the parts manager came along, and he said, i know that there is a aluminium replacement out there on internet, if you can get it, then we'll fit it for you.

So i went straight home, made a print of this marvelous thread, and drove back to the garage, and showed him the picture, and he said, yes this is it !

So i ordered the parts at the saabsite, cost me usd.159,- + usd 60,- shipping to NL.
After almost 3 weeks, and EUR.45,- tax :( the parts arrived, and the dealer installs the parts for eur 75,-

And ...after 3 weeks cold wind to my face, i can experience nice, warm wind blowing out of all vents :D

[robw]

And ...after 3 weeks cold wind to my face, i can experience nice, warm wind blowing out of all vents :D
Excellent - glad to hear you got it all sorted out.

[SectorNine50]

Congrats on the savings! :cool:

[camaro02dk]

Hey everybody


Ok I am going to put it out there.... I need help.. and I mean hands on...

I have tried this 3 times to figure it out, but I am not getting anywhere. Is there any one in the area of Maryland, US. I am willing to pay for some help.

I even tried to go to saab but they only want to change everything for an insane price...

[dilanja]

Hi All,

Just in the Midst of the dreaded Blend door repair. I started last week but still getting on. I didn’t order the parts as yet as I wanted to check both sides. I was having hot air blowing out.

When I took the drivers side apart it was pretty much the same as the passenger side except for the fact that there were no metal rods going out of them from the stop leavers. I'm not sure if this is normal or whether the previous owner just started it and stopped halfway through.

Fantastic help on the forum and I probably wouldn’t have gotten this far if not for the super pics and great methodologies. Hope I can fix it all back the same way!!:o

Cheers
Dilan
http://picasaweb.google.com/dilan.jayasinghe/Saabhttp://picasaweb.google.com/dilan.jayasinghe/Saab
http://picasaweb.google.com/dilan.jayasinghe/Saab

[valrune]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1934.jpg
Do they still offer this aluminum version?
All I seen was a aluminum/composite one that looks slightly different on the end by the stop lever.
Has anyone used the new version with any luck? Thanks

[abdukted1456]

I just pulled the dash panel off to find not only was the stop lever toast, but the shaft was indeed broken.

so i ordered the full kit from thesaabsite and the price is now $89! :cheesy:

A lot nicer than the 1500-2000 from a dealer!

great info guys!

p.s. invest in a set of phillips head bits and swivel attachment for a driver/ratchet... that top screw is near impossible to reach, maybe harder to put back than to get out? we'll see when my kit arrives :roll:

[abdukted1456]

Hey everybody


Ok I am going to put it out there.... I need help.. and I mean hands on...

I have tried this 3 times to figure it out, but I am not getting anywhere. Is there any one in the area of Maryland, US. I am willing to pay for some help.

I even tried to go to saab but they only want to change everything for an insane price...

Hey , if you lived closer I'd gladly give you a hand.

You get it fixed yet?

[abdukted1456]

my "thesaabsite" kit arrived after only a few days, and it was an aluminum stop lever, combined with a plastic shaft replacement. But the cost was only 89 dollars now.

it installed very easily, and upon re-calibration I got only 1 - 22.

So it seems like things are operating nicely for the moment, I can hear the blend door operating now and lots of air directs to the lower vent finally.

but I am not sure what the 22 code is about. It read something about a reflash in coordination with a service bulletin, but no more info is given. So likely I need to see a dealer:roll:

Anybody know more about it?

[SectorNine50]

22 codes tend to come and go. Mine did it once after my battery died, then I re-calibrated again and it never showed up again. Try re-calibrating again and see if it does the same.

[desertman72206]

Any comments on how the drivers side ac and heat works wonders. I mean really good but if I set the passengers side at anything more than 62 degrees it blows hot air and the rear passanger seat vents blows mind blowing super hot air if the passenger front controls is above 62 degress. I got the dreaded 08 code but curious on why it does this to the back seats as well as the front.

[SectorNine50]

Any comments on how the drivers side ac and heat works wonders. I mean really good but if I set the passengers side at anything more than 62 degrees it blows hot air and the rear passanger seat vents blows mind blowing super hot air if the passenger front controls is above 62 degress. I got the dreaded 08 code but curious on why it does this to the back seats as well as the front.
Because the rear seat vents are tied directly into the passenger side vents. That way the driver has his own heat/cool controls, while all the passengers share theirs.

Checking out your blend door shaft and/or the blend door stepper motor (sometimes the gear slips off the motor) will fix that 08 error for little or no coin.

[desertman72206]

Thanks Im going out there today to look at this puppy and see. I appreciate it.:D:cheesy:

[abdukted1456]

I recalibrated again today (3rd time) but this time while out driving, and not just idling in the driveway.

I now get "0"

AWESOME.

this was such an easy repair I am so glad to have the interwebz to inform me. :cheesy:

[crosseye]

I posted another thread, but does anyone know of a reason why, after going through lots of trouble and finally getting it all right, the 08 code would go away, but the driver's side would still not get heat? Is there a certain position the stop arm and yellow shaft should be in before inserting the step motor shaft?

I just indexed my step motor to match the yellow shaft and stop arm. That cleared the 08, but didn't fix the problem. I've tested several times thinking maybe the system is just fooled, but it says everything is fine. My cold feet say otherwise.

[justinsalv]

Had the same problem, no air at all. took the cabin fan out, pulled the brushes, cleaned everything with alcohol and put it back in. Works like new... now to tackle my 08 code. Thanks to EVERYONE on this site who's posted their knowledge and experience. I fixed my fan for $0.00! but, it did take me about 3 hours... damn those wiper arms.

[Skipshot]

Thanks be to all on this thread for saving me $1500 on my blend door repair! Yeah, it took me 3 hours to do it with all the head scratching, going back and forth from the car to the computer, and referring to other sites, but I got it done for $40 in parts from the dealer.

Both my shaft and stop arm were broken, but the replacement shaft fit perfectly over the end which was still in the heating unit. Yeah, it was a drag doing the repair and I was unable to reinstall all the screws, but it works now and it didn't cost much. If I had to do it again I could do it in 45 minutes total time now.

Here's the other site I used: http://home.jtan.com/~joe/saab/code_08.htm

Combine this with the ABS module repair I learned to do on this site and others and I've saved about $4500 in repairs to a cost of less than $300 plus my time.

[Chris 9-5]

Combine this with the ABS module repair I learned to do on this site and others and I've saved about $4500 in repairs to a cost of less than $300 plus my time.

Well done and a very warm welcome to you!

[Jssaab]

I posted another thread, but does anyone know of a reason why, after going through lots of trouble and finally getting it all right, the 08 code would go away, but the driver's side would still not get heat? Is there a certain position the stop arm and yellow shaft should be in before inserting the step motor shaft?

I just indexed my step motor to match the yellow shaft and stop arm. That cleared the 08, but didn't fix the problem. I've tested several times thinking maybe the system is just fooled, but it says everything is fine. My cold feet say otherwise.

Yes you need to calibrate, you may need to reindex

[gaviria00]

I had the same problem that everyone here, i got the 01.........08 code, so i checked my car and I saw that the shatf was broken so i replaced. Now i haven't codes but the air conditioner is still war in the driver side and not to cold in the passengers side, maibe i need to put new air?

[FrankJones]

I figured I would tell you my story. 2000 9-5 08 error, Cost to repair ZERO. Early spring my car wasn’t heating enough and when it got pretty cold out my windshield was fogging up on me. With the heated seats I tolerated the cool temperature since spring was in the air.


Lucky for me it gave me time to look around for alternative cures before forking over $2000.00 to the dealer. God I love Google. Oh and the people like yourselves who take the time to record and post these relatively simple cures.


I followed the steps in the guides that are contained in this thread and to my luck, no broken parts. I assumed that the motor pin was faulty and not connecting with the other gears from reading the step by step guides.


robw has the picture of the silver motor removed in this thread.


While the motor was removed I plugged it back in and turned the key and when it kicked in I heard that giggidy giggidy giggidy clickity clickity clickity little noise that I have been hearing since the heat died out a while back.


So I opened up the motor, Just two easy outer and two easy inner screws and tapped the little drive gear back in until it was about 1/8 of an inch from being all the way in. I put the motor back together and did the test again before reinstalling it completely and no more giggidy giggidy giggidy clickity clickity clickity little noise. The drive shaft was new turning as it should.

I reassembled the motor and blower put it back as before and what do you know. No more 08 error and I have heat.


One hour and a stiff neck, but know I feel pretty proud of myself,,, thanks to saabcenral, infocog and robw for their thoughtfulness or I would have had no idea where to start. I named my son Robert because I have never met a Robert I didn’t like.



Frank Jones From Toronto

[robw]

Glad it was a help Frank and welcome to SaabCentral, the best Saab site on the net. ;) Whereabouts in Toronto are you? I lived there a few years as a kid.

I named my son Robert
Awww shucks, I'm touched....... ;oops:

[G96nt]

here's where I'm "stuck"

my plastic piece was broken, like everyone elses.
I did have the yellow shaft in the body, though. it seemed to be just fine.
the only thing... with the the motor off, when I spin the yellow shaft, I don't really feel any resistance where it goes through the wall.
I already bought the $89 kit from saabsite, and I'd just assume replace everything. How do I go about removing the old shaft? it appears to be in there pretty well, and I'm not super-keen on breaking anything under there.

pictures decribe better than *I* ever could...


here's what I have under there.
Honestly, I couldn't see that it was snapped in half until I took the picture.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n164/g96nt/shagn%20wagn/4144cea5.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n164/g96nt/shagn%20wagn/21b1c948.jpg

so.. do I smash the "upper" yellow shaft, and wiggle the new, composite one down over what's left of the "bottom"?

or.. and I screwed?

[G96nt]

ahhhhhh
here's some AWESOME news
while trying to pop the upper part off, I gave a twist, and hear a "pop"

two pieces fell out... and it immediately answered my last question.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n164/g96nt/shagn%20wagn/15193198.jpg

So... I'm PRETTY sure I'm completely screwed right now.
anyone have any advice/tips?

[Skipshot]

If it were me I'd be screwed. I'm pretty sure that piece you broke off was supposed to stay there and the replacement part is supposed to mate with it.

[G96nt]

yeah. screwed. that's the piece that goes around the door, and isn't replacable.

so... I'm going to put it back together for now, and see about just getting the door to settle in the middle when I have a chance to get back under there.

I'm NOT pleased. you guys be careful when you're pulling the old piece out. it took very little effort for me to break the thing.

and... if anyone needs the saabsite piece, I have (a spare) one, now.

[Jssaab]

yeah. screwed. that's the piece that goes around the door, and isn't replacable.

so... I'm going to put it back together for now, and see about just getting the door to settle in the middle when I have a chance to get back under there.

I'm NOT pleased. you guys be careful when you're pulling the old piece out. it took very little effort for me to break the thing.

and... if anyone needs the saabsite piece, I have (a spare) one, now.

You sure? I thought the shaft was replaceable and from Saab too...

[G96nt]

not that part of it...
that piece is part of the heater box.

I'm going to have to get under there, and see what's up.... but I'll have to do it when I can start taking a lot of stuff apart....

[sierra-papa-golf]

The weather finally warmed enough to work on my a/c (ERROR CODE 1-22). Im pretty tall 6'5", so I took the drivers side seat out so I could have better access underneath the dash. Once I eventually got in there, and took off the motor and vent, I couldn't figure what was wrong with my system. The plastic arm and the shaft were still intact on the vent door, and when I rotated the plastic arm downward, the air became warmer. I reconnected the motor to its power cord to see if it moved when I made control inputs, it did not, but it felt like it was alive. I think this is because the thermostat on the vent was not connected. When I reconnected the motor the system read a 0-08 error code.
I called it quits when the sun set, the brought the motor inside and to tried find any obvious problems. I think that it has already been replaced, the previous owner told me he spend a good chunk of cash on the a/c system, and I believe the date of manufacture was 7/04 - three years before my car was manufactured. The shaft on the motor is metal, and I do not see the actual cogs on the gear that were in the posts, but there is no arm on the end of the shaft. What is wrong with my blend door???

[Jssaab]

The weather finally warmed enough to work on my a/c (ERROR CODE 1-22). Im pretty tall 6'5", so I took the drivers side seat out so I could have better access underneath the dash. Once I eventually got in there, and took off the motor and vent, I couldn't figure what was wrong with my system. The plastic arm and the shaft were still intact on the vent door, and when I rotated the plastic arm downward, the air became warmer. I reconnected the motor to its power cord to see if it moved when I made control inputs, it did not, but it felt like it was alive. I think this is because the thermostat on the vent was not connected. When I reconnected the motor the system read a 0-08 error code.
I called it quits when the sun set, the brought the motor inside and to tried find any obvious problems. I think that it has already been replaced, the previous owner told me he spend a good chunk of cash on the a/c system, and I believe the date of manufacture was 7/04 - three years before my car was manufactured. The shaft on the motor is metal, and I do not see the actual cogs on the gear that were in the posts, but there is no arm on the end of the shaft. What is wrong with my blend door???

You said that the motro "feels" alive but is not working. Servo moter sounds bad. I sounds as though you got the new aftermarket blend door arm and stuff.
Get a new one and you are good

[woywitka]

Great guide. Fixed my code 08 error for free. The gear was too far extended and just needed to be pushed back in. Works perfectly again!:D

[rhhanson63]

First let me say what an great set of instructions and follow up posts! These were spot on when it came to troubleshooting my AC issue.

I took everything apart and the broken stop arm fell out as shown above. My broken part looked exactly, and I mean exactly like the one in the pictures. Ordered a new stop arm and with some contortion and laying upside down under the dash was able to disassemble and reassemble every.

My error code 8 is gone but I now get a 13, which is Stepping motor, air distribution flap Jammed flap B2406. So I am guessing i assembled something wrong. The small gear on the motor was out so I tapped it back it prior to reassembly.

Any one had the 13 error and what did you do to fix the flap issue?

Notes an doing this job:

1. Drop light or headband light is essential
2. Get a 6mm socket, Flex Joint and 3 lengths of extension for a 1/4" drive ratchet (short, medium and long)
3. Stretch well and limber up
4. take pictures
5. Get your 17 year old 120 pound son to crawl under the dash as much as possible (after all, it is his car).
6. Patience

So far I have about 4 hours and $30.00 into the project and feel I am real close. Probably just a little motor work.

Not bad as the dealer quoted $2400.00

Anyway, I need ideas on fixing the error code 13! Any ideas?

[rhhanson63]

Well we spent some more time working on the error code 1...13 today. The 1..08 is gone after the stop arm was replaced.

Took the motor out and tried to align it an get it installed correctly. I am still getting the 1...13 error, but have ait flowing from the Dahs Vents when teh AC is on. The issue is I can not get any air flowing to the defroster when it is on, it flows out of the floor vent.

So there is some change, if not improvement, but not quite where we need to be. I am guessing based on the symptom change I jsut have a motor indexing issue or alignment issue.

Any ideas?

[ClemsonScout]

I originally had a 1...13 and 2...13 code and occasionally a 2...08. I pulled everything apart to inspect and I found my car has the new style lever arm, but I'm pretty sure it is indeed cracked... I didn't pull it off since I don't have a replacement. What you guys think? Cracked?

Whats the easiest way to get it off safely? I assume rotate it down out of the way of the housing and pry/slide it off?

I inspected the blend door shaft and it wasn't broken so I'm just looking at a replacement lever arm. I was thinking of going with the aluminum one from the Saabsite. Anyone use this part?

http://www.thesaabsite.com/95/95Cabinfan.htm

http://www.thesaabsite.com/shop/catimages/5334701.jpg

There are two per car, is the other one on the passenger side? Does this one ever fail?

ACC Codes:

http://www.thesaabsite.com/95/Saab-95-(9-5)-blend-door-codes.htm (http://www.thesaabsite.com/95/Saab-95-%289-5%29-blend-door-codes.htm)

I pulled the stepper motor and found that the shaft was slightly too far out, but I was wondering if clocking of the gears between the motor and the base gear was important. I couldn't find an answer to this question. I had to clock the motor and housing s slightly to get it back in by rotating the outer shaft with the motor out of the housing and than put it back together. I ran a calibration cycle and had just the 08 code now.


http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff340/clemsonscout/2009/IMG_3608.jpg


Lastly another picture..

I found it necessary to remove the black bracket/support arm that goes to the gas peddle and also the green and black connectors. The bracket and connectors come off first, then the motor (2 screws) and than the floor vent (3 screws).
http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff340/clemsonscout/2009/IMG_3609.jpg

[jmac]

Well this might be a dumb question but I'm new to Saab and the ACC system. My A/C refuses to work (not cold) and i'm getting the 08 error code like everyone else in this thread. Would the blend door have anything to do with my A/C? My heater works great, and is even on both sides of the cabin. I just can't get cold air to blow! Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

[ClemsonScout]

Yes, the 08 code is the blend door. It could either be a broken blend door lever or blend door arm. I just finished the fix. I ended up with the OEM plastic part lever.

[alexofc69]

Im getting
01 - 13
02 - 13.
I have no idea what to do. The motor blows fine. The driver side will blow baking hot in the AM. Then it will randomly blow hot air. I see one of these codes is a cabin temp sensor. I would like to replace it, but do no know where to find it.

[ClemsonScout]

I would randomly get 1 13 and 2 13 most of the time and occasionally 08. Once I fixed the 08 (blend door) all the other codes stopped.

[controlspecimen]

I have a problem on the passenger side of my LHD 9-5. The blend door shaft on that side which controls the metal rod that makes the back hot or cold is broken, but in an odd way. There's a little clip at the end of shaft that the motor goes into, but somehow that broke on mine and the motor just spins inside the shaft and nothing happens. The shaft itself isnt broken, and I have no idea what to do to repair it, other than just taking out the motor and leaving the metal rod in the up position. Does anyone have any ideas?

[alexofc69]

I would randomly get 1 13 and 2 13 most of the time and occasionally 08. Once I fixed the 08 (blend door) all the other codes stopped.Yeah, im suspecting the blend door. The driver side does what it feels like. It was 95 degrees today and it decide it wanted to blow 100 degree air out of the drivers vents!
I guess im gonna have to dig in there and see whats going on.

[jmac]

Question: Would the 08 error code have anything to do with the AC compressor not coming on? Or are they separate issues?

[fusionrx]

I am getting the 1 -08 code on one press of the Auto Off and 1 13 with a second press of the Auto Off.

I have also noticed I cannot go to less that 58F (LO) and can't get the air to blow out of the vents as I switch, say from Dash to Windshield vents and vice versa.

Is this typical behavior?

TIA!

[aslan]

ok, guys i got a small question,i but i think its important
code 1-08, how do i know which side is broken, rite or left?

[ClemsonScout]

ok, guys i got a small question,i but i think its important
code 1-08, how do i know which side is broken, rite or left?

First off it helps to run the diagnostic a few times as it seems like it can spit out different codes at different times which all may be related. For example I had two codes..09 and 13 IIRC, once I fixed the 08 code the 13 disappeared.

Here is the list of ACC faults:

http://www.saabservices.com/9-5%20ACC%20codes.htm

If you had 1-09 it would be right door. 1-08 is left door.

[aslan]

so, 1-08, is the drivers side?

[ClemsonScout]

1-08 is left door.

so, 1-08, is the drivers side?

Correct

[aslan]

Ok So I got my $17 little plastic stop lever and installed it on the end of the shaft:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/rwaring/CIMG1940.jpg



how do u secure that white thing on that yellow thing (dont know their names :D) silicone? or it just pops in?

[ClemsonScout]

It snaps on. There is a small tab on the yellow shaft that snaps over white blend door arm. I spayed mine with white lithium grease and I also greased the blend door itself.

[aslan]

It snaps on. There is a small tab on the yellow shaft that snaps over white blend door arm. I spayed mine with white lithium grease and I also greased the blend door itself.

i looks like i have the exactly the same problem, like you;
when i removed the cover that white piece fell out;

when i do the auto+off thing, i hear the motor making the sound in there, but nothing is happening. i am gonna follow your advice to push in the gear a bit; hopefully that works

[ClemsonScout]

i looks like i have the exactly the same problem, like you;
when i removed the cover that white piece fell out;

when i do the auto+off thing, i hear the motor making the sound in there, but nothing is happening. i am gonna follow your advice to push in the gear a bit; hopefully that works

If the white piece fell out the blend door arm is broken.

[boxman]

so I too have this code :roll: does this also make the rear vent blow hot all the time too ?

[Burj900S]

Gents,

I read through the thread, great infor but still a bit confused.

I am new to the 95 forum, but I have been in the classic Saab for a while. BTW my 900 turbo still refuses to run.

Bought my 95 V6 griffin (1999) last week. I noticed that the passenger side blows nice cold air but the driver side is warm (not really hot to be honest). After 2~3 minutes it gets a bit cooler but never as cold as the passenger side. When the car is running, the faster I drive the cooler air I have from the driver side.

I followed the user manual and tried to recalibrate ACC then I got 2 codes; 1 13 and 2 13.

Did anyone have successfully cured code 13? There seems to be a lots stories about code 08, but I havent seen any fix for 13.

Your help will help me survive the summer......I live is Dubai it is 45+ C out there.

Or should I convert to RHD? ;) I have cold air on the right side.

[ClemsonScout]

Gents,

I read through the thread, great infor but still a bit confused.

I am new to the 95 forum, but I have been in the classic Saab for a while. BTW my 900 turbo still refuses to run.

Bought my 95 V6 griffin (1999) last week. I noticed that the passenger side blows nice cold air but the driver side is warm (not really hot to be honest). After 2~3 minutes it gets a bit cooler but never as cold as the passenger side. When the car is running, the faster I drive the cooler air I have from the driver side.

I followed the user manual and tried to recalibrate ACC then I got 2 codes; 1 13 and 2 13.

Did anyone have successfully cured code 13? There seems to be a lots stories about code 08, but I havent seen any fix for 13.

Your help will help me survive the summer......I live is Dubai it is 45+ C out there.

Or should I convert to RHD? ;) I have cold air on the right side.

I had the same codes and after a few calibrations of the ACC the 08 code showed up. Turns out the blend door arm was broken. I'd make a bet your 13 code is caused by the blend door arm being broken. Its stinks to get in there, but it can be done by tilting the drivers seat back and sticking your feet where your head would normally be. Take a look and see. Should take an hour or so to check, but I'd bet the blend door arm is broken.

[STRETCH20004]

I was wondering if this issue can be the same with my car! My vents do not get any air through them and the only air coming out is thru the defroster and the floor. So i was wondering if this is the problem?

[ShannonT]

Your defrost/floor only is a clasic 08 code symptom. Have you run the diagnostic?

[STRETCH20004]

i have by pushing the auto and off button at the same time but the digital display is a little fuzzy so i cant tell if i have "08" but i see only a "0".Now i went under the driver's side and pulled the panel because i saw that someone else took pics of hisproblem thinking that i would see the same thing but i guess the 9-5 is different from the 9-3. do you know where i can find info or pics describing what to fix?:roll:

[ShannonT]

Have you checked the first page of this thread? There are some good pictures of what's under the dash. Compare what is there to what you are seeing.

[Tailspin]

It snaps on. There is a small tab on the yellow shaft that snaps over white blend door arm. I spayed mine with white lithium grease and I also greased the blend door itself.

My blend door is in need of a greasing, how do I get to it? When I run the diagnostic, or change it pops loudly as it moves to position, binding on the edge. Then I get an 08 when it doesn't get there fast enough methinks. Put in a new arm (it was broken) and it still has the code and is slow to fully move into its positions.

[hiwagon]

Thanks RobW for the great post. After looking through your great pics I was able to find my broken stop lever. I am having trouble getting the shaft back into the blend door shaft. I have it lined up but it is not going in as deep as it needs to. I dont want to force it, there is about 1-2 mm more. Any suggestions?
Thanks again for the great post, you saved me some big bucks.
Hiwagon

[STRETCH20004]

ok i found the motor on my car its located behind the radio. but where is the blend door located on my 99 saab 9-3 se? I have a digital acc.:D

[hiwagon]

Just completed this fix a few days ago. It was about a 2.5 hour job. Would have been faster had I remembered to index the stepper motor with the aluminum piece. Since I forget this step, the stepper motor would not fit back in when it came time to put it back on. Had to go back in, remove the elbow and aluminum piece, and put it all back together for a second time.

Interestingly enough, most of my time was spent removing the broken yellow part of the shaft. Since there was no easy way to just slide it out, I had to break it with pliers and angle it through towards the blend door.

FYI to anyone else who is attempting to do this fix in the future. Some sort of angled screwdriver or ratchet would really make the whole process infinitely easier. I didn't have anything of that nature, so I ended up not being able to replace all of the screws I removed. Five screws need to be removed to access the area need to make the repair. Due to lack of space, I was only able to replace 2 out of the 5. No big deal, since the motor and elbow are held firmly in place just with those 2 screws. But I'm definitely going to put them back in later, just in case.


Hi Rayw69,
could you help me with this. I am working with the same problem. My stop lever was broken. I got the new piece but i don't know how to index the stepper motor. I can't get the shaft to fit into the blend door hole. No matter what angle I try the shaft goes in but it seems there is 1-2mm more it need to go in in order to "catch" the groves in the blend door hole. Any tips on how you did this?
Thanks for your time,
Hiwagon.

[MacNoob]

ok i found the motor on my car its located behind the radio. but where is the blend door located on my 99 saab 9-3 se? I have a digital acc.:D

You're best off posting on the 9-3 Workshop board, we all own the 9-5 so we're all just guessing (except for the people that have both).

[nathanthepilot]

Hi everyone, just read through this thread and found my problem. My ACC was blowing warm air all the time and the fan was just about on full blast with the system in "auto". Seem like the fan was going full blast to try to cool things down but couldn't. Anyway, I pulled everything apart and found the little white arm broken in 3 pieces and then noticed the yellow blending shaft was broken in 2 pieces as well. The yellow shaft was harder to notice that it was broken, but a little roation of the shaft proved it wasn't working at all. I have a new Saab OEM "replacement sleeve" to fit over the part of the shaft that's still intact. I also ordered the aluminum arm to replace the old white one that broke. I'm hoping this fixes my ACC woes. Thanks all for your help. and pics as well. A pic really does help with detailing all of the problems/parts.

[ClemsonScout]

My blend door is in need of a greasing, how do I get to it? When I run the diagnostic, or change it pops loudly as it moves to position, binding on the edge. Then I get an 08 when it doesn't get there fast enough methinks. Put in a new arm (it was broken) and it still has the code and is slow to fully move into its positions.

Sorry for the late response. I used a can of lithium grease with the snorkel (for lack of better word), just sprayed in the area of the blend door arm and where the yellow shaft passes through the housing and inside where the blend door itself is. I've read and heard that the seizing up of the blend door could possible be a failure mode.

[ClemsonScout]

Hi everyone, just read through this thread and found my problem. My ACC was blowing warm air all the time and the fan was just about on full blast with the system in "auto". Seem like the fan was going full blast to try to cool things down but couldn't. Anyway, I pulled everything apart and found the little white arm broken in 3 pieces and then noticed the yellow blending shaft was broken in 2 pieces as well. The yellow shaft was harder to notice that it was broken, but a little roation of the shaft proved it wasn't working at all. I have a new Saab OEM "replacement sleeve" to fit over the part of the shaft that's still intact. I also ordered the aluminum arm to replace the old white one that broke. I'm hoping this fixes my ACC woes. Thanks all for your help. and pics as well. A pic really does help with detailing all of the problems/parts.

I had problems with the aluminum blend door arm. It did not fit on my blend door shaft. Its a water jet cur part and the surface finish isn't that great. I thought that was the issue so I sanded it until it fit over the shaft. Once I had that complete the thickness was more than the OEM part so it wouldn't snap in place. I talked to the owner of the company who is really great and told him what happened and he was shocked. Said that he's sold thousands of them all over the world and I was the first to complain of this issue. I sent him all the measurements for his reference and he credited me my total cost including shipping. I ended up with the OEM part for now.

[nathanthepilot]

I had problems with the aluminum blend door arm. It did not fit on my blend door shaft. Its a water jet cur part and the surface finish isn't that great. I thought that was the issue so I sanded it until it fit over the shaft. Once I had that complete the thickness was more than the OEM part so it wouldn't snap in place. I talked to the owner of the company who is really great and told him what happened and he was shocked. Said that he's sold thousands of them all over the world and I was the first to complain of this issue. I sent him all the measurements for his reference and he credited me my total cost including shipping. I ended up with the OEM part for now.


I guess we'll just have to see what happens with the one I receive. Thanks for the heads up.

[gb3347]

I'm getting the infamous 08 code, also. It started a couple of weeks ago when I noticed the driver side vents were blowing warm air while all other vents blew icy cold (not good in the SoCal desert). I worked around this by setting both sides to LO and adjusting the fan speed manually. Works great but would like to have AUTO function back.

With the help of this thread, I went in there to see what the problem was. Sure enough, the plastic stop arm was broken and fell when I removed the dash panel. I managed to remove the motor (the 2nd screw was tough), and could see the end of the shaft, but I couldn't tell if it was broken or not. How can you tell? Also, is it absolutely necessary to remove the vent elbow to attach the stop arm to the shaft?

I just ordered a new plastic stop arm from the Saab Site, hopefully I won't need a new shaft. Thanks for all the help, would not have attempted this without you guys.:D

[robw]

but I couldn't tell if it was broken or not. How can you tell? Also, is it absolutely necessary to remove the vent elbow to attach the stop arm to the shaft? If you turn the yellow shaft by hand and the temperature changes, then the shaft is intact. I think others have done this without removing the elbow, but I found it easier to get it out of the way.

I just ordered a new plastic stop arm from the Saab Site, hopefully I won't need a new shaft. Thanks for all the help, would not have attempted this without you guys.:DYou bet - good luck and let us know how you make out. ;)

[fusionrx]

The vent elbow should be removed as you can get your fingers in and feel along the length of the shaft, and maybe even see it as well. I did by feel.

The other part is supporting the shaft as you press the stop arm on. I had bought the shaft + stop arm, needed only the stop arm and used the aluminum stop arm from that kit. So if you need a shaft let me know :)

Well worth the effort.

[gb3347]

Thanks for the quick replies, I'll let you know how it all went.

[Bbmin7(b5)]

I get 1.......08 when I do the diagnostics, the only thing is both my heating and air conditioning work fine. Air conditioning is always icy cold and heat is always oven-hot. The only thing which could possibly be wrong is that when I turn the whole whole climate control systm off I still feel a slight draft of outside air from the vents....

same here. I dont think i will worry about tearing up the dash until it stops working.

[saab95lpt2l]

I think i have the blend door problem to. First day after the summer that was cold...put the ac on high, but i only got cold airon my side.But after reading throught the whole htread here. I know how to diagnose and fix it. I am going to run diagnostic on the ac as soon as I am going home from work today, to see if gives me any codes.I have heard some strange noises from the ac when i start the car for a month now, so I am alsmost shure that it is the blend door prroblem.

[fusionrx]

given all the work you've done on your car, this should be an easy fix for you.

[saab95lpt2l]

And of course it was the 08 code.Will take a look later today.

On my way home..hot and cold air works on every mode. defrost, cupe/face and footwell(is it called footwell?) all have hot and cold air, but still get the 08 code..will take a look later today.

[fusionrx]

I had same issues.

See this thread for fix http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167388

[saab95lpt2l]

the blend door seems to move like it should.but struggles a little bit on last half second, i think it should slide easy.

both the blend door shaft and the the blend door stop moves like they should,but I am still going to remove the stepper engine to take a closer look.the stopper might be slipping. the stepper engine only have two bolts? seems a little bit hard to pull out.

[saab95lpt2l]

seems like the blend door shaft is working but the stopper is acts strange.if i calibrate it moves all the way but when i turn on hot air and it starts to move it does not move all the way that it does when i calibrate...and the air dont get that hot.It seems like the stepper engine slipps.

[saab95lpt2l]

Giving up on this...its getting to late.

My diagnose so far.

Blend door shaft and stopper is working, when turned by hand. Stepping motor is working when not in place. Pushed it back in to place by hand. then turn on the ac. Run a diagnostic.stopper is moving all the way like it should.both hot and cold works, try again hot and cold, then the stopper moves a 1/4 of the way and stoppes. it tries to move but i dont manage to.....so to the big question, is it the stepper engine that is messing with me, or is it the groves inside the blend door shaft that the metal end of the stepper motor goes into that is slipping? or mabye the stepper motor works when it has no load?

[saab95lpt2l]

hmm removed the stepper engine. took it apart. knocked the rotating arm connected to engine back in. Put it together , Tested it..Works great...but still get the same error code. But hot is hot and cold is cold..So I am happy with that.

[SectorNine50]

Odd, I wonder if your still getting a little bit of slipping that the ACC is detecting and still throwing the code.

[fusionrx]

Do you recall if your stopper arm looks like this: http://lh6.ggpht.com/_PfDwRfRggUA/Sr8Mg2AvCuI/AAAAAAAABC4/2KB4QW9glDM/s720/IMG_2989.JPG

I had the same symptoms as you, and while everything worked, I still got the code.

Turns out that there was enough play (even though the stopper arm is keyed to the shaft), that the system would not fully close/open/recalibrate. Replaced just the stopper arm with the milled aluminum piece and no more codes.

[saab95lpt2l]

It looks fine. Tested it manually..pushing that stopper switched between hot and cold....nothing wrong with it. But the wheel that open and close air when u select to change from face/defrost to footwell, or from footwell to face or defrost, looks like it struggles a bit turning the last half cm. It might be that one that triggers the code.

[gb3347]

Update: OK, just had time to install it today, and I'm happy to report that the ACC works great now! Thanks for everyone's help, I could not have done it otherwise.:D

Everything was pretty straightforward, it's not that hard once you manage to get in there. The hardest part was to remove the broken yellow shaft piece. My tip would be to push in the inner part of the shaft while pulling on the broken part. Also, in addition to the repair kit, I bought a plastic stop arm (only $21) from Saab just to help me index the motor. I attached that stop arm to the old broken shaft piece and used it to turn the motor until it matched the new aluminum arm. The motor then fit right in perfectly, saved me a lot of time and effort.

[snbush67]

Damn!!! This happened to me (below pic), has anyone ever repaired and replaced this part?

ahhhhhh
here's some AWESOME news
while trying to pop the upper part off, I gave a twist, and hear a "pop"

two pieces fell out... and it immediately answered my last question.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n164/g96nt/shagn%20wagn/15193198.jpg

So... I'm PRETTY sure I'm completely screwed right now.
anyone have any advice/tips?

[nathanthepilot]

That doesn't look good. I think now you might have to take the whole under part of the dash apart now. Looks like the entire blender door shaft is broke. Can anyone else chime in? This is the one that takes 10 hour labor or something rediculous?

[N152N]

I have a problem related to the Heater / Climate Control Unit....

When the fan is on it makes a sound like:.....

(You know when we were kids, we used to put baseball cards on the spokes of our bicycles so it would make that tick, tick, tick sound) :o

Well when my vents are blowing i get that sound.. When the vents are blowing HIGH, the ticking sound is faster together and higher pitched (But not too high pitched... Almost faint sounding, if that makes sense) You have to have the stereo off to hear it on this setting..

When the vents are blowing on the lowest speed, you get a deeper tick, tick, tick, and its not as fast and close together sounding like when its in high mode... But sound is defiantly louder than faint.

Then, if i use the (re-circulate) button, its LOUDER for both settings....

The sound seems to be coming from the steering wheel area... You can hear it outside the car as well.

At first i thought it was some leaves stuck against the vent, and when the car was blowing the leaves/leaf would slap against something to create a ticking sound... But i have a feeling that im not that lucky.... ;oops:

Any ideas?

[MacNoob]

Actually I think you're exactly right - there is a leaf or something stuck in the fan. Run it on high speed for a bit, see it it breaks it up and blows it away...

[N152N]

I hope to GOD your right....

I just decided to give me 2003 Aero a facelift with the 2005 Aero Bumper and at 1,700 bucks i have no money left!!! LOL:o

STUPID MOVE!!!

[SaabNineThree]

Sorry to bump this but i found a broken white peice like the one shown but everything seems to be working fine the heating when i switch from the floor to the middle and to the window vents i dont use the AC in the summer but it works still how can i check if here is a code poping up????

[Tailspin]

Simultaneously press and hold the AUTO and OFF buttons to run the ACC diagnostic. If its broken, you'll get an 08 code

[Hardeepone]

So the consensus is:

If you get 01.....08 take apart the dash. If the motor or stop lever are broken, than you can replace them yourself for cheap. If the shaft is broken, you can fix it using the $225 kit.

Yes?
i pressed the Auto and Off button at the same time and got these codes.
02 on the left and 08 on the right
02 on the left and 11 on the right.

Do you know what it is?
i'm also having the 08 problem with the blend door i beleive, but would you be able to tell if it's just a broken stop lever or blend door?

It's really cold in my car, and garage is packed :-/ so i'm stuck without a place to work on the car. would really like to get as much info and hopefully order the right part, just to take care of it once.
Btw, i drive an 01 9-5 SE V6

[TaylorGrey2004]

Since the shaft is broken, I ask:

Is there a way to attach a homemade jig to the blend door so that you can move it with your hand under the dash? I'd rather not buy the $250 aluminum piece which may or may not fit on the existing part of the broken shaft.

My system is screwed otherwise - I broke the vent elbow and see it as accessory - I'll just stuff the air temp sensor somewhere up in the dash and not worry about it.

But the main thing is, does anyone have any suggestions about a homemade way (i.e. a bolt and nut combo, the nut driven into the existing part of the broken shaft) to adjust the blend door by hand while driving?

What a piss poor design on the part of Saab - cutting corners leads to this kind of irresponsibility. Just parts made of plastic which should have been made out of metal, or at least harder plastic. Amateurs. I'm beginning to get very annoyed with my 9-5.

I was working on it last night and without the key in the ignition, I took the dash panel off (drivers' side footwell) and the broken piece (stop lever) fell out, but then the radio turned on - all by itself.

I had the alarm go off, too, all by itself. It kept sounding and I disconnected the neg. bat. cable and it was STILL going off for a few minutes - wtf?

I'm keeping this in mind: that a ghost haunted the Swedish-made hull of the Bahia de Darwin (because the former man died while welding the structure) a sleek fictional yacht in Kurt Vonnegut's "Galapagos." Perhaps a similar thing is happening?

[nathanthepilot]

Since the shaft is broken, I ask:

Is there a way to attach a homemade jig to the blend door so that you can move it with your hand under the dash? I'd rather not buy the $250 aluminum piece which may or may not fit on the existing part of the broken shaft.

My system is screwed otherwise - I broke the vent elbow and see it as accessory - I'll just stuff the air temp sensor somewhere up in the dash and not worry about it.

But the main thing is, does anyone have any suggestions about a homemade way (i.e. a bolt and nut combo, the nut driven into the existing part of the broken shaft) to adjust the blend door by hand while driving?

What a piss poor design on the part of Saab - cutting corners leads to this kind of irresponsibility. Just parts made of plastic which should have been made out of metal, or at least harder plastic. Amateurs. I'm beginning to get very annoyed with my 9-5.

I was working on it last night and without the key in the ignition, I took the dash panel off (drivers' side footwell) and the broken piece (stop lever) fell out, but then the radio turned on - all by itself.

I had the alarm go off, too, all by itself. It kept sounding and I disconnected the neg. bat. cable and it was STILL going off for a few minutes - wtf?

I'm keeping this in mind: that a ghost haunted the Swedish-made hull of the Bahia de Darwin (because the former man died while welding the structure) a sleek fictional yacht in Kurt Vonnegut's "Galapagos." Perhaps a similar thing is happening?

Hi TaylorGrey,

If you read this entire thread, you'll see a home-made fix for the blend door using a ski pole. In regards to the alarm, there is a thread on that too. Sounds like you just need to replace the battery inside the siren unit. Saabs are fun to drive, but take a little work to keep running right. It isn't the right car for everyone, but I like mine so I'll continue to tinker with it.

[TaylorGrey2004]

Thanks, Pilot Nathan! I'll try to find a second hand pole for a few bucks, but the person who performed that fix probably didn't have a manual transmission (that clutch just acts to make sure the fix is as agonizing as possible!)

I bet with the ski pole section, and a weightier tuner knob from an old, very nice Kenwood receiver, I can adjust the blend door myself for my temporary needs. I'll just keep the lower LHD dash panel off and screw the OBD II terminal somewhere convenient (I dig personalizing things, and I don't plan on re-selling this car, as it has 114k on it, PCV update, and overall pretty clean.