This 2004 Chevrolet Impala came in with the complaint that there was no heat on the driver’s side of the car. It could very well have been the reverse, no a/c on the driver side as the problem turned out to be a faulty driver’s side blend air door actuator assembly. There was a code B0408 stored for the that actuator. If you do not have a way of checking for codes, the actuator should be watched to see if it responds to command inputs. When there is a no or poor heat condition the coolant level should always be checked first.
To access the actuator the lower dash cover has to be removed but first the cover on the left end of the dash has to come off.
Then the driver’s side hush panel.
There may be a couple of screws along the lower edge of the panel. After they are removed the cover will pull off the dash and the trunk release switch can be disconnected if present.
Four 10 mm headed screws are recessed behind the metal knee bolster and there are several 7 mm headed screws around the exterior of the panel.
You can now see the actuator in the center of the following picture. The white label is easily visible. Testing is difficult at best but here is what needs to be done if you do not have a scan tool that will interface with the system. Back probe the yellow wire and the dark blue/white wires with a voltmeter. There should be 0 volts for a stationary command. There should be a 12 volt positive for a commanded movement and a negative 12 volt reading in the opposite direction. Note that the code may have to be cleared before the control head will make the commands. Use a scan tool, disconnect the battery or remove the DIC/RKE fuse for at least 60 seconds.
This is what the actuator looks like out of the vehicle. The screws holding the actuator to the case should have 5.5 mm heads. To order this actuator please click here.
After replacement of any of the actuators a recalibration procedure needs to be performed. It is very simple though. Turn the ignition off, remove the DIC/RKE fuse from the right / passenger side, interior fuse box. It is a 10 amp fuse. Leave the fuse out for at least 60 second. Install the fuse and turn on the ignition. Do not touch the a/c controls for at least 60 seconds. switch the key off for at least 10 seconds and the recalibration will be complete when you restart the engine.
I have 2004 Impala SS and was getting no heat at all on drivers side but no codes generated. Followed your picture tutorial which was very helpful. The 2 self tapping screws holding the actuator were difficult to get to, but once I got on them they seemed to be very loose. I pulled the actuator off without disconnecting the wire and turned the key on to see that it would rotate in one direction with control up and rotate the other direction with the control down. I turned key off and it continued to spin for a minute or so, but once it stopped I put it back in place and everything seemed to work properly, so I snugged up the 2 screws. Is it possible that the actuator could have backed off over time? The screws seemed to snug tight when I put it back together. Another thought is someone may have attempted something before I owned it or loose right from the factory.
You have a refrigerant problem. Vent temperatures should be in the forties on both sides after twenty of highway driving with an ambient temperature of eighty degrees F. Fresh air door closed.
Thank you for posting the CORRECT way to ‘recal’ the actuators unlike others who had me pulling the fuse while it was running.
I was almost to the point of yanking the Driver’s actuator,but once I could see it, I verified it DOES rotate 90 degrees when the temp control is changed hot to cold, cold to hot. So that’s when I tried your recal procedure and it helped.
My Driver’s side was HOT, Psgr not quite cool. Like Driver 103 / Psgr 80.
Now Psgr is 54, Driver’s 78 (but only after driving at least 12-15 minutes.) I’ve driven it up to an hour, and the Driver’s never gets below about 78, even when the ambient is maybe only mid-80s.
Low freon? Or is it possible the actuator’s rotating but still not closing the door all the way?
Depending on the year model there will be either one or two bleed screws on the engine. One will be near the thermostat housing. The other will be on the heater pipe above the water pump area. Make sure the reservoir level is correct. Run the engine. Loosen the the bleed screws periodically as the engine warms up. Close the screws as coolant comes out of the bleed holes. You are looking for a steady stream just like you would when bleeding a brake system. Add coolant as needed. Also while doing this, check the heater hoses from a cold start to fully warm, to see if they increase in temperature steadily and equally with each other.
Did you bleed the air from the system and cycle it through heat ranges a couple of times?
How do i bleed it just start it and take the radiator cap off?