Defrost/ Floor vent controller replacement??

I recently had the control for the ventilation direction stop working. All the air is coming out mostly down by the floor. I have determined that the controller down at the bottom of the dash ducting is broken. The plastic lever/shaft that moves the door is broke and dropped out of the unit. The other end is conected to a vacuum module that changes the lever's position. I have started some dash disassembly, but before I go further, can anyone tell me what is the exact part I will need to replace and how much do I need to remove to get to it. At this point it seems like I could be spending quite a bit of time and disassembly. Also I am worried about working around the air bags.

Any advise will be appreciated.

I recently had the control for the ventilation direction stop working. All the air is coming out mostly down by the floor. I have determined that the controller down at the bottom of the dash ducting is broken. The plastic lever/shaft that moves the door is broke and dropped out of the unit. The other end is conected to a vacuum module that changes the lever's position. I have started some dash disassembly, but before I go further, can anyone tell me what is the exact part I will need to replace and how much do I need to remove to get to it. At this point it seems like I could be spending quite a bit of time and disassembly. Also I am worried about working around the air bags.

Any advise will be appreciated.

......By the way, the vehicle is a 98 Ram with a 5.9L, with AC..........

as for the air baigs... book says to disconnect battery then wait at least 2 minutes..stored energy in the airbag ..wait 5 minutes to be sure


I recently had the control for the ventilation direction stop working. All the air is coming out mostly down by the floor. I have determined that the controller down at the bottom of the dash ducting is broken. The plastic lever/shaft that moves the door is broke and dropped out of the unit. The other end is conected to a vacuum module that changes the lever's position. I have started some dash disassembly, but before I go further, can anyone tell me what is the exact part I will need to replace and how much do I need to remove to get to it. At this point it seems like I could be spending quite a bit of time and disassembly. Also I am worried about working around the air bags.

Any advise will be appreciated.

I took a little more apart and can see now that broken shaft was actually attached to the door inside. Essentially the door is broken. I will need to take it apart to get the door out and replace it. Dealer says the part is $44.00 and is a 6.5 hour job for their Technician. They said $500.00 labor and confirmed I would be gutting the dash 'cause its buried good.

Still curious if anyone has done this, or found any shortcuts???