1996 Park Avenue - No Air Blowing Out Of Vents

[digitalsaw]

Strange But True
This problem began as sparatic but has gotten worse to the point it happens all the time. What is happening is that I get no air blowing out of the vents on my 96' Park Avenue. I live in Florida where you fry without AC so what happens is the air from the AC comes out of the windshielf defrost vents or the floor but NOT the vents. I have tried it on Automatic and on manual and even when I put it on "Mid" nothing comes out.
Is this a vacuum problem or something more extreme. I would like to get some thoughts before I take it to the dealer so I can be somewhat appraised of the situation.
Thanks for any advice folks.

[aarcuda]

there is a vacuum problem. look under the hood and you should see a vacuum line coming off the back of the intake, going into a small vacuum check valve and into the fure wall near the cetner of the engine. if the hose is off or broken, no vacuum and the air goes to the windshield.

[HotZ28]

You have a bad air mixer unit under the dash. (Actuator)

[feyxuk]

Originally Posted by HotZ28

You have a bad diphragam in the air mixer unit under the dash.

Since I recently have similar trouble with my 1994 PAU:
Wher under the dash is this mixer uni, how do I get to it?

Greetings.

[HotZ28]

The air mix motor (actuator) is located behind the glove box. Remove the glove box and look behind it to see something that looks like the pic below;


The actuator can be purchased for about 37 bucks at Advanced Auto parts. The stealer dealer get's about 100 + for them.

You also have another one located under the dash above the floor exit vent and above the gas pedal, they do not fail as often as the one above, it looks like this;

[HotZ28]

Below is a pic of the Buick HVAC system FYI;

[feyxuk]

Originally Posted by HotZ28

Below is a pic of the Buick HVAC system FYI;

For now: You have blown me away.
That was more than I was hoping for.
Please stay on this channel or post your cell number for 24/7 support.

Many Thanks and greetings.

[Garfield2]

Interesting!! I was about to post a similar question and did a search first and LOW AND BEHOLD... I have just bought a Buick 1996 PA for a decent price. Has about 148,000 miles on it, and runs great and all the electronic seems very good on it as well, EXCEPT this little thing. I noticed it on the way to the Michigan Licensing Bureau (out here called Secretary of State) Office. I noticed it blowing out the defroster and if I put it to the floor, I can feel it coming out on the floor, but not a whisper coming out of the vents.

Blower is working well.

Would Auto-zone have such an actuator?

[feyxuk]

Originally Posted by Garfield2

Interesting!! I was about to post a similar question and did a search first and LOW AND BEHOLD... I have just bought a Buick 1996 PA for a decent price. Has about 148,000 miles on it, and runs great and all the electronic seems very good on it as well, EXCEPT this little thing. I noticed it on the way to the Michigan Licensing Bureau (out here called Secretary of State) Office. I noticed it blowing out the defroster and if I put it to the floor, I can feel it coming out on the floor, but not a whisper coming out of the vents.

Blower is working well.

Would Auto-zone have such an actuator?

I have not worked on it yet, so I don't know.
Let me know what you find out, and how it goes.

[Garfield2]

I took the glove box out of the way and started the car. Using the AC I noticed that as I went form winshield -to- Mid - to Floor, that the upper arm that has the threaded metal piece, attaching to the plastic arm did not move. I pulled up on the metal piece and it came out of the holder and I was able to move the flap freely. It did not change the mid vents though, so I suspect that the main piece HAS to be able to move as well to change the valves? Correct? Looks like a real bugger to remove and replace!

BTW... I've checked with Advance Auto Parts at the Holland MI store and they can't find what this thing is. Is there another name that the actuator goes by? Is there also a part number? They say if they have a part number they are sure they can get it in.

[HotZ28]

Originally Posted by Garfield2

I took the glove box out of the way and started the car. Using the AC I noticed that as I went form winshield -to- Mid - to Floor, that the upper arm that has the threaded metal piece, attaching to the plastic arm did not move. I pulled up on the metal piece and it came out of the holder and I was able to move the flap freely. It did not change the mid vents though, so I suspect that the main piece HAS to be able to move as well to change the valves? Correct? Looks like a real bugger to remove and replace!

BTW... I've checked with Advance Auto Parts at the Holland MI store and they can't find what this thing is. Is there another name that the actuator goes by? Is there also a part number? They say if they have a part number they are sure they can get it in.

Actually, the one you are looking at is the air mix actuator behind the glove box. It has nothing to do with airflow distribution. It either allows or blocks air from passing through the heater core, thereby controlling the temperature of the air.

If you remove the driver's side hush panel and look above the gas pedal, you will see the bi-level valve “vacuum actuator”. There will be two vacuum lines, one white and the other light green, going to it. The white one is easier to remove and just happens to be for the dash vent setting. With engine running, disconnect the line and listen for a hissing sound and/or put your finger over the end of the line to check for vacuum. If there is vacuum present then you can assume the vacuum actuator is faulty. If there is no vacuum present, then the problem is more than likely the programmer or the one discussed in the link below.

http://www.imcool.com/articles/airco...acuum_line.htm

[Garfield2]

Thanks for the link!! I looked at the one over by the gas pedal on the drivers side. There are the 2 hoses as you described. I took the white one off and there is no hissing or vaccuum from it. Also it differs from the picture above in that it is round and seems to attach into the side of the box in a sort of tri-lock fitting. Mosquitoes are bad at this time of night, but suffice to say, there is no vaccuum from the white, with the setting at mid on the control. There is vaccum to the whole unit as it does shift from windshield to floor and when you have the glove box out and look there is an actuator arm that moves in and out (slides left into the box) that moves when the changes are made to the air output.

[Garfield2]

I took the glove box down and got a 7mm deep well socket and took off that middle nut on that vacuum attachment. I then pulled the main connector (swear there are about 40 pin/wires there!!) off and took out one of the 7mm screws that held the programmer. I tried to wiggle the "round" group of vacuum hoses off and they seem 'clipped' in there and it's about 95 and 800% humidity outside today, and I said.... well anyway, I put the connector back on the programmer and put the nut in the glove box and put the 7mm screw back in place. Better time to work on it. I had changed the oil and went to a nearby town for some groceries and low and behold when I started up the vents started blowing cold air. I increased the fan speed and pretty soon I was scraping frost off my glasses.!! Well, not quite, but I swear you could hang beef in the back seat area! Suffice to say, it's now blowing cold air out the vents.

I was going to come in here and ask about what other nut/screw I needed to take out to take the programmer out to work on it. Perhaps by moving the vacuum lines I unkinked one?

[HotZ28]

Way to go Vern, wow, that is good news!! Don't touch anything, as long as you can "hang beef in the back seat"! Just enjoy the recent change in climate!!

[imidazol97]

Originally Posted by Garfield2

I took the glove box down and got a 7mm deep well socket and took off that middle nut on that vacuum attachment. I then pulled the main connector (swear there are about 40 pin/wires there!!) off and took out one of the 7mm screws that held the programmer. I tried to wiggle the "round" group of vacuum hoses off and they seem 'clipped' in there and it's about 95 and 800% humidity outside today, and I said.... well anyway, I put the connector back on the programmer and put the nut in the glove box and put the 7mm screw back in place. Better time to work on it. I had changed the oil and went to a nearby town for some groceries and low and behold when I started up the vents started blowing cold air. I increased the fan speed and pretty soon I was scraping frost off my glasses.!! Well, not quite, but I swear you could hang beef in the back seat area! Suffice to say, it's now blowing cold air out the vents.

I was going to come in here and ask about what other nut/screw I needed to take out to take the programmer out to work on it. Perhaps by moving the vacuum lines I unkinked one?

I hope it keeps the line open for you. I have done the vacuum line repair on my own car. There are rubber nipples inside the connector that collapse under vacuum. If it does it again, just take out the programmer, slide the 7 tube connector out of the corner of the box, make a list of what color vacuum line inside programmer matches with what color outside, cut away the connector, and reconnect the lines with 1/8 inch gas line from NAPA- about an inch and a half is long enough to make a sleeve to reconnect the internal line with the external line.

It worked for me just like the imcool article says.