HVAC box interchange?

donram360 · Jun 17, 2023

Help!!! And please bear with me for the back story.

I have a 2001 Durango here, (don't think it matters but mine is an "SLT+" whatever that means)
I have been living with no airflow out the floor vents for most of the 10 years I have owned it. I've taken apart the rube Goldberg gear and lever setup and replaced the actuator that is supposed to run it, each time I pulled it apart I could get it to divert air to my feet once or twice and then inop again.
This vehicle has always cooked me out of it, it put out such fantastic heat, but warm air being able to get to my feet would be nice in Chicago winters. Back when I last messed with it, I was told that the gears and levers and such were no longer available probably 8 years ago. I never really found a problem with them besides dried up white lube that I thought was causing it to not be able to work freely.
I was told back then that the suggested fix was to put in the parts from a newer Durango to cure it. But since it does cook so well I gave up and have lived with it all this time.

Well now I have to pull the damn dash and heater box since the evaporator has blown. So as long as it is coming out for that I'm gonna fix the floor duct airflow problem once and for all.

My thoughts are to go to the junkyard and pull a complete air box plenum from another Durango if only for spare parts. I already have a new evaporator and heater core in hand.
When I looked at the buyer's guide for the heater core (and I believe the evaporator as well) that the same part numbers are listed all the way to like 2007.
Does that mean that the air box from a 2007 will interchange into my 2001? Are the actuators the same at least? I haven't been junking in a while, the (local) yard I'm going to had several Durango's in it the last time I was there (I'm sure there still are, been going to this yard for years and he doesn't crush out very often)
What's the newest setup I can directly bolt into an 01? I know that 00-down is different (old school vacuum actuated air doors within)

donram360 · Jun 17, 2023

Thanks much for the total lack of assistance

9t9-5.2 · Jun 18, 2023

donram360 said:
Thanks much for the total lack of assistance

I am surprised by this post, for how long you have been here. I get the frustration in hoping to get a reply to a question but none come, or not come as fast as you want. Most people will pass by a thread if they have no knowledge of the topic, some may not have an idea but may offer suggestions, then depending on the topic, that rare member with the knowledge will come by and help. These newest of these trucks are 19 years old, the following isn't what it once was.

All I can offer is a couple of thoughts as I haven't had the dash out of one of these, and I never really followed the HVAC threads through the years.
I wouldn't expect the air box from a different generation to fit, as the platform was a complete redesign. I can see them using some of the same components though. You could get some good pics of yours and compare with the newer generation. Net search every keyword you can think of looking for information.

It bites there are some common component failures with this generation that new replacement parts are nonexistent. I have been fortunate not to have experienced any of them, yet.

rlbewick · Jun 22, 2023

I've had nothing but problems with my 2004 Dakota SLT HVAC system. I also replaced the actuator but that did not help. Had it reprogrammed at the dealer and that did not work. Mine only works in defrost, what a POS design... Sorry, I do not know if there is a fix for it and wondering if it's worth it....

donram360 · Jun 22, 2023

It's back together, and something still isn't right.
It "somewhat" goes to floor heat, but not full blast as id expect.
There is a lot of clicking and snapping from under the driver side of the heater box, when switched from floor to in your face to defrost. Hopefully that's just calibration taking place also the airbag light stays on while running and the Speedo is pegged at 120 which was never like that before. I connected the battery a couple of hours ago for the first time since I unhooked it Saturday. And I started and ran it for the first time since then as well.
My ac button and my mirror heat button has been blinking incessantly for a couple of years, that seems to have cured itself.
I have 2 more control heads I e gotten from various junkyards over the years and tried both spares. On those the mirror heat LED blinks when those are connected, when I originally got it going I had the original control head in the dash and both blinked.
As I switched control heads musical chairs style, at one point there was a pause in the mirror heat LED like it was flashing a code .. then went to flashing steady and constantly.
I went back to the original one and it now lights when ac or mirror heat are called for and is off otherwise like it should be.
Airs working and cold again but I know whenever something major like a dash comes out there's always a chance of gremlins when reassembled. I just have some to find now that never existed before.

rlbewick · Jun 23, 2023

Crazy stuff man. Mine clicks also like you say, trying to move but never completely does. I have to leave it in defrost or I have to manually "help it" back to defrost with a screwdriver. That electronically controlled HVAC system is a nightmare. I don't even want to try to fix it anymore.

drakon543 · Jul 10, 2023

k so this i believe i can actually help with. so if it doesn't engage calibration on its own then it needs to be manually triggered. there's a procedure that supposedly works with button combinations but ive never gotten it to work. the only other method im aware of is a high end scanner capable to interacting with the bcms higher functions. that clicking sound your hearing is actually bad. the blend doors are plastic and the rod is metal. the actuators are actually strong enough to force the rod to spin inside the blend door potentially breaking the door or jamming it. also potentially breaking the plastic coupler from the actuators to the rods.

HVAC box interchange?

donram360

donram360

9t9-5.2

rlbewick

donram360

rlbewick

drakon543

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