AC/Heat Knob Messed Up

[Clinical]

I've never had an issue like this before.

Yesterday on my way home on a 2 hour drive it was warm and raining so I turned the thing to the cold (although I don't have A/C) but I was pulling air from the outside to make stay a bit cooler inside.

This morning I go out, and its raining and chilly.

I try to turn it back to the heat (my heat has always worked AMAZING) and the knob hits a spot where its hard to turn and I can hold it all the way on the heat, but if I let go the knob wants to turn back to about halfway between the full heat and the middle. The same is for the cold side.

Picture this as the knob, the X's are where the knob will sit if I try turning it all the way to cold/heat and it'll just pull itself back to the X"s.

Cold ----X-----|Middle|-----X---- Hot

It definitely turned as far as I can get it, even HOLDING it at the max heat area - it doesn't blow how as hot as it used too. Soon as I let it go it'll just turn itself back to halfway between the middle/max heat/ac.

Hopefully this makes sense.

I've never heard of this happening, any suggestions?

Now that I've been messing with it, it basically seems like no matter where I actually have the knob turned, it's stuck on like the middle where im not getting much warm air and the air is cool, even if I hold it on heat.

 

[Clinical]

really need help with this. I know it's unusual, just praying someone has an idea, its still cold enough here in the mornings/night I really need the heat :/

 

[juanpac0]

Sounds like something is stuck in your actual HVAC box behind the center of your dash.

 

[Clinical]

How hard is it to get back into it? :/

Hate to have to tear apart the dash

 

[juanpac0]

Unfortunately you will have to take apart the dashboard to get to it.

 

[tsi87889095]

I had the same thing happen to me. I put a new heater core in and after i was done i could not turn the knob all the way over to hot. I think my problem is that there is a cable that runs from the knob to the flapper door. I think mine is binding up because now i have it all the way hot but it wont go all the way cold. You can pull your radio out and see the cable I'm talking about and how it moves when you turn the knob. Try that and you might see where it is binding up.

 

[SrKegler]

Before you pull the dash apart, pull the radio out. You can then see the cables that run from the heating controls over to the heater. Chances are the cable is just in a bind. You can tell which cable to follow by simply turning the heat control and watching to see which cable moves. Sounds to me like the entire cable is moving, not just the wire inside it. Check to see if the cable came out of a bracket. Might try getting some WD40 down the cable to lubricate things a little.