Pontiac Bonneville Heating/Cooling Problems

dziebutterfly2 · January 2008

I have a 1998 Pontiac Bonneville and I have to start my car and hit the heater motor to turn the heater on. But when im driving it will turn off when i hit a bump or turn on whenever. I never know. And if I leave my car running too long sitting still it over heats. I dont know anything about cars any help would be great. I have two kids one a one month old premature baby and i need to get my heater working asap its cold!!!

imidazol97 · January 2008

If hitting the blower motor under the hood area behind the motor is enough to turn it on, that's the prime symptom of a worn out blower motor. It's a tight fit, but the 5-6 screws hold the blower to the firewall part of the heater box and it can be worked out.

Replacement motors for the blower are available aftermarket. Connect the blower motor and test it for running before bolting it in.

awarwick · January 2008

Thank you so much for the response. The lower intake is just beginning to seep out coolant, it is not leaking bad yet. I think I was quoted about $300 to repair that. However, I am told that every sensor on my car except for one is reading that it is bad. So, I'm not sure if the whole dang computer is fried or what is going on, but I'm wondering if it is worth fixing at this point. There is also an ABS issue, with the sensors coming on and the car thinking I'm on ice when I'm not. Also, shocks and struts, ball joints, and tranny and brake flushes are needed. Everything is more expensive because I have a supercharge engine. I paid $80 for the thermostat to be changed, and that didn't solve the problem. I took the advice of a previous poster, and set my heat to 60 degrees for a minute, then up to 90, and sometimes that works. Sometimes I have to turn the car off and back on to get the heat to work, and sometimes no matter what I do it won't work. Those are usually the ridiculously cold days, of course. Single mom's shouldn't buy used cars. That's all I can come up with for a solution at this point. I'm a full time college student, and high dollar repairs are needed. Sigh. I do so appreciate your help, though. I will keep trying to figure out what this is and hopefully can come up with some car repair funds soon. I paid almost $5,000 for the car 6 months ago, so I would like to fix it if I can. It's a beautiful car and the engine is great... for what that is worth! There is just over 100,000 miles, which isn't too bad for a 1995. Thanks again, Angela

mike235 · February 2008

Sorry I haven't replied sooner, but I just stopped using my bonneville for now, hoping someone would figure it out. So you say by replacing the actuator controller and that corrected your problem? How much did it cost you?

dmx6 · February 2008

I put the part in myself but the part cost $60.00 to purchase. I imagine labor might be high because the only way in is to take the dash assy out. My car has the console which took longer but the one without the console is easier to deal with.
Good Luck!!

mike235 · February 2008

Thank you very much for your help, I will be doing it myself once I get the part. You wouldn't happen to have a part number would you? And did you learn any tricks to getting the dash off/on? Or did you break any clips/posts, I would assume that is how it is held on there? Thanks again for your advice. Mike

ralph22 · February 2008

Thanks to some info on this site I changed the programmer myself. One thing that made the job easier was that I added about 18 inches of wire to the 6 wires that are in the connector on the top of the unit. That allowed me to have the unit on the floorboard and I could see the recepticle. It also got the unit out of the way of my hand.

ralph22 · February 2008

I change the programmer and now have heat, but no air. The dealer wants to change the accumulator for about $1,000. Auto Zone has an accumulator for $33, so now I just need to know if anyone has any tips to offer.What seems to be confusing in the manual is the part about draining the refrigerant oil. It seems you remove the Schrader valve and measure the amount that comes out, and then add that amount plus one ounce. Where and what is the Schrader valve? Can anyone help? Thanks!

ralph22 · February 2008

Mike, you don't have to remove the dash panel to change the programmer. Go back to #43 in this section and call up the diagrams posted at the bottom. The progtammer is right under the glove box with about 6 or 7 hoses connected to it. It is held in with 2 screws. One is on the duct and the other is closer to the glove box. They are both 7 mm. Cut the hoses and get some 1/4 in hose to go over the existing hose when you replace the unit. I went to the dealer and found all bonnevilles from 1996 to 1998 have the same programmer. You will have a problem disconnecting the connector on the top. There is a little tab that is pushed in towards the rear of the car to release the connector which pulls up. Good luck if you haven't already done it.

imidazol97 · February 2008

Why do you need a programmer. What are your symptoms?

The programmer is the box down by the heater that has vacuum tubes going in and out that control the vacuum doors on the heater box to direct air to the right places. I assume you have the automatic air with the digital temperature readout? It also controls the actuator that varies the temperature door to maintain the right temperature.

rockauto.com
gmpartsdirect.com
look it up under HVAC or heating and air conditioning

busybee4 · February 2008

Hi,
I have a 1996 Boneville and was told today I need a A/C programmer. I can't find what I am looking for. Did you ever find a part number and how much was it. Where did you buy yours?

ralph22 · February 2008

I found mine in a junk yard. What I found was that it is a very popular item, and every junk yard that takes them out and sells them did'nt have any. I finally found a yard where you have to remove your own part, and they had one which I paid $40 for after I took it out. It was'nt hard to remove since I just cut all the hoses and wires. I found out from the dealer that the same part fits all bonnevilles from 1996 thru 1998. Good Luck.

richard82 · May 2008

My 1998 Bonneville SLE has the automatic climate controls. The heater, defroster, and blower motor work fine. After running the A/C for 30 to 60 minutes, cold air stops coming out of the A/C ducts. As per previous advice, I checked the compressor clutch operation and it works fine. It actually seems like the cold air is then coming out through the heater vents! After the car sits for awhile, the A/C will again work, but only for the same short amount of time. I've checked for broken wires and blown fuses with no luck. I've seen problems posted in the forum that mention having A/C, but no heat. My problem is just the opposite.

imidazol97 · May 2008

The the cold air coming out the defroster openings? Try putting the temp control all the way cold and see if you aren't getting the cold or hot air out the defroster. That means the vacuum lines at the corner of the programmer are being blocked by sucking the plastic into itself and closing off for the line going to the door for the dash air ducts.

The fact that everything works right at first is a good sign. Are you in a relatively cool climate? I think high temps in the car sitting in the sun help deteriorate those plastics faster. The connector can be cut off the tubes at the corner of the programmer (controller) box down under the dash. Those loose ends can be connected with pieces of aquarium tubing or with 1/8 inch rubber gas line pieces. I did it on mine.

richard82 · May 2008

Thanks for the help. I think the problem is solved! Besides removing the plastic pan under the glove box, I also removed the glove box door to give me more access. The female plastic connector would not unplug because it had actually melted onto the male connector on the programmer. Without disturbing the controller, I was able to cut the male and female connector assembly away from the unit and cut the vacuum hoses on each side. I then spliced the colored hoses together using 1/8" vacuum hose slipped over each of the cut ends. It worked great! Make sure you have spliced the correct hoses together, using the cut off connector as a guide. I was also greatly helped going to the link; www.imcool.com/articles/airconditioning/fix-vacuum-line.php
This site has good instructions and color photos of parts involved.

richard82

imidazol97 · May 2008

That probably is the site I was going to refer you to if you decided you wanted to try the squishy connector fix. Some people have gotten it apart and reamed out the openings and then put it back together. But usually it rips. I considered putting it back together with silicon caulk/glue would seal up nicely. But on mine I used the gas line piece over the matching ends.

Amazing what a little piece of deteriorated plastic can cause. A lot of people replace the $450 programmer box and it wasn't the cause at all for their problems.

Thanks for reporting back to let others know what you found and what worked!

95bonneville · May 2008

I have the exact opposite problem from what I have seen so far. My heater works outstanding, even when the A/C is supposed to be on. I had the AC compressor replaced last summer and the mechanic lifted the hood and placed a thermometer and showed me that under the hood the air was blowing between 55 and 60 degrees. Plenty cold. The problem is that after several hours of trying different things, he could not for the life of him figure out why it was still blowing extra hot inside the car. The remedy was to get a pair of vice grips and clamp off the hose that was allowing air into the car. So throughout the summer I didn't have AC, but at least the hot air was limited. Needless to say it was a very LONG, HOT summer.
So when the winter came along, I simply took the grips off and let the hot air flow.
Well now it's summer again and I still have extra hot air. I have automatic climate control and regardless of what temperature I set it at, it still bows nothing but hot.
I have contacted the 2 biggest auto parts suppliers in the KC metro and they say they do not have a Automatic Climate Control head unit for sale. I asked...how can you search within 600 miles for a part that fits so many cars, and not have one?
And I do not even know if it is that part that is the problem.
If any of you have experienced this problem and or can give any insight, it would certainly be appreciated.

richard82 · May 2008

It sure does sound exactly like the problem I had. Thanks to help I received on this site, I found the problem was indeed the vacuum line connector behind and under the glove box. You sure don't need to spend $400.00 on a new controller. If you can cut away the male connector part from the bottom of the controller, then cut the vacuum hoses behind the female (clear) connector you can slip 1/8" rubber or neoprene hoses over the small colored vacuum hoses and eliminate the connector entirely. My Bonneville is a 1998 with 70'000 miles on it and my connector was melted together resulting in softened and plugged ports in the vacuum connector. Hope this helps you, it sure worked for me. :mad:

mqueen1965 · May 2008

I just purchased a 1995 Bonneville and I love the get up and go. the AC seemed to work when I test drove it. Now it blows nothing but hot air even when the system is off. My question to you is did you get yours fixed? I need to drive 500+ miles for guard and it gets hot. Should I bother charging the AC unit until the heat problem is fixed? Any help would be great.

95bonneville · May 2008

Sorry it took me a week to get back.
I haven't got the problem fixed yet. Tuesday morning May 27th I'm taking it back to the shop that replaced the A/C compressor 2 years ago.
Hopefully they can figure something out. Or at least clamp off the hose allowing hot air to blow in. With it being 13 years old now and with 140,000 miles, I'm real hessitant to spend more than a few hundred on a repair. It has leaked oil ever since I got it. I keep it changed regularly. I was pitting Lucas Oil Heavy Duty Oil Stablalizer in between oil changes. But at $11 per, and would do that twice between changes. So now I just went to Sams club and boought a case of Mobil 5000 oil. It has increased my mpg from 22.5 to just over 24. And that has been for several tanks in a row not just once.
Anyway, I'm getting off track. After I take it to the garage, I will post here Tuesday night with an update.

smayen · May 2008

how did you make out on changing the actuator? was it difficult?

smayen · May 2008

Hi, the a/c in my Bonne isn't blowing. The hoses under the hood are cold and the compressor turns on, but it not blowing through the vents. What I have noticed is constant hot air blowing out from the floor vents. I did some research and think it may be the actuator, but not 100% sure. Has anyone experienced anything similar? Or have any suggestions? Thanks.

imidazol97 · May 2008

Are you able to change the path of the air to the defrosters, then to the AC vents on the front of the dash?

If so, you may want to take off the hush panel above the passenger's feet (about 5 little screws and taps) and look for the brass colored screw rod that clips to a white plastic arm coming out of a programmer box. Either the vane inside is stuck or the arm is snapped off the screw thread rod or the programmer box not working the rod.

I believe the rod that controls the driver's heat is the lower one. If you have automatic air with a pssenger control, that's the upper one way up high on top of the box...

95bonneville · May 2008

After spending 5 hours at the garage, they still couldn't figure out the problem. The solution this time (instead of just putting vice grips on the hose that allowed hot air into the car, like they did last time) was to disconnect the heater hoses. So now I atleast do not have the hot air blowing on me all summer. But still, it will be taking it back to the garage twice a year for as long as I have the car.
If anyone in Kansas City knows of a shop that could fix the problem for good, and it wouldn't cost me several hundred dollars, please let me know. Thanks

ralph22 · June 2008

ralph22 · June 2008

I noticed a few people having this problem. I have a 1998 Bonneville, but I think the cars are the same. Behind the left vent on the glove box is a duct. On top of that duct is a metal rod about 3/8in and 6 inches long. An actuator moves this rod which determines if you want cold or hot air. If the rod is moved towards the passenger's side door, you get hot air and the other way for cold.You have to take out the ac programmer and the box against the fire wall. I had to change my programmer a few months ago, and I put 2 ft of extension on the wires attached to the top of the programmer, so removal was not a big deal. Anyway, you now can get your right hand up and over the vent duct and feel the metal rod. Before moving the rod, set your ac to full cold. Now push the rod towards the drivers door. It will be hard to move because you are forcing the actuator( maybe a worm gear or something). You should now have cold air all the time. I read about one person who managed to get a coat hanger attached to the rod and ran it thru his glove box so he cold move the actuator and get hot or cold. If you have to cut the hoses to remove the programmer, you can get a hose that fits right over the cut hoses. Good luck.

steve180 · June 2008

I have a 1996 Bonneville with electronic heat and air, no matter what mode i set it on, it aways blows out from the top defrost vents and floor vents. I can't get the dash vents to work at all, hot, cold or even when automatic mode is shut off. The arrows move on the electronic display but it never blows from the dash vents. Any ideas on what it could be. I have looked for vacuum hoses but can not find them or the right ones.

Thanks Steve

imidazol97 · June 2008

You probably do not have vacuum to the internal controls. Most likely is that your vacuum storage tank is on the firewall built into the Relay Center. it's right in front of the driver. There is a small nipple at the bottom and there's supposed to be a vacuum hose connected to it. Often this gets pulled off by reaching with an arm to get to the spark plugs in back, e.g.

i think the 1992-1996s had that setup. Then 1997-1999 had the tank under the front fender.

If it's not there on the firewall, look under the right front fender in front of the wheel. Lie on te ground and look up. sometimes the connector goes bad that snaps on or the tank splits with age or injury. If the tank is there pull of the hose with the motor running to see if there's vacuum stored in the tank--it'll whoosh when you pull it off.

If that doesn't work then there may be an internal problem under the dash. There's a programmer box with a 5 tube coupler made of plastic that has little rubber layers inside that soften and suck in and block the vacuum--but you usually will hear the lower dash vanes move when you put the settings on heater and on bilevel with the motor running. Try running the motor and then turn it off but leave the key on and switch between settings and see if you hear the vacuum motors move. If not you probably don't have vacuum coming inside at all.

Check for the engine and storage tank vacuum lines and then I can give you links for the inside problem and cheap fix.

nealc · June 2008

have no ac every thing under hood is working.but it blows hot inside car

steve180 · June 2008

I found the canister, it was under the fender on passenger side front. I pulled the hose off and got a little woosh, not much. I did try with the car motor off but switch on and you can't hear anything moving under the dash when i change modes. I even put it on just floor vents and it will not change, still comes out from defrost vents and floor but not the dash.

Thanks for your help, i will try anything you suggest
Steve

wesleynky · July 2008

I have a 92 Bonneville(yes it still runs). The blower fan for the AC/Heater will not work at all at any speed. It just suddenly quit and has not come back on since. I looked to see if the fuse had blown but it has not. Any ideas on what to investigate next. It is hot in Ky this time of year. I can get enough flow if I am out on the highway from vent air running through the AC to stay some what cool.

imidazol97 · July 2008

You didn't say if you have automatic temperature control or the standard HVAC.

If you have standard (C67) no digital readout, there are two relays that switch. If one is burned, the blower doesn't work on the lower speeds and if the other is burned the system doesn't have the highest blower speed.

Since you don't say that it works on one speed or other, check the ground from the blower motor. AND first you should disconnect the blower motor plug from the resistor pack on top of the air channel (the relay center lifts up after loosening or removing one or two screws, and test the blower motor with a FUSED power line from the battery and a ground.

Fuse 17 and fuse 11 in the driver's dash panel. Fuse #3 in the Fuse and Relay center on the firewall under the hood -- but that only powers the high blower speed.

If blower works then check the connector for good ground connection.

If you've got the dual, automatic temperature control with digital readout, then it may be your blower motor control module that replaces the resistor pack in the top of the air duct under the hood. Again if the blower motor checks okay with fused wire, then the control module may have died. I'm told they're available aftermarket at Advance Auto and others. Also might find compatible at junkyard.

It may look like this found on rockauto.com with a price of $119

Also on dual system Fuse 1 in fuse/relay center on passenger inside car under dash against A pillar area. Remove plastic panel above passenger's feet. On top of panel may be schematic and llist of relays and fuses in that forgotten panel.

Also underhood firewall it's fuse 3. And on this unit it looks a blown fuse 3 there stops all speeds unlike the manual control system above.

Note there are two fuse and relay centers I've mention: one is on the firewall under the hood and the other is by the passenger's right foot.

This info is from a 1993 leSabre/ParkAvenue factory service manual. I may not be what's used for the Pontiac in 1992.

pfunk1410 · July 2008

ATTENTION EVERYONE: if your A/C blows cold but only comes out the defrost or foot vents but not the middle vents this is probably your solution:

http://www.imcool.com/articles/aircondition/fix_vacuum_line.php

It worked on my 1998 Pontiac Bonneville and using the "Plan B" directions it cost $1.29 to repair, all I needed was about a foot of vacuum line from my local auto-parts store.

imidazol97 · July 2008

To test to see if you're getting vacuum to the inside components of the car you must have the motor running or just have shut it off. With it running get your head down on the hump and listen and watch for vanes to move. I put my fingers on the backside of the vacuum motors and felt for movement as the various buttons on the heater controls were pushed.

I'm concerned you said you didn't get a lot of vacuum at the tank. How long had the motor been off. When I did it, I had turned the motor off a minute or two before and when I got down there I could hardly pull the line off because there was so much vacuum.

Your next step if you don't get movement testing the various HVAC motors like in paragraph one is to go to the right side of the dash and follow the violet line up to where it's connected to the black line from the motor side of the firewall. Pull them apart (may be hard, they've been together a long time). See if there's vacuum on the black line when you put your moist fingetip on it!

If there is vacuum and some of the other motors work, but the blue line one for the defrost/AC door doesn't, then most likely the connector at the programmer is sucking shut the little black nipple. You can bypass one, the blue one, or all with1/8 inch gas line chunks or aquarium line that fits tightly over the outside.

This link tells one story which I had posted on Edmunds long ago.
Repair link

These pictures show the rubbery plastic connector after I cut the lines off. You can cut only the blue line inside and outside and bypass them.

The connector comes out of the slot on the programmer box when the lid is snapped out using the black clips on one side.

See more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com

See more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com

sharp_ct · July 2008

:sick: My daughter has a '99 Bonne, manual heat controls. She says A.C. has been getting warmer over past week or so and has now stopped working altogether. I checked under the hood and the compressor is not kicking in when A.C. is turned on. More disturbing is that I also noticed that the main engine cooling fan is not kicking on either. I have checked all the fuses under the hood and the dash with a meter, and checked comp power lead to find it is not getting power to the clutch with A.C. on. Just coincidence that cooling fan failed at same time or is there some common circuit I should be looking at? Any thoughts or leads would be greatly appreciated. While she could live w/o the A.C., I'm afraid to let her drive it if the cooling fans are not coming on, even though it doesn't seem to be over heating. Thanks you in advance

imidazol97 · July 2008

If you feel up to working with simple air conditioning equipment (as opposed to the full set of gauges), you might get a can that has freon in it from Walmart and get one of the gauges they have that can snap to different cans. Attach the can to the low side (it'll only fit that one) and see what pressure you get when you run the AC.

I suspect you'll be below the minimum pressure to engage the switch to operate the system. Myself I would use the can and put in freon up to the correct color and see if you aren't getting some cooling. Then you can see if it goes down again or not.

I had my 98 get not cool when the outside really got warm last summer. It had seemed okay earlier in the summer, but when the outside when up to 90 and above it was lacking. After 11 years I guess it seeped enough R134a that it was low. I put it back up to the proper level and I've had cooling since--including so far this summer. So I don't think I had a slow leak. You might check the condenser and tubing and look for oiliness as a sign of a leak which brings out some oil with it.

The fans will come on through a separate circuit for coolant heating up. The no freon may be keeping them from coming on with the AC.

milkman8 · August 2008

milkman8 · August 2008

I have read all the forums now and have done everything you guys have suggested. Only problem is now you can not control what setting the air blows out of. It will only come out of the A/C vents which is fine until you shut the car off and turn it back on. Now it will blow hot air either out of the A/C vents or out of the defrost. If you unplug the main vaccuum line and plug it back in it may or may not change it back to A/C and coming out of the vents. any suggestions?

milkman8 · August 2008

Also we did bypass the multi vaccuum line plug and reconnected all the lines with surgecial tubing by color code. Initially when car was started desired vents were blowing cold when engine was turned off and restarted, hot air was blowing from same vents. The blue vaccuum line was disconnected and then reconnnected changed the hot air to cold air blowing back through the vent. The same cycle was repeated several times, with same results. We could hear internally the door which directed hot and cold, actuating after each start up.

bonne03 · August 2008

bonne03 · August 2008

I have an 03 Bonneville SLE with a strange quirk. It has the Dual Climate Control with Digital Readout. In the past month or so when I start the car it will light up and appear to be working however no air is coming out the vents. The settings can't be changed (changing to defrost vs. auto etc) .. after a period of time driving down the road (sometimes up to 20 minutes) then it will begin to function normally and then does work fine. I did replace the control unit itself but that hasn't fixed the problem. When it does work all settings can be changed, air blows as it should etc. it will work perfectly .. however the long delays are beyond a nusiance and I'm worried this winter about not having defrost (of course having a/c right now would be nice also)

Has anyone else had this problem, any ideas how to fix?

MirTrip · February 2009

I have a 2005 Bonneville. It isn't an SE or anything special. It has been running great until recently. Most of the time when I start the it the heater blows, but sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes when it doesn't start upon initiation, it will eventually come on, other times it just doesn't come on at all. The next time I start the car, it will be working. My original thought was to replace the relay, however when I looked in the fuse box there isn't a relay for the HVAC Solenoid, so I don't know what else to do. I don't have any warning lights on and when the blower is working the heat is great.

Any suggestions?
MirTrip

imidazol97 · February 2009

>It isn't an SE or anything special.

If it's a Bonneville, it's already special!

>Most of the time when I start the it the heater blows, but sometimes it doesn't.

I suspect the control on the dash was not the problem.

One most likely point is the blower motor itself. Some are having wear on the commutator so that when it stops it may not be making electrical contact. Then when the dash control and the programmer on the heater box say blow, the blower motor doesn't move. When the car hits a bump, or something vibrates the motor, the commutator makes contact and the blower starts working while you're driving.

Next time your start the car and turning the blower speed up doesn't result in any air movement, use the toe of your foot on the right side of the hump and tap upward against the blower housing; keep your foot back toward the firewall. Most likely the blower will come on. Keep the key on while you do this.

The snap connector in that area may have a burned contact--check it first by disconnecting and looking for burning or melted plastic.

There also is a blower control module if you have the automatic control AC unit (C69). These are next to the blower and control the speed using a power transistor.

The blower can be replaced easily by removing the plastic panel under the bottom of the dash with a few screws and clips. The blower motor is held in with 3 screws and wiggles out with the squirrel cage attached. Some people say to pull the carpet back from the firewall to allow another inch of room and that will make it easier to wiggle in and out.

This requires working lying on the floor and across the seats, but several types of blowers are available on the net. Some are much better quality than others. I'd suggest rockauto.com to look at some of the choices. Click through their online parts list to get to heating and cooling and then to blower motor.

vike2 · February 2009

This all started when the battery was changed, with no keys in the ignition. ac heater monitor in the dash started blinking the temp and then goes to out side air temp, which does not blink. no hot heat, just warm. unhooked the battery cables tied them together to drain the system, had 4 volts to 0 volts. did not reset the system. programmer moving duct doors correctly, acutator has a hard spot in it and hangs up, (new one on order), when moving rod. can move the rod manually thru access hole in the glove box, get cold and hot air to work properly then. but temp still blinks on dash monitor. any ideas how to correct monitor temp blinking, changed the monitor from one car to another and still blinked. lost and need ideas.

gennytime · March 2009

I have a 1993 Bonneville SSE. A few weeks ago I changed the battery and the same thing happened to me. I have not figured out the perfect solution, however this has been working for me. Set the temp on the lowest setting which is 60 and on AUTO. Mine blinks for about 20-30 seconds and then stops. When the blinking stops then you can put the heat up to whatever temp you want and it will work fine. If you start on any other temp besides the lowest the digital readout won't stop blinking and you won't have heat.... What stinks is everytime you turn the car off you will have to perform this procedure. Hope this helps! Let me know if you find the right fix...

vike2 · March 2009

that helps. does any one know how to put in a new acuator with out taking the dash out? does anyone know if you change the acuator if that will make the blinking stop on the temp? does anyone have a diagram of how to take the dash apart?

m20c · April 2009

No matter where the digital temp is set to, 60 -- 90, AC on or off, heat comes out the vents. AC compressor is not cycling, check freon .. OK, so I know it is not low. When temp set to 60, no matter what mode it is in, defrost, at feet or center vents, heat comes out. Could it be the heat divertor? And if so, is it located behind the glove box? What steps do I need to go through to get access to it?

imidazol97 · April 2009

Do you have a manual system or the dual control system.

m20c · April 2009

I do not have dual control. Electronic digital control of AC and Heat.

imidazol97 · April 2009

Yours may look like this...

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/IMG_2157.jpg

At the middle left of the picture is a white arm with a thin threaded rod that goes to the right about 5 inches to a little white plastic arm that is part of an actuator.

By taking off the hush panel under the dash (3 screws and two taps at the firewall) and maybe taking off the glovebox door, you can see that arm. By moving it while the key and heater are on, you should see it go right and left to change the blend door to give the temp you want. It may be unsnapped from the arm. It just snaps on sideways and you would have the door at the left inside the heater on full heat and the digital temp control at full heat request (90) and then snap on then.

This picture may help more. These have had the dash removed for some kind of work. Yours can still be reached but will not be this easy, depending on the year.

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/HeaterCore1-1.jpg

The actuator may be burned out or the gears cracked. They are available at rockauto.com or gmpartsdirect.com. You'll need to be very careful you get the right one for your car. IF it is bad, you can take the actuator off with two screws-not easy to get at one, and check the part number on it. Put that part number into the blank on gmpartsdirect or rockauto and it will give you the right replacement.

Pontiac Bonneville Heating/Cooling Problems

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