Air Mode Servo Motor Replacement

[Micah.Berry]

I replaced two of the motors in my wife's ES330. The reason was both of them were clicking. The driver's side air mix went on quite easily. However, the Air Mode servo motor was a bit more difficult to install. I used several different screwdrivers in order to try to reach both the upper and middle screws. It's a very tight fit, but I was able to get the mode servo motor out. What makes this difficult is the odd angle that I was in and there is only a few inches of room to work with.

The mode motor has little channels that the posts on the HVAC unit slip into. These channels are important, and if you replace this motor, it's important to get the posts on the HVAC into the correct channels so that as the motor turns, the correct air valves are opened and closed.

My problem was that once I got the motor installed, the defroster was running constantly, causing condensation on the outside of the front windshield. Once I began looking at the servo motor, I noticed that I didn't have one of the posts in its channel. I got my tools out and went to work.

I worked and worked and worked trying to get those little posts to line up correctly in the channels to which they belonged. And every time I tested, the results were the same. Extremely frustrating!

I noticed that about 30 seconds after I pulled the key out of the ignition that the servo motor turned. I was trying to install the motor while the car was off, and those little posts were not lining up. I turned the car to the "on" position (though the engine wasn't running), and the servo motor turned to it's starting position (Dash vents blowing on the HVAC dash display), and it went on very easily! So, if you're having difficulty installing the servo motor, try installing it with the key in the "on" position. You might find that it goes on much easier.

Hope this helps someone.

Micah