As I am finding -
This requires some disassembly of the front dash and console all over again but look for and see if the actuator motor is able to move the "drum" within it.
The drum itself sits inside the air assembly, with the blower motor in a cage in the middle of it - the drum moves - rotates - and has a set of precut slots or holes - when you turn the climate control settings, air from the blower motor fresh from the Air intake control dam (Fresh outside or Recirculated inside) gets centrifuged to the space in the drum. The actuator which is located on the driver's side just above the throttle pedal - between the radio, the dash pods and the pedal, moves the drum to roate these ports for the vent system - aligning it's slots or holes to the holes or ports in the outer assembly that holds the drum blower inside - and the vents to the outside - to the passenger compartment. The drum simply moves, the holes either line up and you feel air commnig out, or they continue their travel using the actuator gearbox to align to another set of holes.
The Actuator is similar to the air-door actuator - and if the actuator was accidentally reseated in the wrong position and then a reset - you have to remove it, rotate the console controls thru their steps, and watching the actuator gear rotate as well, the direction of rotation, the length of time it does this, and where it stops in aspect of the climate control setting - you have to find its "home" then by physically moving the gear it rests and rides along with - find it's extreme stops and also feel the air blowing out of particular vents for a particular setting and then install the actuator before it forgets - so this has to be done with the engine running or at least in the ignition on and a battery charger to keep the system alive.
You may also have an issue of the drum getting stuck in a position
- - you'll hear a grinding or thonk thunk tonk - while it tries to move
- - means that the drum is jammed in a position by some object - pen, pencil paper clip small change - petrified French fries - jamming the drum in that position.
- Something may have gotten in from the outside, got into the vent and migrated down to the drum - jamming the hole and preventing the drum from moving.
What is unique about this system, is the actuators - they use limit sensors inside their gearbox which is basically a stepper motor, a set of gears and the limit travel sensors that let the stepper move only so far - once that limit it reached - it's stopped by losing electrical contact of a wiper across a resistive element. IN doing so, the system can the reverse direction and the stepper - being a simple DC motor - simply turns again, only in the opposite direction.
So the system uses a series of "timer" settings to make the actuator run for a preset amount of time - it has power to do this by you setting the control to a icon, the system then runs the actuator for a given amount of time that lets the drum turn only so far to a position. If the drum gets stuck in a position - the time runs out so it doesn't burn up the motor trying to force it. It simply stops. Turning the system to "O" is considered home, so it then reverses the motor and again a timer runs to help it find home. In wiring of the unit - some have 4 wire while others have only 3 - the 4 wire ones help the system reset itself to "O" anytime a system reset is done by the BCM as part of a self test. In a 3 wire system - it's uses the wiper contact as a follower - to help it find a location and sometimes can "remember" a position if you turn the system off when the engine and system is off - so it holds in that setting - then when you move from "O" to a new setting - the thing remembers where it is, then moves until the wiper arm wire senses it's found that other setting - again using a timer. So if it takes too long - it simply quits moving sometimes in between positions and all you hear is a roar of the blower but hardly feel any air moving.
To help you, "O" is at one of the extreme rotations of the drum, rotate with your finger - that gear until it stops rotating, with the blower on full, one extreme - all vents are closed, then Floor, DEF Floor, DEF, Dash, Dash/Floor then MAX A/C which is at the other extreme of the rotation.
