Is there any risk of not having a blend door on the fifth gens? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

maxxor6868 · 07-24-2024, 12:09 AM

Update to my earlier posts about my AC issues. 2012 Chevy Camaro LT and my AC is kinda of working now but not to its full extent. About 1.5 months ago I was trying to figure out the issue of why my AC was room temp-hot. I did the dash hack and cut the plastic under the steering wheel to get to the blender door. My cutting was meh but I got the blend door out. The YouTube video put a lot of emphasis on not cutting too deep on the left side where the heater core is but my stupid self cut into the right side where the holder for the blend door is held. Also, funny enough my blend door was not broken. Anyway, I had a new blend door to go in regardless but with only one of the two little holders not cut it was flimsy to hold in place and the not-cut piece was deep inside that I could not see. I made a note to buy one of those small hose cameras but between vacation and a new job, I completely forgot that I did not put my blend door back in.

While I was out of town my mechanic replaced my compressor because he said it was dead. That made the vents colder but it still felt a little weak. I took it back the next day he recharged and there was an improvement but it still struggles to keep up once the temp gets higher in the day or if I leave it in the sun. When I leave my garage the air is cold and it does a decent job cooling the cabin but the longer I drive and the hotter the car gets the AC is struggling to cool down the cabin if that makes sense. There is a difference when you turn it off but you never feel like you are freezing like it working at 60% of its potential for lack of a better term. I went back underneath my dash today and found that I left small gaps in the blend door hole and the air was leaking when I turned on the car. I put a bunch of duct tape to seal the hole and when I turned on my car, I felt zero air leaking and my vents did seem noticeably stronger but still the temp issue is there. I plan on buying a digital hose cam to see what I can do about the blend door, buying some kind of thermometer to measure the vent temps, changing my cabin filter, and planning on going back to the mechanic. They said no the second time there was no metal in the system so what could be the issue? I know it is stupid but without a blend door shouldn't there be no blockage for only cold air to come through right now? I have not tried the heat setting in a while but I can imagine that doesn't work as of right now. I am just looking for some cold AC.

ariZona28 · 07-24-2024, 11:48 AM

I would think that without a blend door you'd get a mix of both warm and cold air. If you're just trying to get some cold AC for the summer you may want to just bypass the heater core (coolant lines) while you continue your troubleshooting.

spyderbuddy · 07-24-2024, 05:02 PM

Typical Chevorlet Heater/Cooler problem

Moto-Mojo · 07-25-2024, 08:37 AM

As mentioned, no door and you're going to get warmish air. Have you (or your mechanic) checked to see if the new door is calibrated / positioned correctly? It seems they do self-calibrate. That, or I just got lucky. Maybe at least do the battery disconnect.

I have been freakin' elated how well my ac / aluminum blend door works. 23 of the 25 July days here in N CA have been over 100°. Half of them over 105!

Rusty Shackleford · 08-09-2024, 02:32 PM

Your mechanic condemned the compressor because the blend door wasn't in? Could they not tell on the gauges that the compressor was pumping?

As others have said, without the blend door you'll get a mix of hot and cold air so neither feature will work as it should. Would it damage anything? I doubt it. But it's a far less than ideal way to operate it.

07-24-2024, 12:09 AM	#1
maxxor6868 Drives: Chevy Camaro 2012 LT Join Date: Dec 2022 Location: TN Posts: 33	Is there any risk of not having a blend door on the fifth gens? Update to my earlier posts about my AC issues. 2012 Chevy Camaro LT and my AC is kinda of working now but not to its full extent. About 1.5 months ago I was trying to figure out the issue of why my AC was room temp-hot. I did the dash hack and cut the plastic under the steering wheel to get to the blender door. My cutting was meh but I got the blend door out. The YouTube video put a lot of emphasis on not cutting too deep on the left side where the heater core is but my stupid self cut into the right side where the holder for the blend door is held. Also, funny enough my blend door was not broken. Anyway, I had a new blend door to go in regardless but with only one of the two little holders not cut it was flimsy to hold in place and the not-cut piece was deep inside that I could not see. I made a note to buy one of those small hose cameras but between vacation and a new job, I completely forgot that I did not put my blend door back in. While I was out of town my mechanic replaced my compressor because he said it was dead. That made the vents colder but it still felt a little weak. I took it back the next day he recharged and there was an improvement but it still struggles to keep up once the temp gets higher in the day or if I leave it in the sun. When I leave my garage the air is cold and it does a decent job cooling the cabin but the longer I drive and the hotter the car gets the AC is struggling to cool down the cabin if that makes sense. There is a difference when you turn it off but you never feel like you are freezing like it working at 60% of its potential for lack of a better term. I went back underneath my dash today and found that I left small gaps in the blend door hole and the air was leaking when I turned on the car. I put a bunch of duct tape to seal the hole and when I turned on my car, I felt zero air leaking and my vents did seem noticeably stronger but still the temp issue is there. I plan on buying a digital hose cam to see what I can do about the blend door, buying some kind of thermometer to measure the vent temps, changing my cabin filter, and planning on going back to the mechanic. They said no the second time there was no metal in the system so what could be the issue? I know it is stupid but without a blend door shouldn't there be no blockage for only cold air to come through right now? I have not tried the heat setting in a while but I can imagine that doesn't work as of right now. I am just looking for some cold AC.

07-24-2024, 11:48 AM	#2
ariZona28 Give speed a chance Drives: 2015 Camaro 2LS, 2015 Camaro Z/28 Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Mesa, Az Posts: 2,797	I would think that without a blend door you'd get a mix of both warm and cold air. If you're just trying to get some cold AC for the summer you may want to just bypass the heater core (coolant lines) while you continue your troubleshooting. __________________ 2LS: a TREMENDOUS machine. Z/28: it's a BIT MORE POWERFUL, of course.

07-25-2024, 08:37 AM	#4
Moto-Mojo Fast Cars and Old Guitars Drives: 2015 2SS RS (L99, baby!) Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: N. CA Posts: 4,216	As mentioned, no door and you're going to get warmish air. Have you (or your mechanic) checked to see if the new door is calibrated / positioned correctly? It seems they do self-calibrate. That, or I just got lucky. Maybe at least do the battery disconnect. I have been freakin' elated how well my ac / aluminum blend door works. 23 of the 25 July days here in N CA have been over 100°. Half of them over 105! __________________ “I don’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.” - Groucho Marx

07-24-2024, 05:02 PM	#3
spyderbuddy Drives: 2010 RS Inferno Orange Metallic Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Albany, Ga. Posts: 3,474 View My Garage	Typical Chevorlet Heater/Cooler problem

08-09-2024, 02:32 PM	#5
Rusty Shackleford Drives: 2012 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Jun 2023 Location: Texas Posts: 86	Your mechanic condemned the compressor because the blend door wasn't in? Could they not tell on the gauges that the compressor was pumping? As others have said, without the blend door you'll get a mix of hot and cold air so neither feature will work as it should. Would it damage anything? I doubt it. But it's a far less than ideal way to operate it.