1992-1999 Series I L27 (1992-1994 SE,SLE, SSE) & Series II L36 (1995-1999 SE, SSE, SLE) and common problems for the Series I and II L67 (all supercharged models 92-99) Including Olds 88's, Olds LSS's and Buick Lesabres Please use General Chat for non-mechanical issues, and Performance and Brainstorming for improvements.

Air Vents

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Old 01-18-2006, 10:24 PM
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Default Air Vents

I recently had the air actuator changed out about 6 months ago and everything was fine untill tonite. When i change the air flow to the middle air vents the air wont blow out but it will blow from the top of the dash board and from the floor. Im not getting any blinking signs from the climate control. what seems to be the problem im stuck???
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Old 01-18-2006, 11:34 PM
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You have two actuators. One controls the hot/cold mix. The other controls which vents.
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Old 01-18-2006, 11:38 PM
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Sounds like a vacuum leak to me. A real easy one to check is on the vacuum reservior next to the brack master cylinder. There should be a vacuum line running to the bottom of it.
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Old 01-19-2006, 02:53 AM
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can I get a detailed description of where the vaccum leak maybe
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Old 01-19-2006, 03:31 AM
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ok, can this problem be fixed without tearing the dash apart??????????
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Old 01-19-2006, 08:21 AM
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Like J Wikoff said above, check your vacuum line connections at the vacuum cannister, next to your brake master cylinder, first. That'* under your hood toward the driver'* side rear of the engine compartment.
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Old 01-19-2006, 08:36 AM
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Yes, it is 99% possible you can fix this problem w/o going into the dash. You will be under the hood. The center vent function works off of vacuum provided by your engine. There is a vacuum canister (basically a sealed plastic container) that holds vacuum and our current thoughts are this has become disconnected. A vacuum line is simply a rubber line and they are prone drying and aging.

When you lift the hood. On the driver side next to the brake unit (master cylinder is the part where you add brake fluid if needed) should be an odd shaped black plastic container (vac canister) with a vacuum hose going into the bottom front of it. If instead you have a metal/plastic item with a cable running out of it and a V6 sticker on the side, your vacuum canister is located under the front passenger fender. (You would need to jack the car up to get to that.) However we believe it is next to the brakes.

(Lash/Jwikoff: the L36 pics in gearhead area show the cruise control next to the brakes..I'm not positive on a 95 L36 if it was firewall or fender location. Anyone that can confirm, please do)
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Old 01-19-2006, 08:45 AM
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Vac accumulator on a 95 with either the L36 or L67 is the same location as 92-94.

I like to describe the accumulator as an extension of the maxifuse relay center. Looks just like it (tricky, cleverly disguised).
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Old 01-19-2006, 08:51 AM
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When you push different buttons on the automatic climate control, does the air change which vent it'* coming out of? Like can you change from defrost and then to heat and the air correctly moves then? That would indicate you're getting vacuum to the controller unit inside the car.

I repaired the programmer vacuum connector in my 98 (LeSabre) because the 6-7 plug connector for the vacuum lines has little nipples in the connector that soften with age and suck into the opening when vacuum applies and shuts off the vacuum on a line. It is possible to remove the programmer, open the box, list connector colors in and out, cut out the connector, reconnect the 1/8" vacuum lines with gas line about 1.5 inch long and have everything working again. IF that'* what you problem turns out to be.

Assume the easier first. Everytime I did something on the spark plugs or wires on my 93I bumped the vacuum line to reservoir tank on the firewall built into the Relay Center plastic. First make sure vacuum is getting into the programmer inside the car.
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Old 01-19-2006, 08:54 AM
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The outlined procedure imidazol mentions is the other 1% of the time. We have a very good writeup with pictures on it. It'* not hard either, the typical fix is the vacuum line to the accumulator/canister.

Thanks Willwren for the confirmation it'* on the firewall between the maxifuse center and the brake booster.
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