heat/AC blowing out of defrost ONLY
#13
08-27-2012, 04:13 AM
I have a 2002 Sebring sedan and the a/c heater blower would only work in the high mode. After much research I changed the blower resistor and it fixed the problem...for a little while. Now it is acting like I read in this thread by blowing a/c whereever it wants to. It will come out of the defrost ports and all of a sudden be blowing in my face. Then back again. Tried several combinations of changing the speed, temp, positions to no avail. Would this be the control unit or the blend door actuator?
#14
08-27-2012, 09:14 AM
Not likely the blend door (which controls temperature), but it could be the control unit or the mode door (which controls where the air comes out) actuator. The control unit is an easy DIY replacement, and relatively inexpensive. Try that first.
Last edited by dcotter0579; 08-27-2012 at 09:17 AM.
#15
08-27-2012, 01:32 PM
I replaced the contril head, and it still blows cold sometimes cool air. But only out defrost. I replaced the iod fuse. Now I'm lost again. Also I took off positive battery cable and waited about five min then put back on... Still nothing. Still need help
#16
08-27-2012, 04:27 PM
Thank you DCotter. Funny thing about it is I changed the control unit before changing the resistor. But you're right, it's an easy fix and relatively inexpensive. $15 at a junk yard. Will try it again and let you know. 
#18
10-20-2012, 09:56 PM
If you can't find the IOD fuse, you can disconnect the battery (at the spring tower on the driver's side under the hood) to kill all the power and reset the BCM.
#19
05-18-2014, 03:55 PM
Is yours a coupe, sedan or convertible? If it's a sedan or convertible, there's a "calibration" technique you can run. With the engine running, turn the temp **** all the way to the cold side. Turn the mode **** all the way to the defrost position. Put the fan switch to any position other than off. Then press the rear defroster button until you hear a chime. Let it go. The system will go thru some gyrations and give you a "report" in your odometer readout. A "0" is good.
You may have a bad control head. As you noted, the default mode is defrost, so if the body computer senses a loss of signal from the controls, it will put it into defrost.
Again assuming yours is a convertible or sedan, salvage control heads are fairly commonly available on eBay and in junkyards. The part is used in the sedan and convertible and in the Dodge Stratus from 2001 through 2006, so there are lots of them out there. It's an easy replacement which I would definitely try before tearing the dash apart.
The IOD fuse is the one in the middle of the fuse panel at the left end of the dashboard. Easily recognized by the "ears". You can pop it out with no tools.
You may have a bad control head. As you noted, the default mode is defrost, so if the body computer senses a loss of signal from the controls, it will put it into defrost.
Again assuming yours is a convertible or sedan, salvage control heads are fairly commonly available on eBay and in junkyards. The part is used in the sedan and convertible and in the Dodge Stratus from 2001 through 2006, so there are lots of them out there. It's an easy replacement which I would definitely try before tearing the dash apart.
The IOD fuse is the one in the middle of the fuse panel at the left end of the dashboard. Easily recognized by the "ears". You can pop it out with no tools.
#20
05-18-2014, 06:34 PM
I'm not sure but I think that calibration routine was something that was put in for the 2002 model. It worked for me several times on my 2002 sedan but wouldn't work on my 2001 convertible. As for the contol head problem, my junkyard replacement gave out after a couple of years. I bit the bullet and bought a dealer part for a hundred bucks or so and have had no problem since.