I posted a question about this somewhere but I can't for the life of me find it. So I wanted to post this in hopes it will become searchable for the next guy, or lady, that runs into what I did. It's pretty simple so I will keep it that way.

Repair shops and forums eluded to my blend door issue (air blowing warm or barely cool when moving) as a complicated fix that requires removing the dash or cutting into the duct work under the glove compartment to reach a motorized blend door failure. Thankfully, it was very simple!!!

For my Jeep Cherokee 98 XJ 4x4 4.0L Straight Six Sport trim package...

Symptoms - I had a problem where I had so-so cool air (in summer) and very little heat (in winter). In summer, the air would blow a bit cooler when stopped, but would just barely be cool when moving. This started when I back-flushed my heater core as a result of reading here on the forums about heater core issues. Well I guess it worked because the heat to the blend door increased high enough to affect my air conditioning. Because the blend door was stuck halfway.

So many people told me it was a vacuum hose issue related to the blend door. Others told me it was a motor issue on the blend door and that I would need a dremel tool and an aftermarket fix kit to repair it.

Fact is, thankfully!, that the blend door is controlled by cable linked between the blend door controller and the environmental control on the dash. Pictures show the business end of the cable, and the busted clip that should hold the clip in place. Simply moving the blend door lever manually with my finger gives me ice cold air, or pulling the lever back, nice heat! It's right out in the open!!! Just under the dash on the passenger side, left of the glove box, behind the shifter.







I wish I knew about this when it happened, and I searched everywhere. Probably didn't ask the right questions, but these posts here on THIS forum is what prompted me to effing look under the dash.

Cost of a fix? NADA!

Thank you, ALL OF YOU, for your awesome posts and for having a go-to place to learn this stuff.

 

I knew that. LOL


Thanks for the info.

 

This post was money for me. I spent 6 months thinking I was going to have to dig into the dash over this.

 

Was just digging into this issue in my '98 Sport Wasn't sure if I had the cable or motor actuated door. Took a peek and luckily it's the cable. I can almost reach it from the drivers seat! Glad I searched it out, although I did find a nice fix for the motor actuated doors too.

 

Is there a way to fix this problem? Having the same issue with my 98 xj

 

 

So that cable moves in & out, and turns that actuator when you turn the temperature control dial on the dash? Brilliant! Can't wait to see if that's what's broken. I have plenty of zip ties, and I can handle $0. Thanks!

 

Is the 97 XJ set up like this?

 

I’m working on this problem on my 97 and I’m a little curious as to whether there actually IS an actuator in there. The 97 model marked a few changes with the vacuum system design - for example, they trashed the whole coolant valve system right before the firewall. Now I’m wondering if they scrapped the actuator too because for the life of me I don’t see one and don’t hear any additional movement other than that hard line wired into the climate ****. Unless the actuator is located up above it, which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me because my heat sucks but my ac works like a champ.

 

Mine is the motor actuated. I need help figuring it out

 

I cannot find online any replacement actuator for any jeep older than 1998. So i am assuming you are correct and it doesn't have one. I have the 1997 and am trying to fix why the middle vents don't get any air. Everything goes through the defrost. I have checked vacuum lines and they look ok. (in fact, looks like the guy who owned the jeep before me already had replaced the black line!). I thought it might be the switch, so took it all apart, and will probably order one for $30 on ebay and just try it. Otherwise, am completely baffled how to fix this. Everything else works, just no air through vents.

 

It sounds like the vacuum line for sure. That being said, there’s a lot of vacuum line to check that could be causing the issue. Right behind the firewall in the engine bay, where the heater core lines go in, there’s a line that you have to gently pull down and out. I don’t know if that’s it, but it’s worth checking -

 

@ Zach Novak What have you discovered? I have awhile the airflow drops, it doesn't come from any vent floor, defrost rear no where. I found this site, does this sound reasonable?

https://heatertreater.net/jeep-cherokee-97-06