Ian this is the recirc flap motor in the front compartment. The evap vent direction actuator is a different beast under the dash. Substantially different and NLA mate check pg 144 item 12 eurospares website
Ok guys I have pulled my motor unit down and found a few issues with the gear that fails. The worm part of the gear is plastic BUT the actual gear on the end that breaks is actually like a hard rubber that's moulded onto a flange. I believe this is a type of cushioning device to help some of the electric motor start up. I think that part of the problem is the harshness of the electric motor starting that it breaks the cushion gear to pieces over time. It's failure is inevitable. The system need some sort of soft start so to speak. I don't believe anything we replace this gear with is going to stop other gears in the gearbox from failing. The failure is primarily due to load. The gear that fails basically takes all the load from the motor and the rest of the gear train. How would a soft start in line go? And could a soft start be used for + and - polarity changes?
New gear replacement done. I tip I will give anyone doing this job. ECU requires a reset. Once that was done everything worked perfectly. I think for the effort put in to designing and manufacturing the $360 plus Frieght is a fair deal. I was considering making these but for the effort and minimal gears required for manufacturing it's not worth it. Takeya has done an awesome job and from my experience is a very honest guy. Thankyou again for helping with this part.
Im in the same boat here now. My gear is stripped and I am looking for some help, specifically after installing the new gear what size screws do I use to fasten the plate back onto the gearbox and finally the cover? Before removing the gear I wanted to measure the potentiometer spectrum first, and read the following between the ppl/blk wire and yellow wire; .6k ohms to 2.1k ohms. Also, after reinstallation back into car it will need to be reset and from what I have read can be accomplished by unplugging the ecu and battery, then turning the hvac on, then plugging the ecu and battery back in, turning the key on allowing the system to initialize. I am assuming the correct process is that the ecu will power the actuator motor while seeing the potentiometer value increase from .6k ohms up to 2.1k ohms then reverse the polarity of the motor until the potentiometer returns to .6k ohms. (Full sweep) Then, depending on where the mode selector is set will power the motor to get to that position. Yes? Also, during normal operation as long as the battery power stays connected will the actuator only move when the selector is moved, or will it sweep on every ignition cycle? Thanks for any help.
I was able to re melt my pins to hold the board on. I marked the pin and potential meter to re assemble in the same spot. I glued my case in the 4 corners. There is a mark on the rotation drum that aligns with the motor drive shaft. Look carefully at the drum shaft it has a little nick on the end of it on one side. And yes reset. I just left mine in windscreen position and fan on 1. You can here it actuating when you turn key on. I think from memory I started the car and cycled the vent system into all positions.
Carmellini reported that his tambour rotates through 360 degrees with no endstops. Is this correct? If so, the system could not self-calibrate without some reference. I assume this procedure you describe sets up the system at the right starting position.
Rotation drum has a mark on end of shaft that aligns with actuating motor shaft. I noticed these on removal
Ian, my actuator would only rotate 180 degrees and has stops on both ends. I'm not sure if the ecu is looking at only the resistance readings coming from the potentiometer to determine travel, or if it also is reading the amperage from the motor getting high as it hits the stops. If that is the case, then it would make more sense as to why the gears strip. (The motor torque coupled with the speed would overstress the drive gears). But again, maybe the ecu is just reading the potentiometer.
Paul, do you feel if you had to replace that gear again that you would be able to again remove the 2 covers without destroying them? I am considering using small screws to give future options if necessary.
Yes. I didn't go overboard with the glue. I have left mine on windscreen. Never use the system car only gets driven on nice day.
Thank you. I too only drive my car on nice days and never have needed A/C. The only way I found out there was a problem was when I was just going over the car in the off season
Understood, but if the tambour doesn't have endstops, how does the actuator know what position the tambour is in? If someone spins me around with a blindfold on until I lose my orientation, and I'm asked turn a further 180 degrees, I still don't know which way I'm pointed.
I'm not sure what you are calling the tambour but the actuator (the electrical component that moves the mode door inside the evaporator case) has stops that limit the movement to 180 degrees. The way the ECU knows where the actuator position is, is by reading the resistance from the potentiometer that is integral to the actuator.
I mean the thing that the actuator is moving. It's a cylinder with vanes on it which directs the air. Image Unavailable, Please Login Without a reference point, the vanes could be pointing anywhere. The actuator has a square drive on it (no key). If you drive the actuator to one of its endstops, the vanes on the tambour could be in one of four positions. Unless the vanes have a symmetry to them and provide correct airflow in any of the four possible positions, then, I assume, you need to position the drum corrrectly before refitting the actuator. As Beetle says...
What I believe is meant by this is that the actuator shaft is indexed with the tambour, as Paul indicates in post 34.
Paul explained it to me in detail in PM. Despite having a spare actuator sitting on my desk, I didn't realise that there was a small index on the actuator drive. It's not obvious if you're not looking for it. Image Unavailable, Please Login There is a corresponding (tiny) mark on the tambour. Thanks! All makes sense now.
