HVAC help needed, BAD!

[ColonelPanic]

Hey, a problem I caused MYSELF! Well, partially, Sir Knocksalot started it initially... I didn't make it much better. But I really need some help here!I'm sure some of you have heard how I've complained about one of the lights in the climate controls has began to intermittently function... It finally died all the way, and the only remaining bulb was pulling the same tricks, so I decided to look at this thing again a second time to see if I could get the bulbs changed.I still was unable to remove the climate control assembly from the dash for whatever reason, I don't know what is holding it in there, but something is. The last time I tried, I pried at it from the right side and something snapped, falling down into the dash to never be found again. Bummer. Stupid me, I tried the same thing on the left side, and something there snapped and fell down too. Oh well. So, I decided to focus on the bulbs themselves. Clearly, they are in sockets. So, I tried to take a small screwdriver and push it against the socket and turn the left bulb out, but I ended up breaking the glass on the bulb. Oops! I was able to continue removing the socket and pulled it out from the back. Done with that one.Tried the same with the right one. Viola, I managed to get the bulb out in one piece, but I dropped it down into the dash again, so it's gone. So that sucks, I decided to put the thing back together, nothing gained, nothing lost - the controls weren't backlit before, and they're surely not going to be backlit now. Here is the offending piece, see the two sockets marked with 'L' for the lamps...Got it all put back together and I started to take off when I realized something was jacked with the airflow. Somewhere along the line when I was trying to get the HVAC controls pulled out to get access to the bulb sockets, I must have gotten the airflow damper cable and/or assembly all discombobulated.The knob will not turn fully in either direction as it once would. It stops before reaching the full position for dash vents, same for defrost. I can still have air coming from the dash: I can still have air coming from the defrost:But there is still air mixed in from the floor. The other positions work ok... This sucks, because the far left and far right positions are the only two positions I'll ever use, I hate having air blow from the floor vents. Now I have no choice thanks to my stupidity. hehI crawled under the dash and watched the cable on the left side as I turned the vent selector knob, it moves fully either way until it will not move any further. Yet somehow, something is clearly out of whack. I was hoping it was just the cable going up to the knob being out of adjustment, but seeing how the damper itself still moves to both extremes, I'm afraid I've done damage elsewhere. Can someone with a service manual look some stuff up for me? I'm interested to see if there is any procedure on adjusting or troubleshooting this mechanism. And how the heck does one get the HVAC control assembly out of the dash? I now see that when you turn the knobs, there is a cable of some sort that appears to snap into the assembly that turns with the knob (marked with a 'C' in the pictures) so, do I have to squeeze the three pieces of that cable together and push it rearward and remove it through the rear of the assembly? Duh, the more I think about it, that may be how to remove the thing - can someone confirm that? I need to figure out how to get the assembly out, I think - and go from there. And if someone in the know would be so kind, can you get me a part number for this big honkin' white piece, this needs to be replaced. Hopefully it would come with the bulbs as well.Yes, this is going to be much fun. I think at this point, warranty is out of the question. I doubt I could get the dealer to do anything about it... It's too obvious that i've been in there messing around. The scratched up shifter trim (that I made them replace a year ago after they scratched it all up,) the fact that nothing is holding the HVAC controls in except that one screw by the blower switch, the fact that neither one of the bulbs are still in there.... Yeah, its a weeeee bit too late.

[Baltovibe]

There is currently a seller on eBay that is piecing out a Vibe. The seller is things2sell4me and although he is not selling on eBay the particular part you are looking for, he may have the part available.http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...10096

[ColonelPanic]

I've made *some* progress here. Tore it all apart tonight and took a closer look.Disconnected the cable under the dash for the door that directs the airflow. I found from there, I can manually move the door and the airflow can be controlled the way it should be, so I didn't jack anything up there. It was all a matter of cable adjustment... I tried to get the thing adjusted properly but it would keep coming loose when moving the HVAC control assembly because it wasn't stuck in the dash where it needed to be. Since of course, it doesn't mout in there properly now. So I then realized I should put the dash back together so I can keep the HVAC controls from flopping around so I can get the cable adjusted. Once I got it back together, I got the cable adjusted: Knob rotated all the way one way...and all the way the opposite directionI've got it to the point where it will now work correctly in each position, no air blowing down from the floor from the dash vent or defrost position as before... Finally, the knob will move all the way over to the defrost position!...BUT, I still can't get the knob to turn fully to the left. I think I've screwed something up somewhere with the knob itself. Not sure what is keeping it from turning all the way over to the left. Even when the cable was disconnected, I still couldn't move the knob over to the left. So, I still need to replace this piece.... Thanks for the e-bay stuff, baltovibe. I'll look into that. I'm afraid of the shape of what it would be in once the other guy got it out of the car though, these things, ugh! Knowing my luck, it may be more broken than the one I have now. lol! I think I may try to find one new if I can get the part number for it...Now that I have air blowing where it needs to, I still have no lighting there, so this still sucks though..

[Baltovibe]

I know this info is way late, but may be of use ... sorry!There is a post earlier that had links to a 2003 Matrix Service Manual in PDF form, that contains a couple of pages on the HVAC control module: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=1156Also, there was a post of someone else wanting to get to those bulbs:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=6683

Attached files w040001.pdf (73.9 KB) 

[Baltovibe]

Oh, and the part number I found is:Control, Heater/AC 88970577

Attached files

[ColonelPanic]

Oh, it is absolutely not late! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is pretty darn hepful. Hindsight is 20/20, and now I see that I was going about this entirely wrong, but it will help with removal and reinstallation when I get the new part. Thanks for the part number too. I checked GM Parts Direct, they don't seem to have it listed, so I'll check with the dealer and see what they say. Uh oh, $$$... And thanks again for the service manual link. I forgot all about that thing! At one point in time, I had downloaded it (well, this makes the third time, I think.) This time, I'll try to not forget about it. Good info, and much thanks for the assistance. Made my life a bit easier. In the meantime, I've got my blue LED's mounted back in the radio bezel to shine down on the controls so I can sorta see where they are at. I tried earlier to do some custom illumination with LED's inside there, but nothing will light up the controls like those two incandescent bulbs would.