HVAC fan switch fix

[sandogtitan]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to start this post for anyone who might have come across the same problem that I did with the fan switch on the HVAC panel in the center console not working (slipping). First off, my Titan is a 2004 has 60,300 well used miles, she is indeed a working truck. The problem with the fan speed controller switch started about 2 weeks ago and I decided that before I spend $250 on a whole new HVAC control I would tear into the one on my truck and use come good ol fashioned mechanical know how to come up with a cheap and reliable fix. I do have pictures and I will be attaching them to the post as long as it lets me.

First step is to remove the center panel from your truck, this is easily done by just grabbing the top of the panel, just above the radio and pulling outward. It is only held in by 8 green clips. Once the panel is out, start disconnecting the electrical harnesses, be careful on the ones with the gray levers, they seem to be on the fragile side.



Next, remove all the knobs so they don't get damaged in further steps.



Then, flip the assembly over and remove the fan switch from the HVAC control. After the switch is off, remove the 4 screws holding the HVAC in place, you will need a torque bit for this (i believe it's a T-10)



Once you have the HVAC off and in hand, you will see 4 clips holding it together, depress the clips and pop the panel open. Remove the little plastic (barrel) piece, mine was cracked through the center on both sides which explains why the fan switch was no longer gripping. BTW, in case you were wondering, you CANNOT order this piece by itself, spent about 3 days calling around trying to get a replacement so I'll tell you guys how I fixed mine.



Now that you have the broken piece out. You will need to take the retainer piece off the fan switch (looks like a little black collar) Grab your trusty bottle of super glue (my personal favorite is Loctite Gel) First you want to glue the black collar into the barrel, make sure you don't over glue it, it will cause issues trying to get it back on the switch. Next, reinforce the repair from the outside using the glue, ensuring you fill the crack completely. Before this can be re-installed, you have to trim a little bit of the glue off the bottom of the barrel so it doesn't seize once you get it in.



Now all you have to do is re-assemble the HVAC, this is very important install the recirc switch and ensure that it doesn't bind on the repair. If it does, trim the excess glue away until it stops sticking. Then re-install the HVAC on the center panel and put the switches and knobs back on. Now would be a good time to op-check the setup to make sure it's not engaging the switch properly. If so, re-install into the truck. Mine has been in the truck for over a week now, and is showing no signs of weakness, it actually works better now then it did when I bought the truck off the showroom....lol.

Overall:
Cost of new HVAC: $250 +tax and shipping
Cost of repair: $10 (including cost of bit)
Savings: $240+

Good Luck and Happy Trucking
SanDogTitan & Nessie <---(my titan's name...lol)

[blue73thing]

Thank you so much for this excellent How-to fix. My dealer wanted to charge me nearly $500 repair my A/C. That was three months ago, and today I used your instructions and pix to repair that cursed piece of under-engineered plastic, and guess what...my A/C blows better than it ever has. I think that ridiculous POS must have been partially broken when I bought my '04 truck, new off the lot in April of '05. I've always complained about the velocity of air blowing through the vents, but tonite, after gluing that collar back and creating some "strength webbing" with super glue, by #3 on the dial, it's blowing like a tornado. #4 on the dial and I have to turn up the stereo. Great help from the forum. Thank you!

One tiny problem, however, it appears now my Airbag light on the dash blinks. Maybe I didn't get the plug of wiring back on snugly for the Passenger Airbag bypass light at the bottom of the center console, you know, right by the Hazard light button. The Passenger OFF button actually seems to work, when I sit in the passenger seat, the light goes out, and with nobody there it lights up "OFF".

Regardless of that little issue, TitanTalk has saved me at least a couple hundred and bucks and possibly up to $500 for this little fix.

[3dwaxmill]

Thanks Sandogtitan your fix worked perfect.

[txmrm]

Count me as another satisfied customer. Great write up and pics, saved me $250 or more. And the wife is so happy that I figured out how to fix this that I might even get lucky tonight.

OK, I didn't figure out the fix but I was smart enough to find it and who cares what the wife believes.

[rod_b]

I did this and it works great but there is still a possibility of recracking which mine has done. It still works but I have to turn it slowly because I feel it giving a little. Whoever designed this little piece needs to be shot.

[JonnyRay]

Anyone have a fix for a 2007 fan control switch it goes from off to full blast no other settings. Thanks for the help guys.

[real_texan77]

Originally Posted by JonnyRay

Anyone have a fix for a 2007 fan control switch it goes from off to full blast no other settings. Thanks for the help guys.

I would say that its the vbc..thats what happened to my titan..50-60 dollars at the local dealership

click here for more detail. A/C Blower cutting off problem solved? - Nissan Titan Forum: Club Titan Forums

[TeamBrainDamage]

thank you, a good post, the plastic piece broke in my 2004 titan too, and did not want to pay $200+ for the whole unit, took about 90 minutes to do this fix.

only problem I had was a blinking air bag light after putting it back in, I did the reset from another post on here, and all was good.

Blinking air bag light

[baseballfanz]

Good post. Nissan use a lot of plastic that are starting to break at about the 3.5 - 4 years mark.