C4 2010 - Fans not working - Sort of

[zretty]

Hi.

During the winter my A/C died. First, it worked on/off, meaning it would actually cool. Later the cooling effect completely stopped. Had it checked and it was leaking and the compressor was most likely dead as well since a refill didn't do the trick and it kept leaking.

The would-be liveable, but now my normal fans have stopped working and we're off to go camping in this heat...

The problem:

I can hear the fan running and revving up/down as adjusted on the climate-control unit. But the air is only coming out from the fixed air vents - At the windshield and the two fixed-ones going to the side windows.

There's no air coming through the adjustable air vents - The two in the middle of the dash, and the one on each side of the dash.

Do you have any ideas for things I could try to solve this issue?

Just to be clear, yes, I have tried opening the vents fully. Always tried turning it all the way up/down several times, as my mechanic suggested before going on holiday.

Thanks.

[GiveMeABreak]

That sounds like the air mixer flap controls are shot. Do you have the digital climate control panel? Pop your VIN up and I can confirm.

[zretty]

Thanks - VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]

Yea, digital control panel - Which is displaying everything correctly.

If it's an actuator that's the cause of this, would it be possible to manually adjust the "flap"?

[GiveMeABreak]

They have electronic motors that control both the hot and cold air mixing and also the air distribution flaps. The plastic spindle has a toothed gear that can become worn out over time. When this happens and it eventually starts slipping, either the mixing or air distribution flaps will remain in the same place.

A diagnostic using Diagbox will allow actuator tests so that you can test whether the functions work or not.

If they do not alter then it’s a good bet they have snapped and are turning where the gear has worn. You can obtain kits to replace the spindle parts or replace the stepper motor unit itself. There is no manual adjustment as there are no cables on the digital system. They are all motor controlled.

Post up your VIN and I’ll put a diagram up to show you