Fresh air / recirculation valve motor problems

[Rob001]

Located at the right side foot well and very difficult to reach!

When pressing the recirculation button on electronic panel I hear some noise but motor and valve is not moving.

I tried to remove (succeeded partial) and motor is working. The valve i/s the air ducting is moving manually as well so it is not stuck

I guess it is installed wrong, reversed action or so. When on fresh air should the valve be open (air blowing through) of closed?

Any tips in proper installation and easy access to it? Got bleeding fingers and wrists by now :help:

Written in manual it should be removed with the recirculation button pressed but I do not get it working...

[996er]

Hi there how did you know/suspect that it wasn't working.. My C2 has a problem with misting up inside and wondered if the valve in my car was faulty..many thanks

[Rob001]

The way I found out was that when pressing the recirculation buttom on heating panel I heard "clicking" noises from under the right footwell.

Checking the little electric motor when pressing the recirculation buttom learned that it was not moving or only partial. Seems that the motor is weak or the flaps connected to the motor are having a lot of resistance to move or both...

As you can see on attachment the motor has two (2) linkage arms. One goes to a flap visible at right footwell at the bottom (open is air recirculation) and the other one is a flap just below your cabin particle filter underneath the hood.

What I did to solve my problem temporary is manualy forced the motor and flaps to fresh air position (flap under footwell CLOSED) and disconnected the electrical cable to the valve.

No more fogging windows

[martialmedia]

Mine is clicking as well. Is it just one bolt that holds it? Do you know what size?

[Rob001]

Seems it is stuck as well then i guess. Do you see any movement of the flap at bottom?

The bolt is an 6mm (metric) size but be aware it is a real PITA to reach from bottom and once the motor is out it is even worse to get it back!

To get some better acces remove the rightside bulkhead (under carpet) side vent airback and air ducting.

See attachment from the workshop manual on how to remove this. Goodluck and let me know the outcome!

[martialmedia]

Mine is clicking as well. Is it just one bolt that holds it? Do you know what size?

Thanks for the image. It looks like a lot of fun. :-|

[profge]

an update ? i have same issue (clicking when pushing the recirculation button), and i'm very interrested to know if you succeded...

[wwest]

Hi there how did you know/suspect that it wasn't working.. My C2 has a problem with misting up inside and wondered if the valve in my car was faulty..many thanks

The very best way to avoid "misting", assuming this means interior windshield/window condensation build up, is to disable the A/C ENTIRELY during the winter months. NEVER allow the A/C to operate EXCEPT for cabin cooling. Once the A/C has been used for dehumidification, even days ago, you are taking a chance on sudden windshield fogging. Sudden and seemingly spontaneous to the point of being a HARARD to life and limb.

My '01 C4 has a "toggle" switch mounted on the back inside wall of the center console storage glove box that opens the A/C clutch circuit.

Edited March 30, 2010 by wwest

[jcpr996]

So did anyone replace the motor? Mine clicks but something in there is busted because I can move the mechanism just fine. I seems really hard to get that motor out. I'd like to fix this because the a/c doesn't cool that fast with all fresh air when its really hot outside. TIA..

[robbc]

Bump. Took my car in to the shop and was told that my recirculation motor is bad. I was also told that if I did it myself, it would not work because they would have to tell the computer to make it work and that it is not just a plug and play type of thing... Anyone have any experience in doing this successfully?

[Loren]

Bump. Took my car in to the shop and was told that my recirculation motor is bad. I was also told that if I did it myself, it would not work because they would have to tell the computer to make it work and that it is not just a plug and play type of thing... Anyone have any experience in doing this successfully?

Not according to the instructions in the service manual...

[Alen]

This was an exercise in patience, but I managed to do it in ~ 1 hour. Also you can save almost 300EUR on the part!

 

I fully documented the procedure: 

 

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/1362238-did-anyone-actually-replace-drive-motor-for-fresh-air-recirculation-99657391500-a.html