as the title states.. my hot/cold hvac knob requires WAY to much effort to turn and its bound to snap any minute.

what causes this and, more importantly, how do i fix it?

also, any further information (other threads, recalls?, etc. are greatly appreciated for future members inquiring.

my car is an 03 evo8 gsr

 

bump mine already broke same exact car!

 

I do know that the controls are all cable driven instead of electronic, so anything on top of them could hinder the ability to move them. What you could try would be to pull the knobs off of the controls and take the two screws out there and that panel will pull out of the dash. Then just check and see if there is anything from the radio that could be in the way or just trace the cables until you find a problem. Hope this helps

 

check it out.
Here's what to look for:
get up under the driver's side dash portion, and look toward the center where all that white plastic stuff is.
You'll see a grey plastic cable attached to a clevis and a big white plastic bellcrank.
your plastic cable is kinked.
the harder you push the a/c knob toward heat, the more your cable bends.
its like you turn it to all heat, and it just kind of bounces back, right?
Its some B,S. but, its september in Texas, haven't felt the urgency to replace it yet.
I'm planning on replacing it with wire cable when the time comes.
Until you plan on forking out the dough, just grab that big plastic bellcrank and turn it by hand.
pull the a/c knob so you know which way is hot, which is cold.
I'm sure the exact same thing happens, cause I'm sure the same unit for lancer/ralliart/mirage/evo.

 

link to problem
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/mi...hard-turn.html

 

the white arm that moves when u turn the knob is stuck behind something causing it to be hard to turn

 

there was a thread not too long ago on this and someone said if you replace the plastic gears it'll work. All you need is a philips screw driver, a few minutes of your time and about $20

http://www.mitsubishiparts.net/cart/?pn=7801A110

 

The exact answer to the question in the heading is - engineering screwup. If you look at the two white interlocking levers on the heater box above the accelerator pedal while turning the knob you will quickly see where and why the knob is hanging up.

Mitsu has replacement levers of a new design out that work much better. So, the repair is replacement.

There is also the possibility, if you park under trees, that leaves and twigs have fallen into the heater box causing the blend door to jam. So, if replacing the levers isn't a sufficient fix for the problem the next step is pulling the dash and heater box for door replacement. They also recommend installing a filter to keep more junk from falling in. There is a TSB out on all of this.

In case you are wondering, a TSB is just instructions for doing a repair. It is not a warranty or a recall.

I'd suggest doing the levers first, in most cases it is all you will need.

 

search...

the slider on the hvac unit gets bound up. this is caused because there is no in cabin air filter. the knob will get harder and harder to turn until it eventually snaps. (like mine)

have them put new sliders in and install an incabin air filter. if you wait till the knob snaps off then you have to buy a whole new hvac unit which it comes with a 7 hour job to tear out your dash to replace. Get it fixed before the knob break off. A lot cheaper. Take it to a mits dealer they will have dealt with it before.

 

trust me that's your problem, i work at a mits dealer and i had the exact same thing on my car

 

I have an 05 with the cabin air filter, and I also notice my heater temp control gets tight in the center then unbinds. so I guess even us with cabin air filters from the factory can get the knobs to bind up.

 

amazing, thanks guys. ill have to get up under there and take a look. i pulled off the dash piece to fix my gauges but dont remember seeing anything out of the ordinary.

im sure its been asked before, but there were a couple other people needing help too so i hope this serves many people with this issue.

 

and a quick question about taking it to a dealer, how much would they charge to do this? i dont have any issues doing it myself but if its cheap ill save my time and take it to them . otherwise the tsb has the part numbers i can order to do it.

 

there g0nna charge u like 115 just to diagnose the prob and not even fix anything...thats where dealers bite u in the ***!!

 

my dealership quoted me 2grand and suggested I not fix it. Don Herring plano ftw. Never even knew about the tsb until this year which is after the warranty of course.