I used to just take the glove box out. At beginning of Summer, and again at beginning of Winter. And stuff a wedge of folded up photocopy paper. To wedge the actuator in the cold position, or alternatively in the heat position. Depending on the season. Simple, takes about 15 minutes. And avoids all of this drama.
I did that at the beginning of the summer and it worked fine. However, now the actuator seems to be seized and I cannot move the white arms, so looks like this will not work for everyone.
Leigh Davis Thanks! I’m glad you shared that! That is exactly what I’m aiming for. Too many videos are not straight to the point. I don’t like wasting time lol.
Job is done. Thanks for your video. My car is a 1998 so their are some differences but very minor. I slotted the bolt holes for the air bag cover and ran the nuts down as far as I could so I could slide the studs back onto the bracket. I then tightened the nuts. I will glue it down at a later time. I want to make sure it is going to stay working for a while. I am a happy camper.
Thanks!. Airbag part is a pain in the ass. I used a rubber hammer to get the airbag more flush with the dash and used a strip of velcro to hold it down. looks good.
I've been putting this off for a year or so. Really didn't want to rip apart the dash, but was going to when the weather got a bit warmer. So glad I came across this video! Very good instructions and simple. Do you think one could just put velcro around the whole air bag dash cover instead of having to bolt the back and velcro just the front? When testing out the motor before; It seemed to move whenever the dial would be set cold or hot, no clicking. Maybe another problem? Maybe the flaps? I left it on ac but needed heat this past winter. Always blew cold. Thanks again for the wonderful video!
Derrick Niide This actuator I am replacing here controls air temperature. So it will control cold or hot air. Even if it doesn’t click the gears could be stripped which would give you no audible clicking. I don’t see why you couldn’t use Velcro around the airbag flap. Good luck.
DONT use velcro around the whole airbag cover! If it ever blows that cover could kill someone! Its BOLTED on back for that very reason. Velcro toward the seat is fine, velcro by windshield is BAD!
Great video. The lower 'stays' attached to the airbag cover are available, I believe, but must drill and rivet if I remember correctly, then snap cover in place, ed.
The best video on this subject. Years ago I tried to remove the air bag but couldn't get the right rear bolt off. Didn't know how to pull the lower portion of the dash off to get to that bolt so I gave up. However, I will get back to that task since you clearly showed us how to loosen that part. Thanks for your easy instructions.
I don't have the key, it's lost. I can't open the door or start the car. If I make the door key, with that same key can I start the car if I already have the transponder programmed? Will we have to add a few more slots to the door key to start the car ?. Thank you.
Great video. For a right hand drive W163 would the flap actuator be in the same position? There one would need to be working behind the fascia dials. Thanks again for a great video.
Excellent vid, thanks. Need to do this soon on my 2000 ML320 as my air is stuck on cold and we have winter. I removed glove box and seen that there is no movement on blend door motor. One weird thing I noticed while playing with dials is that when I activate recirculated air, the flap on the ventilation enclosure is opening up and when I disable it it closes. Is this normal? Should not it be another way around?
gfinklea Just use a razor blade in between the bottom of the cover and the top of the glove box area. Then the door will lift up easily aside from having to undo the three 10mm nuts on the underside of the cover
Well the only blend door I can see on your system is behind the glove box. If that is the problem you would need to remove the box and inspect it. I am leaning more towards the heater control valve.
What is the white plastic part called? It is being held at about 16 minutes into video. It is the part that you remove from the old actuator and put on the new actuator. If anyone can tell me please, that's the part I need to replace.
@@user-nw5pe4fv8r As far as I can see the actuator just has the motor and spindle. The white part you referred to is the arm that links the actuator to the vent doors/flaps.
Hi, thanks for the video. In that same ML320, 1998. How can I remove the key drum from the door without having the key because it was lost. Also, you have to add some slots to the door key to start the car, or it is the same key with the same number of slots. Thank you.
Word of advice.Take the top part of the dash off,not that difficult.Went to junkyard and pryed the air bag cover off just to see.You’ll never get it back on right.
I have a 2002 ml20 the mechanics telling me that there's some kind of compressor switch or something that needs to be replaced I'm not really sure but all he's trying to charge me $853 for this
Not sure what he is talking about. I assume your AC doesn’t work? It could be many things. This video just shows a bad actuator. If your car clicks like shown in the video when switching between cold and hot on the temperature dial, then you have a bad actuator as shown in the video. If your temperature changes without clicking then your actuator is fine.
I used to just take the glove box out. At beginning of Summer, and again at beginning of Winter. And stuff a wedge of folded up photocopy paper. To wedge the actuator in the cold position, or alternatively in the heat position. Depending on the season. Simple, takes about 15 minutes. And avoids all of this drama.
I did that at the beginning of the summer and it worked fine. However, now the actuator seems to be seized and I cannot move the white arms, so looks like this will not work for everyone.
I never really comment on video's but this one is good,not to long and dude is very plain and easy to understand,great job
Leigh Davis Thanks! I’m glad you shared that! That is exactly what I’m aiming for. Too many videos are not straight to the point. I don’t like wasting time lol.
Job is done. Thanks for your video. My car is a 1998 so their are some differences but very minor. I slotted the bolt holes for the air bag cover and ran the nuts down as far as I could so I could slide the studs back onto the bracket. I then tightened the nuts. I will glue it down at a later time. I want to make sure it is going to stay working for a while. I am a happy camper.
Nicely done!
Thanks for posting this video. I followed your advice and now the heat works. Please keep uploading videos of the ML class W163. Thanks
Kilvet Thanks for that! Cheers.
Perfect video! Straight to the point! Great job!
gobb4o thanks! Glad you found it helpful.
Thanks for your video. I need to do that repair on my 2000 ML with 185,000 km or 114,885 miles.
This is one of theist video I have seen, good presentation, thank you.
Thanks!. Airbag part is a pain in the ass. I used a rubber hammer to get the airbag more flush with the dash and used a strip of velcro to hold it down. looks good.
Big help, thanks
Well explained ! Working on it tomorrow. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us !
No problem
Thanks buddy, made my day a whole lot easier
The w163 ml is my favourite Mercedes model 🇦🇺 🦘
Could you please share a flap actuator part number?
I've been putting this off for a year or so. Really didn't want to rip apart the dash, but was going to when the weather got a bit warmer. So glad I came across this video! Very good instructions and simple. Do you think one could just put velcro around the whole air bag dash cover instead of having to bolt the back and velcro just the front? When testing out the motor before; It seemed to move whenever the dial would be set cold or hot, no clicking. Maybe another problem? Maybe the flaps? I left it on ac but needed heat this past winter. Always blew cold. Thanks again for the wonderful video!
Derrick Niide This actuator I am replacing here controls air temperature. So it will control cold or hot air. Even if it doesn’t click the gears could be stripped which would give you no audible clicking. I don’t see why you couldn’t use Velcro around the airbag flap. Good luck.
DONT use velcro around the whole airbag cover! If it ever blows that cover could kill someone! Its BOLTED on back for that very reason. Velcro toward the seat is fine, velcro by windshield is BAD!
Great video. The lower 'stays' attached to the airbag cover are available, I believe, but must drill and rivet if I remember correctly, then snap cover in place, ed.
The best video on this subject. Years ago I tried to remove the air bag but couldn't get the right rear bolt off. Didn't know how to pull the lower portion of the dash off to get to that bolt so I gave up. However, I will get back to that task since you clearly showed us how to loosen that part. Thanks for your easy instructions.
very educative. Thank you regards
Good job thank you
Thank you for doing a very good on this video and I appreciate very much what you did.
very good video, make me understand, maybe, why a ML that i saw yesterday has had a glued airback cober, with wite siliconw! thanks, and keep shooting
I don't have the key, it's lost.
I can't open the door or start the car.
If I make the door key, with that same key can I start the car if I already have the transponder programmed?
Will we have to add a few more slots to the door key to start the car ?.
Thank you.
If you have a key made AND programmed, it will open the doors and start the car.
Great video. For a right hand drive W163 would the flap actuator be in the same position? There one would need to be working behind the fascia dials. Thanks again for a great video.
I would think so. However I have never seen or worked on a RHD 163 so I can’t be sure.
Excellent vid, thanks. Need to do this soon on my 2000 ML320 as my air is stuck on cold and we have winter. I removed glove box and seen that there is no movement on blend door motor. One weird thing I noticed while playing with dials is that when I activate recirculated air, the flap on the ventilation enclosure is opening up and when I disable it it closes. Is this normal? Should not it be another way around?
Kirill Alder It should be flipping up towards the windshield area when activating recirculation.
Thankyou there buskis! Got my shit fixed! 🔧🔧🔧
Excellent!!!
Great. Good video, good presentation.
Very good. Show
Mines dosent make that noise but would fixing that make my ac work agian? Bought a new compressor and still no ac got a mercedes benz ml350 2003
I assume you had the system recharged after the new compressor was installed?
Good vid thx
How do you pull the airbag cover up? Does it take much force to break the 2 clips that hold it down?
gfinklea Just use a razor blade in between the bottom of the cover and the top of the glove box area. Then the door will lift up easily aside from having to undo the three 10mm nuts on the underside of the cover
@@HelpingHandAutoRepair Thanks so much. I am going to take on this job as soon as my parts arrive. Very good video.
Thank you!
My cla 250 heat isn't working not running hot had a mechanic look at it say its blend door actuator. But I have no ticking noise
You would have to inspect the blend door for proper operation while you change the temperature
@@HelpingHandAutoRepair how do I inspect it
Well the only blend door I can see on your system is behind the glove box. If that is the problem you would need to remove the box and inspect it.
I am leaning more towards the heater control valve.
Quick ? What would problem be if the blower blows out vents and won't blow to floor or window when moving dial?
Your mode door actuator is bad.
I have a 2002 ML320. Does the blend door going bad also cause air to sometimes come through the vents when the controls aren’t on?
It doesn’t. That would be a mode door issue
How were you sure it wasn’t the switch?
Switches don’t make a clicking noise like the one shown in the video.
What are the symptoms that this needs replaced?
Clicking noise when turning the knob between hot and cold. Or turning the temp knob and you don’t get heat or cold
Thanks for the video! Do you have the part number of the blend door actuator that you used? I will be doing the same to my 2000 ML320.
I don’t sorry. This was awhile ago. It can be found online or at the parts store.
Hi great video !s ml 270 2002 very same?
This I assume is the CDi model? If so then yes this should be the exact same procedure.
Thanks very much 👍👍👍
What does it mean if it isn’t making the clicking noise? But it’s still stuck on heat. And i recharged the ac
It could very well just be completely dead.
The actuator that is.
What is the white plastic part called? It is being held at about 16 minutes into video. It is the part that you remove from the old actuator and put on the new actuator. If anyone can tell me please, that's the part I need to replace.
@@user-nw5pe4fv8r As far as I can see the actuator just has the motor and spindle. The white part you referred to is the arm that links the actuator to the vent doors/flaps.
Hi, thanks for the video.
In that same ML320, 1998.
How can I remove the key drum from the door without having the key because it was lost.
Also, you have to add some slots to the door key to start the car, or it is the same key with the same number of slots.
Thank you.
I’m sorry what are you trying to do? Open the door?
I’m sorry what are you trying to do? Open the door?
Will this issue cause low heat almost no heat?
Thanks
It’s possible if everything else is working.
What does the blend door actuator do?
Controls the temperature of the air from hot to cold
Word of advice.Take the top part of the dash off,not that difficult.Went to junkyard and pryed the air bag cover off just to see.You’ll never get it back on right.
I specifically stated in the beginning of the video that this way isn’t the correct way.
I have a 2002 ml20 the mechanics telling me that there's some kind of compressor switch or something that needs to be replaced I'm not really sure but all he's trying to charge me $853 for this
Not sure what he is talking about. I assume your AC doesn’t work? It could be many things. This video just shows a bad actuator. If your car clicks like shown in the video when switching between cold and hot on the temperature dial, then you have a bad actuator as shown in the video.
If your temperature changes without clicking then your actuator is fine.
Why is velcro needed
If you take this shortcut like I am you need to be able to hold down the airbag cover.
The proper way to do this repair would be to remove the entire dash. However I don’t want to do that.
Mine doesn’t click so maybe it’s my switch?
MB is a piece of junk and trash. My ML and C300 are junks. It carries no resale value.
I could have told you that a long time ago. No modern European car will be worth anything.
Mines stuck on warm I had changed the whole ac.... it was uneeded to find out this is the problem.. have yet to do the iob..