I fixed it!! Out of frustration I got under there took the blower motor out and I could see the recirculation door was resting in its fresh air position,. I gently forced it to recirculate position and had my wife press the recirculation button ONLY with no ice/ac button on. With ONLY the recirculation button on I could feel the door wanting to go back to fresh air but I was hot and aggravated so I forcefully held it from going back to fresh air and told myself 1 of 2 things are going to happen 1 it will break and I will glue it in recirculation position for the rest of the vehicles life, or a miracle will happen and it will start to work. After a couple of seconds of holding it tight in recirculation position with the recirculation button pressed it held there and figured itself out. I asked her to turn the button on and off and the door miraculously started working again. I have not pressed the ice/ac button since and ONLY the recirculation button when I need cold air. Now with it working properly I've been getting 40 degree air on a 95 degree day in Florida. I have owned this SUV for over 10 years and this door has always been stuck in fresh air mode, I did not change any parts only did this and I was able to fix my problem. I really hope this helps anyone out there having this same issue. Good luck.
I think mine was doing the same thing I remember forcing it open after pressing the button but don’t think I pressed it after the fact. Next time I tinker with it I will try that. GLAD YOU FIGURED YOURS OUT!! @jonbollas5870
I’m also in FL same issue with my ‘03 Yukon (owned and daily driven for 3.5 yrs). I know the actuator works because i had to clean some leaves out of my blower fan, and while I was in there I forced the door towards the recirc position and when I turned the ignition off then on again it worked and moved it back to the fresh air position. I’m going to try this!
I just want to thank you for this comment. Because after installing my new actuator it refused to work correctly. I ended up having to force it exactly like you did and now it works flawlessly. Thank you thank you thank you
Fixed the problem, bought 2 actuators and same problem, I opened the old one to see what was the problem and after studying the actuator, I saw that the contact pins on the black gear would barely get out of the contact board making the problem of not opening or closing. I rolled up small rags to zip tie them to the plastic rail on the blower motor where the vent door rest, set the actuator to the middle, installed everything back and works like new. (The rags stop the inlet door from fully opening so that the pins stay on the contact board)
I had this problem too and finally figured out how to fix it. The allowable actuator travel range is from 5-250 Counts. Mine measured 0-212. So, 0 < 5 sets the DTC B0229 - which closes the door and deactivates it. I drew a line at my “Zero” position on the actuator. I then used a 9 volt battery to advance it clockwise a little bit. Next, you take apart the actuator and be careful not to move any of the gears. Then, lift up the top gear and move it back to the “Zero” position without moving the other gears. Now mine reads 29-242 and works fine after clearing the DTC.
You have given me the most hope so far on it! I may just have to take it apart again lol. I chalked it up as a loss. So this method requires just resetting the gear no scan tools needed?
@@Zacpactv No scan tool necessary. I did use one to diagnose the problem. When I read TSB #06-01-38-003 (which updates the software settings to allow counts outside of the 5-250 range), I got the idea that I could just rotate the drive gear instead. You will have to do the re-calibration procedure if it doesn’t happen automatically.
Hey I am dealing with the same issue in my 2003 yukon and i bought a new actuator coming to find out the old one still works. I want to try this method, how do you find the zero position?
@@caln9ne16 The "zero" position is where the actuator is when the door is fully closed. So when you take the actuator out, it is at the "zero". You can use the notches on the white gear to draw a reference line on the actuator body. Then using a 9-volt, advance the white gear a little bit. (I did about 5-10 degrees). This rotates the white gear clockwise. Then you lift it up and move it back to the reference line, without moving the other gears. Essentially, this sets a higher voltage reading at the fully closed position which falls within the acceptable range.
@@Zacpactv A couple pictures and video of it working. Feel free to use, replicate or delete this drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_8BEAx8pmxHzs8tluGYLzgSwBjx0vCdh?usp=sharing
the foam gasket gets compressed and the door travels out of range. Open the door and glue some foam weather stripping around the edge of the door an it will work. I did this to my 2006 Yukon. I just removed my HVAC digital controls, found the plug with the power wire to the actuator and then added ground to make the door open. Then I went through the blower motor hole to add the foam stripping. Since you can access your actuator you can take it apart and add a machine screw with a nut inside to act as a stop. GM also has an updated calibration procedure, but why pay 150.00 plus when the other repair is almost free.
You have to restrict the actual door itself from venting outside air in. The actuator moves too far and gets thrown out of range. It’s resting position is in the venting mode, for recirculating inside air you must have the correct mode for the vents selected defrost and feet warmer won’t recirculate air only venting from outside. The position that it’s in watching the video is letting outside air vent in. Tie wrap something across the plastic or get creative. You should reset the the blend door too the middle position and clear hvac codes and let the hvac sit for 40 seconds and communicate with blend doors when you’re ready to test to make sure they’re in correct spot and that they’re in range. Hope this helps
Hey guys there’s a service bulletin from GM them selves they actually re program the HVAC box if this trick doesn’t work. From what I understood calling the dealership these trucks are out of warranty now and this is not a recall so it would have to be paid for out of pocket. Anyway Bulletin No.: 06-01-38-003 pertains to a few codes and or issues with the HVAC system and they reprogram the door counts so that this won’t happen.
@@justinmorrissey7295 so a guy on this chat johnbolas in comments mentioned taking his for this service bulletin and since no clicking was found they could not perform it. Hopefully some others will chime in on a successful dealer fix.
Do not feel bad buddy I am in the same boat you are if something comes up and you figure it out and it really does have to go to the dealership or something to be reprogrammed or rebooted whatever it is let me know I'd really appreciate that
Had the exact same problem. Bought a new ac delco actuator and still moved to the rest position. So I bought a new Dorman control module. Problem fixed
@@jarederdmann3638 The problem occurs because the ECM senses the door position based on the voltage level returned by the actuator. Eventually things wear out and the door moves a little to far. This sends a voltage signal that is too low and the ECM disables the door. There is a GM update that widens the parameters to fix this ($$$ at the Dealer). I just turned my gear a little bit so it fell within the parameters. (See my other comment). It wouldn't surprise me at all if Dorman adjusted their potentiometer to fall within the acceptable range. The one I bought didn't, so I adjusted it myself.
I still get the B0229 recirc performance code but my reticulation works only when I turn the temperature down to 65 and below. If I press recirc when it’s at 72 an 50 outside it just blinks and remains on outside air. 2003 suburban auto climate control
I have the opposite problem on my truck. The recirculation door is always closed which makes the windows all foggy in the winter time. When you press the button to shut it off it´s just blinking and stays shut...
@@Zacpactv I am dealing with your same issue, today I just paid $75 to my local dealer and they explained they could not complete the TSB bulletin 06-01-38-003 since I do not have any clicking going on, and my blender doors are working. They used the Tech2 scanner to command blender doors and recirculation door, they explained an update will not help me with my situation. Please keep us updated. Thank you for the video.
@@jonbollas5870 I was told that as well, Bring it in to the dealer for an analysis. Something told me they would charge me the 75 and point me in another direction. Mine is not making a clicking noise either. I may try to trace the wiring back. Also Idk if I noted but doing a reset with pulling fuses. pushing on the recirc door right after the reset on recirc mode I can get it to open up under its own power. After that its back to being non responsive.
@@Zacpactv Same exact thing here with forcing the door manually and it automatically going back to its resting bitch position of fresh-air. I was thinking if I could drop the blower motor and shove a towel up there so it will be forced to suck my cabin air vs fresh air. My shop quoted me $1k to drop dash, replace recir door and GUARANTEE me it will work for $1k. I cant see myself dropping that much right now on a truck with over 350k miles.
I thought of that two lol. I have also thought about putting it on a separate switch but do not know if it would time out. my dads an electrician I may pull up the schematic and see if he can help with chasing the wire back. I do not see how changing out the recirc. door would fix the problem 😅 The only problem would be from the actuator back?
What were the symptoms you were getting? I think mine is messed up too. When I turn the ac on I’m not getting no cold air and seems to not be blowing as strong as it should. I just got a new ac compressor filled up with Freon blower motor is good. When I check the canister under the hood it’s nice and cold compressor turns on as it should. I just ordered a new actuator going to change them out hoping it’s just that it’s getting hot as hell here in tx
Did you drain your system with a hvac vacuum before adding freon? You have to pull negative pressure from the system and hold it then release freon back into it. Your system is probably full of air.
For the it not blowing good problem you need to check the filter under dash, If no filter due to it being a 2500 or bigger I have a video on how to clean out the fins under the dash.
I have 2013 Silverado. Each time I press the recirculation button it blinks 3 times then goes right back to the outside air indicator. Is this a need for the recirculation actuator replacement ???
That would be a good place to start. replace with oem off amazon or elsewhere. I made the mistake and tried aftermarkets for a car I had. replaced twice with the same issue i had before then final went oem and worked flawlessly. I am not up to date on that year but also would check the recirculating door to see if appears off track.
@@jeremysteed4242 I did confirm it was traveling to far I tried the wood spacer and some stops clips neither worked it so i installed a small shim in the motor epoxied to the stop I was able to see its travel with my scan tool the first shim was to big the 2nd attempt was perfect 3/32 thick did the trick I was able to use the old but also did it to a new one and left it in their , I also did this for the back temperature actuator I have recalibrated a few times and both appear to be ok the scan tool helped a lot
I no longer have it as an issue, since i sold the truck! I hope you get yours figured out! Some guys in this comment section may be able to walk you through it!
I have the same issue with b0229 and the recirculation still open, it will close only when i turn off the ac control button, if you find the solution for this issue please let me know
![FREE FIX [GM Recirculation Door Actuator Failure]](/img/n.gif)
I fixed it!! Out of frustration I got under there took the blower motor out and I could see the recirculation door was resting in its fresh air position,. I gently forced it to recirculate position and had my wife press the recirculation button ONLY with no ice/ac button on. With ONLY the recirculation button on I could feel the door wanting to go back to fresh air but I was hot and aggravated so I forcefully held it from going back to fresh air and told myself 1 of 2 things are going to happen 1 it will break and I will glue it in recirculation position for the rest of the vehicles life, or a miracle will happen and it will start to work. After a couple of seconds of holding it tight in recirculation position with the recirculation button pressed it held there and figured itself out. I asked her to turn the button on and off and the door miraculously started working again. I have not pressed the ice/ac button since and ONLY the recirculation button when I need cold air. Now with it working properly I've been getting 40 degree air on a 95 degree day in Florida. I have owned this SUV for over 10 years and this door has always been stuck in fresh air mode, I did not change any parts only did this and I was able to fix my problem. I really hope this helps anyone out there having this same issue. Good luck.
I think mine was doing the same thing I remember forcing it open after pressing the button but don’t think I pressed it after the fact. Next time I tinker with it I will try that. GLAD YOU FIGURED YOURS OUT!! @jonbollas5870
I’m also in FL same issue with my ‘03 Yukon (owned and daily driven for 3.5 yrs). I know the actuator works because i had to clean some leaves out of my blower fan, and while I was in there I forced the door towards the recirc position and when I turned the ignition off then on again it worked and moved it back to the fresh air position. I’m going to try this!
Have the same problem, so removing the blower motor i car reach that door right? Need to try this.
@@lesgus72 Yes you should be able to reach in there and see the door. Good Luck!
I just want to thank you for this comment. Because after installing my new actuator it refused to work correctly. I ended up having to force it exactly like you did and now it works flawlessly. Thank you thank you thank you
Fixed the problem, bought 2 actuators and same problem, I opened the old one to see what was the problem and after studying the actuator, I saw that the contact pins on the black gear would barely get out of the contact board making the problem of not opening or closing. I rolled up small rags to zip tie them to the plastic rail on the blower motor where the vent door rest, set the actuator to the middle, installed everything back and works like new. (The rags stop the inlet door from fully opening so that the pins stay on the contact board)
did you reuse old actuators? glad it fixed your issues!
@@Zacpactv yep, I just took it apart so I can set the gear mark in the middle and worked like new
I had this problem too and finally figured out how to fix it. The allowable actuator travel range is from 5-250 Counts. Mine measured 0-212. So, 0 < 5 sets the DTC B0229 - which closes the door and deactivates it. I drew a line at my “Zero” position on the actuator. I then used a 9 volt battery to advance it clockwise a little bit. Next, you take apart the actuator and be careful not to move any of the gears. Then, lift up the top gear and move it back to the “Zero” position without moving the other gears. Now mine reads 29-242 and works fine after clearing the DTC.
You have given me the most hope so far on it! I may just have to take it apart again lol. I chalked it up as a loss. So this method requires just resetting the gear no scan tools needed?
@@Zacpactv No scan tool necessary. I did use one to diagnose the problem. When I read TSB #06-01-38-003 (which updates the software settings to allow counts outside of the 5-250 range), I got the idea that I could just rotate the drive gear instead. You will have to do the re-calibration procedure if it doesn’t happen automatically.
Hey I am dealing with the same issue in my 2003 yukon and i bought a new actuator coming to find out the old one still works. I want to try this method, how do you find the zero position?
@@caln9ne16 The "zero" position is where the actuator is when the door is fully closed. So when you take the actuator out, it is at the "zero". You can use the notches on the white gear to draw a reference line on the actuator body. Then using a 9-volt, advance the white gear a little bit. (I did about 5-10 degrees). This rotates the white gear clockwise. Then you lift it up and move it back to the reference line, without moving the other gears. Essentially, this sets a higher voltage reading at the fully closed position which falls within the acceptable range.
@@Zacpactv A couple pictures and video of it working. Feel free to use, replicate or delete this drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_8BEAx8pmxHzs8tluGYLzgSwBjx0vCdh?usp=sharing
the foam gasket gets compressed and the door travels out of range. Open the door and glue some foam weather stripping around the edge of the door an it will work. I did this to my 2006 Yukon. I just removed my HVAC digital controls, found the plug with the power wire to the actuator and then added ground to make the door open. Then I went through the blower motor hole to add the foam stripping. Since you can access your actuator you can take it apart and add a machine screw with a nut inside to act as a stop. GM also has an updated calibration procedure, but why pay 150.00 plus when the other repair is almost free.
this was the first thing i tried. I thought of making my own switch though but it would always be hot / on is my understanding
You have to restrict the actual door itself from venting outside air in. The actuator moves too far and gets thrown out of range. It’s resting position is in the venting mode, for recirculating inside air you must have the correct mode for the vents selected defrost and feet warmer won’t recirculate air only venting from outside. The position that it’s in watching the video is letting outside air vent in. Tie wrap something across the plastic or get creative. You should reset the the blend door too the middle position and clear hvac codes and let the hvac sit for 40 seconds and communicate with blend doors when you’re ready to test to make sure they’re in correct spot and that they’re in range. Hope this helps
Everything you mentioned has been tried by me and the string of others on this chat. It works for some but some it doesn’t. We have tried all that.
Helped me, thank you.
Hey guys there’s a service bulletin from GM them selves they actually re program the HVAC box if this trick doesn’t work. From what I understood calling the dealership these trucks are out of warranty now and this is not a recall so it would have to be paid for out of pocket. Anyway Bulletin No.: 06-01-38-003 pertains to a few codes and or issues with the HVAC system and they reprogram the door counts so that this won’t happen.
@@justinmorrissey7295 so a guy on this chat johnbolas in comments mentioned taking his for this service bulletin and since no clicking was found they could not perform it. Hopefully some others will chime in on a successful dealer fix.
not saying it wont work
Do not feel bad buddy I am in the same boat you are if something comes up and you figure it out and it really does have to go to the dealership or something to be reprogrammed or rebooted whatever it is let me know I'd really appreciate that
Had the exact same problem. Bought a new ac delco actuator and still moved to the rest position. So I bought a new Dorman control module. Problem fixed
so when you installed the new control module the recirc just started working properly? Did you use a new or reman?
@@jarederdmann3638 The problem occurs because the ECM senses the door position based on the voltage level returned by the actuator. Eventually things wear out and the door moves a little to far. This sends a voltage signal that is too low and the ECM disables the door. There is a GM update that widens the parameters to fix this ($$$ at the Dealer). I just turned my gear a little bit so it fell within the parameters. (See my other comment). It wouldn't surprise me at all if Dorman adjusted their potentiometer to fall within the acceptable range. The one I bought didn't, so I adjusted it myself.
Dorman control module or actuator
Do you have a part number for that control module
I still get the B0229 recirc performance code but my reticulation works only when I turn the temperature down to 65 and below. If I press recirc when it’s at 72 an 50 outside it just blinks and remains on outside air. 2003 suburban auto climate control
I have the opposite problem on my truck. The recirculation door is always closed which makes the windows all foggy in the winter time. When you press the button to shut it off it´s just blinking and stays shut...
I am having the exact same issue. I had a Tech 2 to recalibrate it and it did nothing....
let me know if you find a solution, I think a software update is out, but have to pay the dealer?
@@Zacpactv I am dealing with your same issue, today I just paid $75 to my local dealer and they explained they could not complete the TSB bulletin 06-01-38-003 since I do not have any clicking going on, and my blender doors are working. They used the Tech2 scanner to command blender doors and recirculation door, they explained an update will not help me with my situation. Please keep us updated. Thank you for the video.
@@jonbollas5870 I was told that as well, Bring it in to the dealer for an analysis. Something told me they would charge me the 75 and point me in another direction. Mine is not making a clicking noise either. I may try to trace the wiring back. Also Idk if I noted but doing a reset with pulling fuses. pushing on the recirc door right after the reset on recirc mode I can get it to open up under its own power. After that its back to being non responsive.
@@Zacpactv Same exact thing here with forcing the door manually and it automatically going back to its resting bitch position of fresh-air. I was thinking if I could drop the blower motor and shove a towel up there so it will be forced to suck my cabin air vs fresh air. My shop quoted me $1k to drop dash, replace recir door and GUARANTEE me it will work for $1k. I cant see myself dropping that much right now on a truck with over 350k miles.
I thought of that two lol. I have also thought about putting it on a separate switch but do not know if it would time out. my dads an electrician I may pull up the schematic and see if he can help with chasing the wire back. I do not see how changing out the recirc. door would fix the problem 😅 The only problem would be from the actuator back?
What were the symptoms you were getting? I think mine is messed up too. When I turn the ac on I’m not getting no cold air and seems to not be blowing as strong as it should. I just got a new ac compressor filled up with Freon blower motor is good. When I check the canister under the hood it’s nice and cold compressor turns on as it should. I just ordered a new actuator going to change them out hoping it’s just that it’s getting hot as hell here in tx
Did you drain your system with a hvac vacuum before adding freon? You have to pull negative pressure from the system and hold it then release freon back into it. Your system is probably full of air.
For the it not blowing good problem you need to check the filter under dash, If no filter due to it being a 2500 or bigger I have a video on how to clean out the fins under the dash.
@@Zacpactv yea they did that. My friend also did that before I took it to the shop for a new compressor
@@Zacpactv I also cleaned the filter and the fan lol the fan had leaves in it also
@@antoniop5889 ok if you have done both of those things and its still blowing hot it is a different issue.
I have 2013 Silverado. Each time I press the recirculation button it blinks 3 times then goes right back to the outside air indicator. Is this a need for the recirculation actuator replacement ???
That would be a good place to start. replace with oem off amazon or elsewhere. I made the mistake and tried aftermarkets for a car I had. replaced twice with the same issue i had before then final went oem and worked flawlessly. I am not up to date on that year but also would check the recirculating door to see if appears off track.
@@Zacpactv Great. Thank you. Also curious is there a passenger and drivers side actuator or just 1 for the whole vehicle ??
2005 gmc yukon did the exact same thing still no recirculation
If you figure it out let us know!
I have a 2004 GMC Sierra and the recirculation button turns on while I’m parked and then starts throwing warm air does anyone know why?
If it turns on when in park that sounds like a wiring issue.
Crap I just spent 5 hours working on mine its doing the same thing it appears to be traveling to far
About 5 hours in too did you end up replacing it and it working?
@@jeremysteed4242 I did confirm it was traveling to far I tried the wood spacer and some stops clips neither worked it so i installed a small shim in the motor epoxied to the stop I was able to see its travel with my scan tool the first shim was to big the 2nd attempt was perfect 3/32 thick did the trick I was able to use the old but also did it to a new one and left it in their , I also did this for the back temperature actuator I have recalibrated a few times and both appear to be ok the scan tool helped a lot
And that’s the reason I never buy another GMC or Chevrolet POS, look all you have to do to make that crap to work, issues, issues, issues, POS.
Right, because none of the other brands have issues. This truck is 20 years old and probably has 300k miles.
I agree anymore with tech advancement all makes and models have their set of issues.
Did you find a solution?
Not yet.
@@Zacpactv shim the door to close about 3/4" to and 1" sooner on the closed fresh air side. I used a piece of wood. Works like a charm
@@matthewtug I did try to shim it, I even held my hand in there. A known mechanic tried to shim as well.
@Zacpactv what about now? Anything new?
I think I have this issue.
I no longer have it as an issue, since i sold the truck! I hope you get yours figured out! Some guys in this comment section may be able to walk you through it!
I have the same issue with b0229 and the recirculation still open, it will close only when i turn off the ac control button, if you find the solution for this issue please let me know
I sold the truck:( It was hard for me but no longer needed a diesel!