Hi mamerc -

Were you able to find a "hack" for reaching and replacing the recirculation actuator without having to take apart the dash?

I've tried accessing the actuator through the glove box opening. While I can reach the actuator, I find I don't really have room to maneuver it out of its installed position, and even if I did, I'm concerned that I wouldn't have space to then maneuver it out of the glove box opening.

Did you happen to come up with anything clever?

 

No, I am thinking about selling this thing now that my grandson left for the Marines. There is a cushion of foam along the passenger floorboard between the glovebox and the fender that looks like it can be dugout. You may have enough room to reach the activator from there. then refoam the area.

 

mamerc, thanks for the followup. I considered the foam-removal approach but even from that angle, the actuator area seems too tight to maneuver.

 

Which actuator / door are you trying to deal with? You have posted in 2 different threads. There are 3 actuators: mode, temp, recirc.

 

 

Thanks, donbrew. I'm following up on recirculation actuator replacement. It seems there is no straightforward way to complete this repair without doing the full 36-step dashboard removal process as documented here:
https://www.autozone.com/repairguide...96b43f80cb2dda

I removed the glovebox in a 2008 HHR LS and was able to physically reach the recirculation actuator, but it does not remove by trying to click it out of the retention mechanisms, indicating a bolt may be holding it in place. (In various threads on the web, some pointed to a YouTube video where a recirculation actuator was removed from a Cobalt without removing bolts/screws and suggested a lack of bolts might be true for HHR. See video at bottom of this post.) I did not see a way to introduce tools into the actuator area through the glovebox opening to explore further; and even if I successfully removed the actuator, it doesn't appear there is enough space to rotate and maneuver it out past other components to the glovebox opening.

It seems the full dash dismantle process is required, unless someone has any other ideas.

YouTube video:

 

Yes.

 

X2, ^^^^^