IMPORTANT: Check your HVAC recirculate door and answer Poll

[isthatalexus]

2008 here. Appears I have the floppy actuator junction/no-break issue. Just ordered @Oakleyguy bits. Three cheers for MUD (again)

Follow up: this worked on my 2008, with the added benefit of not having to remove a rain sensor wiper computer.

Of note: while the flappy damper hinge point was intact in my case, the 'axle' portion of the @Oakleyguy part was slightly too large to fit through the keyed opening on the damper. A little bit of filing, and some arm yoga, fixed this. I did give the axle a light sanding, avoiding the forward-most portion which needs to seat somewhat firmly in the interior piece of the Oakleyguyometer device, and a bit more filing of the inside surface of the keyed hinge hole of the OEM damper flapper.

Works like a charm! MUD FTW again. Thank you.

FYI: here's a better resource for understanding the terminology for these recirc door components.

 

[BVE]

Just want to thank @Oakleyguy for creating this fix. Took me 20 minutes, most of which was lining up the pieces. This saved me a ton of money and more importantly, I now have a functioning recirc door for the 1st time. Cheers!

Land Cruiser HVAC Recirculation Door Fix - Etsy

This Car Accessories item by ONEngineering has 89 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Arvada, CO. Listed on May 28, 2025

www.etsy.com

 

[Oakleyguy]

Just want to thank @Oakleyguy for creating this fix. Took me 20 minutes, most of which was lining up the pieces. This saved me a ton of money and more importantly, I now have a functioning recirc door for the 1st time. Cheers!

Land Cruiser HVAC Recirculation Door Fix - Etsy

This Car Accessories item by ONEngineering has 89 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Arvada, CO. Listed on May 28, 2025

www.etsy.com

Glad to help!

 

[Tanaman]

Finally found the thread again. I did this a week ago and couldn’t be happier. Gotta love a simple effective fix. Thanks Nate!

 

[DaveMN]

I can reconfirm for 2013 LX570, @Oakleyguy 's Cruiser HVAC Recirculation Door Fix worked perfectly on mine.
Very appreciative of this solution!

 

[Oakleyguy]

Hey gang, I'll be at LCDC in Ft. Collins this year. If anyone if has the dreaded broken HVAC recirc door and needs help installing the fix, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'll be happy to help install it.

 

[cfsds]

Has anyone found their recirc door shut (i.e., in the outside air position)? It's not moving by hand, which makes me think that it's still (somehow) connected to the linkage.

 

[LCH21]

My LC's recirc door was broken by a shop monkey about this time last year. I was able to disassemble the dash enough to gain access and was able to use JB Plastic Weld on the broken pivot. Not very neat but it is still working.

Broken part of the door.

Broken piece.

Repair is sloppy as I caked on the plastic weld, making sure it was all over the pivot and recirc door. Not easy to keep the stuff out of the housing pivot hole, but I did. Used a long, thin flat-head screw driver to reach back there to apply the weld.

Finishing touch. Now, I lock the glove box and take the key. Should have done that from the beginning. I have to wonder how many of these get broken.

 

[linuxgod]

@Oakleyguy sells a 3-D printed fix for this. Absolutely worth the $. Mine is going on probably 4 years now

 

[LCH21]

@Oakleyguy sells a 3-D printed fix for this. Absolutely worth the $. Mine is going on probably 4 years now

I am going to get this as a back-up just in case my sloppy repair fails. I would have done that in the beginning, but was leaving on a Pacific northwest trip in a couple of days and needed a quick fix. Excellent suggestion, as I had forgotten about that. Thanks!

 

[Cincinnatus]

I will second. It's an awesome fix for an irritating problem.

 

[TXlandcrusher]

My LC's recirc door was broken by a shop monkey about this time last year. I was able to disassemble the dash enough to gain access and was able to use JB Plastic Weld on the broken pivot. Not very neat but it is still working.

View attachment 3969111
Broken part of the door.

View attachment 3969113
Broken piece.

View attachment 3969114
Repair is sloppy as I caked on the plastic weld, making sure it was all over the pivot and recirc door. Not easy to keep the stuff out of the housing pivot hole, but I did. Used a long, thin flat-head screw driver to reach back there to apply the weld.View attachment 3969116
Finishing touch. Now, I lock the glove box and take the key. Should have done that from the beginning. I have to wonder how many of these get broken.

"Under penalty of death"

 

[marcus clarkus]

hey @Oakleyguy, nice fix! Will you sell locally in Denver? I sent you a DM

 

[Sinister]

I just had my 600 done and the service adviser says, you’re due for the cabin filter, I said great, dont touch it and just put it on the passenger side seat and I’ll change it. After I explained what happened years ago with the LC door breaking and no one telling me about it, she smiled and said no problem I’ll note it on the service sheet (which she did.)

 

[Yellabee]

2020 Heritage with inoperative recirc. Grateful for this thread. See first two photos, I dropped the lower kick plate beneath the airbag and found this broken bugger floating around on the kickplate. Can anyone confirm - is this broken piece the “servo motor actuator arm” that @Oakleyguy refers to? The hinge appears intact; the flap manually opens and closes by moving the presently attached arm - although it does not appear connected to the servo motor. The servo motor sounds fine - ie. it makes noise when I press recirc on the dash. Is this broken part available for sale alone? What exactly is this part called? Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[LCH21]

From your photos, what is broken is the actuator arm off the servo motor itself. The pin fits into a slot on the re-cerc air dam operating lever.

From this picture, you can see the part that you found - the white part attached to the orange repair from Oakleyguy. The pin on the part in your picture fits into a slot on the orange lever. This picture is where the air dam door is set to re-cerc.

Another picture with the air dam in the fresh air position.

The part in your picture is what is on the servo motor and I do not know if there is a repair for that without having to remove the entire system. Sorry.

A view from the other side.

 

[Yellabee]

Ye

From your photos, what is broken is the actuator arm off the servo motor itself. The pin fits into a slot on the re-cerc air dam operating lever.

View attachment 4183935
From this picture, you can see the part that you found - the white part attached to the orange repair from Oakleyguy. The pin on the part in your picture fits into a slot on the orange lever. This picture is where the air dam door is set to re-cerc.

View attachment 4183937
Another picture with the air dam in the fresh air position.

The part in your picture is what is on the servo motor and I do not know if there is a repair for that without having to remove the entire system. Sorry.

View attachment 4183939
A view from the other side.

Yes, I went further and took a better photo (looking up from floor) of the servo motor with a broken fragment of the actuator arm still attached. Next question is where to get that arm - does it come with a new servo motor assembly? And then how difficult to get the arm linked into the servo motor at the top and the actuator arm at the bottom. I’m already this far. Hopefully I’m getting close.

 

[bloc]

I'd reach up there and see whether the remains of the arm pull right out of the servo or are retained. It looks like it may not be locked in, just held in place by the position of the servo and arm it acts on.

Unfortunately there are pictures of the part online both with and without the arm. I don't see the arm as a separate part number, it may only come with the servo. And confusingly, the parts diagrams only seem to show "without cold area spec" which I thought all US 200s had..

Either way the part number that is listed is 87106-60350. Personally I'd want to compare that to what's on your servo due to the confusing cold spec detail.

 

[timmbuck2]

2011 LX, nothing moves and no sound when changing. It is stuck down. I have never noticed an issue so far...

 

[Yellabee]

I'd reach up there and see whether the remains of the arm pull right out of the servo or are retained. It looks like it may not be locked in, just held in place by the position of the servo and arm it acts on.

Unfortunately there are pictures of the part online both with and without the arm. I don't see the arm as a separate part number, it may only come with the servo. And confusingly, the parts diagrams only seem to show "without cold area spec" which I thought all US 200s had..

Either way the part number that is listed is 87106-60350. Personally I'd want to compare that to what's on your servo due to the confusing cold spec detail.

Thank you, I had buttoned it all up for the week of driving before I saw your advice. Next chance I will certainly try to pull the remains. I doubt the part would glue together, and I have priced the servo motor assembly which Toyota promises will come with the arm for $130 (msrp $175). A lot to pay for a plastic arm, and I’m assuming it is just plug and play. Would love to hear from someone that has replaced the whole part, 87106-60350, is it possible without pulling the blower/dash?? Feel like I’ve almost reached my mechanical abilities with the glove box drop. Finally and most important question - has anyone 3D printed that specific actuator arm??