The knob on my truck that controls the fan output has come somewhat loose. I guess there is a screw behind it that needs tightening. Anyone know what is involved to get into that part of the dash?
Thanks...
Thanks...
Loose fan control knob
- Thread starter fyton2v
- Start date
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If you have a non-Nav truck, I might be able to help.
I'm sure it'd be similar if you do have nav.
1. Pull out the center dash (see attachment). I find that massaging it out little by little, one corner at a time, works best and reduces the risk of breaking the wood.
2. Locate the harness that leads to the back cover plate of the A/C control panel (sorry no picture). This basically tethers the center dash, which you just pulled out, to the rest of the vehicle's harness.
3. You may unplug the harness from the panel so you can continue on the kitchen table or something, BUT remember which receptacle it is plugged into, so that you can reassemble later on.
3. With a small phillips screwdriver, remove the 5 or 6 small screws that hold the back cover plate in place. Once opened, BE CAUTIOUS because you'll see a whole mess of circuit boards and wires. The back cover plate acts as a base for one of the two major circuit boards of the A/C controls. It's connected to the other circuit board with a tangle of wires.
4. Locate the temperature knob and do what you need to tighten it again.
5. Put everything back together and test your A/C to ensure everything's back to normal.
6. (optional) Don't do this today. It's Friday the 13th. Wait till tomorrow.
Hope this helps! Good luck.
- Cal
I'm sure it'd be similar if you do have nav.
1. Pull out the center dash (see attachment). I find that massaging it out little by little, one corner at a time, works best and reduces the risk of breaking the wood.
2. Locate the harness that leads to the back cover plate of the A/C control panel (sorry no picture). This basically tethers the center dash, which you just pulled out, to the rest of the vehicle's harness.
3. You may unplug the harness from the panel so you can continue on the kitchen table or something, BUT remember which receptacle it is plugged into, so that you can reassemble later on.
3. With a small phillips screwdriver, remove the 5 or 6 small screws that hold the back cover plate in place. Once opened, BE CAUTIOUS because you'll see a whole mess of circuit boards and wires. The back cover plate acts as a base for one of the two major circuit boards of the A/C controls. It's connected to the other circuit board with a tangle of wires.
4. Locate the temperature knob and do what you need to tighten it again.
5. Put everything back together and test your A/C to ensure everything's back to normal.
6. (optional) Don't do this today. It's Friday the 13th. Wait till tomorrow.
Hope this helps! Good luck.
- Cal
Resurrecting this old thread since my issue is identical: My fan speed control knob is jiggly. It rotates without slipping and detents into its positions, but it moves about 2-3mm in and out. It stays retained pretty well - I could not remove it with a moderate pull, so stopping to ask questions before I damage somethhing.
Looking at this image:
...in this thread, it looks like the right-most knob is simply friction-fit onto a shaft. Q: Can someone who has removed it confirm? Can it just be pulled out?
I'm trying to understand what could result in a 'loose but still secured' condition. Post #3 here mentions a nut that came loose, but I'm not sure where that is located.
Looking at this image:
...in this thread, it looks like the right-most knob is simply friction-fit onto a shaft. Q: Can someone who has removed it confirm? Can it just be pulled out?
I'm trying to understand what could result in a 'loose but still secured' condition. Post #3 here mentions a nut that came loose, but I'm not sure where that is located.
Yes, I tightened a couple of the knobs on mine a few months ago. They just pry off and take more force than you think it should. I thought about trying some alternative method, fishing line in behind it to pull outwards or something. But, both came off with a pry tool and some jiggling, once you get them flush to the trim it's way easier to pry them off.
So what level of disassembly required, and what gets tightened? Per the pic above, I don't see a nut or screw. Is there something on the back of the knob sub-panel that I can only see if I pull out the center bezel?
The nut is missing in the photo you linked.
Pry in from the edges with a plastic trim tool.
- Thread starter
- #16
Cue grumpy old man ... 
Way back when this thread started, we didn't have these fancy trim tools. We were forced to use dirty pliers and a screwdriver with a jagged edge.
Way back when this thread started, we didn't have these fancy trim tools. We were forced to use dirty pliers and a screwdriver with a jagged edge.
Well, that was fun.
@Trunk Monkey is correct. A thin plastic pry tool gets juuuust into the crack. I used some strong double-stick tape on my fingers to pull it halfway off, but it really needed the tool leverage. Get the tool in, move it to 9 or 3 o’clock, and then rotate the knob back and forth, pushing the tool in a little deeper each time.
Mine had a fair amount of of slimy skin cheese built up over years. A little clean with Simple Green will help your grip.
It was indeed a loose retaining nut. A turn with an 11 mmm wrench and a little dab of Loctite 242 will hopefully keep it snug for another 25 years.
Note the half-circle of plastic that retains the switch mechanism. You want to be really careful prying the knob in a way that bends it, especially from the top, which is why I suggest 3 or 9 o’clock.
Problem solved.