dortiz19

Thanks for the write up. I couldn't find a good write up on how to replace turbo inlet/intake, so this definitely helped, even though the OP didn't remove manifold, it gave me some good starting points. It took me 10+ hours to remove and replace turbo inlet. What a pain that bracket from hell is, and I ripped out the wire to the weather connection for the knock sensor. I broke a couple vacuum lines, that of course are different sizes on the ends, so have to be ordered from the dealer, so those repairs took a couple hours. I could easily do it in 2 hours now that I know every bolt, vacuum line, and what connectors have to separate.

I going in to do this actuator remove-and-lube on my 2005 LGT. There is NO way that I can see to get the bracket off without growing a second (or third) elbow or wrist. So, I suppose I will detach what I can and bend the bracket out enough to get the assembly out.

 

Unless someone can advise me on a better way...

 

Thats exactly how I did it. Remove the one screw you can get to, and then remove the three screws from the actuator, and then bend the bracket to remove the actuator. After lubing mine didn't work, I had to buy a new one, $70 from local dealer. New one works perfectly. Also I didn't realize I knocked the arm off of the passenger side temp. control actuator, sent my wife to work and she calls me to say the passenger side is blowing cold air. So I took the parts off three times to complete. NOT fun.

Thanks for posting all this! I pulled my actuator off yesterday because it had completely stopped working. It had been making the creaking noise for a couple years. I pulled it apart and tried cleaning the contacts, bending the prongs, but it did not fix it. The only thing it did was instead of the ducts being stuck on vent, now they are stuck on defrost. I thought I had it fixed when i reconnected it and it shifted to defrost, but it never moved from there. I guess i'm buying the part Monday from the dealer, their price is comparable to the internet. I'll update when I get it complete.

 

OK, I finally finished installing new motor form Subaru. I couldn't get the whole cage off with the motor, so i just unscrewed the screw closest to the front of the dash, unscrewed the motor from the cage, bent the cage up enough that the motor could wiggle out.

Subaru part # 72131AG09A $67+ tax

Not really hard, just super cramped in there. Got it in, made sure it worked, buttoned everything up, thought all was good.

Wife calls me 5 minutes into her commute, the part works fine, but theres nothing but cold air coming out the passenger side. So I drove to her work, took everything apart and realized I had knocked one of the arms off of the dual climate control motor for passenger side. Put the arm back on and everything is golden now.

Hey guys, I finally got around to making a serious attempt to do something about this on my car. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do but I wanted to at least figure out what that actuator/servo part was all about and what it would take to replace it. Mine was driving my nuts making noise all the time while driving and then of course after I shut the car off.

 

I give ssbtech credit for being a genius based on his post a little while back because basically I did exactly what he said. The result: as of now I have a perfectly quiet and smooth running actuator! It's a miracle and although I cant' be sure that the issue will never return, I'm pretty stoked that I've been able to drive my car around since yesterday with no hint of that annoying clicking and it's dead silent when I shut the car off. Wouldn't be right to not thank compsurge as well since as far as I know, he's the one that initially diagnosed it and correctly identified the part (there are a couple of other threads about this issue as well).

 

Anyway, so I pulled out the glove box (which actually ended up not being as messy as I thought it might) and that gave me enough room (barely) to get in there and pull the actuator out. Still a pretty cramped space but I just had to use a small screwdriver to get at the 3 little screws that hold it in place (after getting the metal brace out of the way). Once the actuator was out, I saw that it could easily be taken apart. Basically its a motor and some gears that are housed in a case which can be pulled apart by undoing some tabs around the outside. I broke a couple tabs in the process cuz they were pretty brittle but I wasn't being very careful since I was just assuming I was going to have to get a new one anyway. The little cylinder motor pops right out. I just cleaned off some of the surfaces and parts and added a little grease to the gears. I didn't really have much hope for that to work, but I put it back together and reconnected the green plug and tested it out. I was amazed that it was totally silent and there was no more herky jerky movements or noises at all. After a few tests, I was ready to reinstall it. That was a bit of a pain to get it back in. The large white plastic piece on the one side of the housing that connects to the gear wheel has a couple of guides on it that need to be reconnected. This assembly controls where the air blows with the different modes by opening/closing the various vents so the air routes appropriately. Anyway, I can't say I know exactly why this worked and fixed the issue, but based on my experience I would have to recommend giving it a try. Also if the noise/issue returns, it's good to know that with a little patience and maybe a few scratched up knuckles, the part can be swapped out DIY style without too much hassle (part # 72131AG24A). The video here is after I reinstalled the (now working) actuator. The final position is after I turn the key to off.

 

 

Thanks for posting all this! I pulled my actuator off yesterday because it had completely stopped working. It had been making the creaking noise for a couple years. I pulled it apart and tried cleaning the contacts, bending the prongs, but it did not fix it. The only thing it did was instead of the ducts being stuck on vent, now they are stuck on defrost. I thought I had it fixed when i reconnected it and it shifted to defrost, but it never moved from there. I guess i'm buying the part Monday from the dealer, their price is comparable to the internet. I'll update when I get it complete.

Thanks to the OP, was able to fix wifes Legacy GT for $3.00. Thanks!!!