# Climate Control Stuck Blowing Hot air only!!



## CrazyDriver2.0 (Apr 16, 2008)

In my 02 Jetta my climate control only blows hot air. When I push the button for AC it lights up but still only blows hot air. If I turn the temp selector knob all the way to cold it still only blows hot. 
I have taken apart the entire front console to see if any of the connections are bad, but everything seems to be functioning like it should.
Where do I go from here?


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## Clods-GTI (Jan 8, 2006)

*Re: Climate Control Stuck Blowing Hot air only!! (CrazyDriver2.0)*

is your compressor kicking on when you push the switch?


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## CrazyDriver2.0 (Apr 16, 2008)

*Re: Climate Control Stuck Blowing Hot air only!! (Clods-GTI)*

Sounds like the compressor is kicking on. But even if that was not working and I turn the climate control knob all the way to cold shouldn't the air coming out of the vents blow cooler. The outside temp here has been anywhere from the 30's to 50's.


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## orange57 (Feb 1, 2006)

*Re: Climate Control Stuck Blowing Hot air only!! (CrazyDriver2.0)*

my last roommate had an 02 jetta with the manual knobs as well. it turned out that the whole assembly with the knobs had a broken lever in it. replaced it with an ebay unit, and it seemed to work again.
hope that helps.


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## CrazyDriver2.0 (Apr 16, 2008)

*Re: Climate Control Stuck Blowing Hot air only!! (orange57)*

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it.


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## CrazyDriver2.0 (Apr 16, 2008)

*Re: Climate Control Stuck Blowing Hot air only!! (CrazyDriver2.0)*

So I made it to the local wrecking yard and found the peace that the climate control cables connect to. Its this big piece that takes up all of the room under the dash board. To get to this piece you not only have to take off the lower dash board but you also have to remove the upper one as well. I'm really hoping that all I need to do is reconnect the cable to the arm that controls the gate that allows hot water to run through the heater core, but is it ever that easy?


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## CrazyDriver2.0 (Apr 16, 2008)

*Re: Climate Control Stuck Blowing Hot air only!! (CrazyDriver2.0)*

Fixed the problem. After taking apart the whole front console again, and messing around with the controls and following the cables that control the air temp I found that the control arm at the opposite end of the cable was not plugged into the "heater suitcase." 
All I had to do was plug it back in and the cold air now blows through. 
SWEET!!


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## Old Dude GTI (Dec 25, 2007)

I didn't think VW's had manually-operated heater control valves, just a door that opened and closed to divert hot air from the heater core chamber to the vents. Am I wrong?


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## TopDownTony (May 31, 2008)

*Re: Climate Control Stuck Blowing Hot air only!! (CrazyDriver2.0)*

Oddly enough, I have exactly the same problem which started this past week. I too have determined that the issue is with the small black plastic piece at the end of the cable linkage from the temperature control knob. It is not fully clicked up into the tube. Can you tell me how you were able to re-attach it?
UPDATE:
I managed to repair the issue myself. Below are some images of the component in question.
The first photo shows how to locate the end of the linkage in the passenger footwell. The linkage begins at the control knob and then travels via a cable through a beige sheath to the piece at the top of this photo that swivels within the tube that descends from the top of the photo.








The second photo shows a closer view of the actual component that was disconnected. When it isn't attached up into the fixed tube, you can see a slot across the top of it, which connects with another piece inside of the tube which could be described as a flat piece of plastic that is out of sight, up inside of the tube.








Yes, the descriptions can be considered a bit cryptic, but if you need further assistance on how to repair this specific component, let me know.

_Modified by TopDownTony at 4:21 PM 5-31-2008_


_Modified by TopDownTony at 4:22 PM 5-31-2008_


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## neonryder (Apr 28, 2008)

*Re: Climate Control Stuck Blowing Hot air only!! (TopDownTony)*

I am having the same problem and I suspsect the linkage cable as well. What parts do I need to take off to have a look at the part you showed in the picture? It's been raining here for non-stop and I am sick and tired of driving around with heat on.


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## TopDownTony (May 31, 2008)

The easiest way is to lay on your back in the passenger footwell, with your body inverted so that your head is down near the back of the console.
If that doesn't prove to be possible, let me know and I can assist with some tips on dash / console removal (this is likely not necessary and much more involved).


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## neonryder (Apr 28, 2008)

*Re: (TopDownTony)*

Thanks TopDownTony. If I understand you correctly, I can do this without taking anything off and just accessing from the bottom of the passenger side, right? I will give it a try and see how it goes.
Appreciate your response.


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## neonryder (Apr 28, 2008)

*Re: (TopDownTony)*

Thanks a million TopDownTony.















I got it done following your advice. I had the same problem but in my case, it was completely off. I was able to get to it by just lying down normally. It was so much easier and it took all of 5 minutes. Most of it spent trying to force it when the knob was turned to the cold position. When I turned the knob to heat, cable loosened and i was able to pop it back in 20 seconds. 
If anyone else has similar problem, take TopDownTony's advice and check this part out...it will take you all of 2 minutes but might save you hours taking the interior off.
Thanks again TopDownTony


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## climacticmax (Dec 29, 2007)

hey i cant seem to get the thing to go back into that hole well i got it back but it feels loose like it wont stay in there. do i have to force it in?


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## TopDownTony (May 31, 2008)

*Re: (climacticmax)*

You need to press it in firmly, as well as move the actual gauge back and forth until you get it to fit just right. If I remember correctly from when I fixed it, all the way to one side or the other makes for an easier fit.


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## climacticmax (Dec 29, 2007)

ok ima try again but im getting kind of annoying being stuck laying on my back. bout to just take the dash off but im glad i found this. ive had this problem for a few weeks now and figured my heater core or something that would cost money was broken. always glad to find quick fix's like this.


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## climacticmax (Dec 29, 2007)

*Re: (climacticmax)*

but when i do get it back in will it fit snugly and not have much play in it?


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## TopDownTony (May 31, 2008)

*Re: (climacticmax)*

There should be very minimal play. It should slip right up into the sleeve and stay rather well.
I know what you mean about easy fixes. I took the dash off twice for this fix until I figured out what was wrong.


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## climacticmax (Dec 29, 2007)

ok i got it now all i need to figure out is how to stop my hazards from making a clicking sound all the time even when they're not on.


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## convx4x4 (Sep 25, 2010)

I found this post and wanted to add some info.

MY 2001 jetta tdi with 206000 miles just had the vents blasting hot air on a 90 deg day. Not a fun drive home in stop and go traffic. 

Top down Tony's pictures were worth a thousand words, THANKS TONY!

My cable did not become disconnected from the post on the arm. 
When looking at it it with a flash light it seemed like the internal vent flap had broke. This causing the arm to drop down and rest on the top of the duct work for the floor heat. After trying to remove the cable from the arm and the looking the arm, it did not show sighs of plastic fatigue. So I tried to re-insert the lever into the hole. This took turning the hot/cold knob to get things lined up. Once it slid in place I tested out the AC, it blew cold but not ice cold. I the tested the heat, it was warm but not HOT. So I thought that my alignment was wrong. So I pulled down on the arm and it very easily came undone. I then reinstalled the arm and checked Hot/cold. It was all hot no cold, once again pulled the arm down and tried to reset it in place. This time I must have pushed up to hard causing the internal baffle to get pushed out of the location for the arm to hook. I now can feel cold air leaking out of the location where the arm is exposed to be. I am planing on a partial dash removal to repair this. I will be taking pictures but wont post any.


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## convx4x4 (Sep 25, 2010)

I Removed the lower half of the dash and the consul, but after fingering things out there is a easier fix.

Still need to remove the consul. Then on the drivers side the lower dash panels. This will allow access to the vertical suport bar that is bolted with three large bolts. Two on top one down on the floor. 

Then there is a plastic vent that is used for floor heat. Slide the rubber gasket too the engine. Then pull down, this will un-snap it from the rest of the heater box.

Now I was able to get my right hand in to the duct and reach around for the mix air door. I found the loose door but had no way of grasping it. As I fumbled around I could feel a soft spot in the foam, It was large enough to stick my finger through the foam. This allowed me to move the door around as needed.

After trying to reinsert the lever I realized that the damper door could be shifted to the side and the arm could be installed in the hole but would not control the mix air damper. Things must be allied up to work properly. I tested the operation and checked for resistance with my hand in the duct.

I pushed as hard as I could but the arm would not snap on to the mix air door. I didn't want to tear things further apart so I made a bracket out of thin aluminum that bolted too two spots on the bottom of the heater box next to the mix air lever. This put up-ward presser on the arm keeping it from falling down.


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## cooch (Jun 26, 2010)

Thanks guys, this fixed my 2001 Jetta 1.8t. The piece that fits into the hole was loose and when moving the heat/cold know there was no resistance, know there is. I hope this is a perm fix. But at least I am not chasing compressors or other issues.


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## mail4rick (Jun 11, 2012)

*climate control*

Ok, I put the piece back in place per the photo and info, but it is still blowing hot air. Any suggestions?


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## mail4rick (Jun 11, 2012)

*control knob*

Apparently my black piece is not fitting correctly into the fitting inside the tube. Any ideas on how to fix that? Thanks, Rick


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## mail4rick (Jun 11, 2012)

*climate control*

I put the plastic piece back in the tube, but it still doesn't work. Apparently it has to line up with a piece inside the tube. Any ideas on how to do that without tearing the whole dash apart? 

Rick


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## lilmsangel74 (Sep 9, 2012)

*hot air grrr climate control*

I am having same problem my piece was also out but nothing I do gets it aligned I am trying to figure out where the actual door is so I can see if its broke or if knocked out of place.


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## RedRaider (Sep 17, 2012)

*hot/cold knob 04 Jetta*

I had the same problem , good pics top-down . Lilmsanger , keep trying to push it in while rotating the knob . It took me awhile . I was about to give up then "click " it just popped in . Works perfect , hopefully it will stay in .


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## mirogi (Nov 16, 2012)

I also had the same problem--twice now. Hopefully, the VW engineers check these forums now and then! The post portion of the arm does need to be lined up with the mating shaft part to click into place properly. If your climate control is blowing only hot air, then turn your temperature knob to hot before you try pushing the two pieces together. The converse is true if the system is blowing only cold. If it's blowing warm air, then it's some place in the middle... Also, TopDownTony's second picture shows a round boss in the upper left hand corner that is hollow. That, I believe, is the stop for the cold end of the travel of the arm. So, if you think you have the pieces back together correctly and the arm is on the stop and you are getting anything other than cold air, you have to try again. Thanks to TopDownTony for the great pics!


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## 09Jetta (Jul 10, 2009)

I am having the same problem, but my car is a 2009 Jetta. It just started to do this 2 days ago. The climate control seems to be stuck blowing only HOT air. It's very uncomfortable. Anyone have an idea of what to look for in a 2009 Jetta?


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## silverthread (Apr 30, 2013)

*New guy on the Vortex, and just wanted to say thanks!*

This is just me leaving a big THANK YOU to TopDownTony and the rest of you lot for the excellent photos and advice on fixing exactly what my problem turned out to be. With summer approaching, having my AC stuck blowing hot air was not going to be an option. 

Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but in my 2000 GTI, even with Tony's excellent directions, getting in there to see what he'd photographed was tough. I tried lying on my back with the passenger seat laid-back, hanging half-in-half-out of the car... all sorts of things. Granted, not nearly as tough as tearing my dash apart to figure out what turned out to be a simple fix, but still pretty tough for a non-contortionist.  

What I found to work really well was to use my smartphone's camera with flash to snap a few photos of the area back in there, so I could "visualize" what I was feeling with my hands. The problem area is very easy to reach -- just not see with your eyes. Using the camera made it real easy to find the tube that the lever had fallen out of, etc. 

Anyway, huge THANKS again to @TopDownTony and the rest of you who've chimed in. Saved me LOADS of time and frustration. God I love the Internet.


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## Chuckstar1.8T (May 26, 2013)

hey i jus ordered a new climate control unit for my mkiv, do you know of any DIY vids on removing/reinstalling these components? if not words of wisdom are awesome


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## Chuckstar1.8T (May 26, 2013)

*interior SOS*

hey i jus ordered a new climate control unit for my mkiv, do you know of any DIY vids on removing/reinstalling these components? if not words of wisdom are awesome


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## jplouse (Aug 30, 2013)

*Cryptic or not, It worked perfectly*



TopDownTony said:


> Oddly enough, I have exactly the same problem which started this past week. I too have determined that the issue is with the small black plastic piece at the end of the cable linkage from the temperature control knob. It is not fully clicked up into the tube. Can you tell me how you were able to re-attach it?
> UPDATE:
> I managed to repair the issue myself. Below are some images of the component in question.
> The first photo shows how to locate the end of the linkage in the passenger footwell. The linkage begins at the control knob and then travels via a cable through a beige sheath to the piece at the top of this photo that swivels within the tube that descends from the top of the photo.
> ...


I used your pictures as a reference and found the same exact issue you were describing. Must be a common issue with older VWs. Probably saved me a few hundred dollars. Thanks!!


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## CC2224 (Oct 28, 2013)

Thanks for all the pictures, I managed to plug that plastic piece back in, but now instead of hot air I can only get cool air. Not cold, but cool. I've unplugged and replugged it back in and at most I can get warmish air, but still not warm, more on the cool side. Any advice? Thanks!


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## mmstar5 (Dec 9, 2005)

CC2224 said:


> Thanks for all the pictures, I managed to plug that plastic piece back in, but now instead of hot air I can only get cool air. Not cold, but cool. I've unplugged and replugged it back in and at most I can get warmish air, but still not warm, more on the cool side. Any advice? Thanks!




So I actually just fixed this too! Thanks for all the pics and info! 

As far the coolish and warmish issue. I found that I was fighting to get the black arm plugged back in until someone just started to move the dial and then it slipped in because it is keyed. Maybe since you are in the coolish/warmish zone you should unplug the black arm and turn your dial to the middle zone and try to plug it back in. If someone can help with slight movements cooler and warmer you should find the sweet spot. 

My air would only blow cold so I knew it was close to that area on the dial. Good luck!


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## evanthegreat (Jan 5, 2011)

I'm hoping to diagnose a "no heat" issue myself. The two hoses to the heater core are hot/warm as the motor warms up but regardless of where I adjust the temperature knob it always seems to pump ambient temperature air into the cabin. I have not as of yet taken off the HVAC knob/control panel to make sure that side of the cable/linkage is intact and functioning but I plan to. I wanted to check my passenger foot well vents like you showed but I'm thinking I need to remove something to see what you've showed. I'm including a couple of pictures I just took. Thanks in advance for any advice..winter is no fun without heat 

Car:
1999 VW Passat AEB 1.8t 5speed

http://s10.postimg.org/8rhglhryx/vent1.jpg

http://s10.postimg.org/drewtfxlk/vent2.jpg


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## witchcraftz (Aug 28, 2011)

Thank goodness for this thread, I had a sudden heating only problem also and was about to take apart the whole dash. 
By having my girlfriend with small delicate hands doing the work under the dash and myself slowly turning the knob we were able to pop it back in in a few minutes.


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## imat (Jun 20, 2014)

Hi all,

I have the same problem with my Golf IV, it wont stay at the right position :







Does someone knows hot to fix it on a Golf ?

Thanks


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## Rx Only (Dec 18, 2004)

imat said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I have the same problem with my Golf IV, it wont stay at the right position :
> 
> ...


I had a piece of soft packaging foam stuck under it. It held for about a year. But now it's out again and for some reason I can't get the damn thing to go back in. Whatever I do, it's not budging.


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## imat (Jun 20, 2014)

I finally repaired it. You have to turn on your climatronic and a piece will go down (you can feel it with your thumb) and then, align it on the center of the hole, and pull the v68 to fix it on. Sorry I hope it's clear, I'm French 


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk


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## Rx Only (Dec 18, 2004)

Oh it's clear but I don't know what's the problem in my case now.
I turn in on, move it all the way to hot, try to put the thing in but it's not going up.
Move it to cold, same thing. Move it somewhere in between, same.
Tried pulling it out as much as I can, than move the temp back and forth between hot and cold and trying to push it back in again, not going.
It's not lining up.
I'll keep trying, one of these days it'll click.
Good thing it's a pretty mild summer in Chicago, so windows down at 40Mph is my AC.


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## imat (Jun 20, 2014)

You should feel the piece with your thumb, I think by you, the piece is not in the center... 











Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk


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## JmanJetta02 (Jul 21, 2014)

I just bought a 2002 Jetta VR6 and it had this issue the previous owner had taken it to a VW Dealer to top up the A/C and repair it and apparently it kept leaking? for 3 days they replaces parts for the A/C. First thing I did was Google this problem which brought me here. So glad I did also cause it was exactly this problem only the control arm was all the way out on it. I had to use a screwdriver to pry it back in as it didn't want to go in but 10mins is what it took and now I have nice cold air  thank you everyone for the great advice..


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## AtticusWrench (Jun 3, 2016)

*Same problem with 2004 VW Beetle TDI*

I had the exact same issue with my Bug—The system was stuck on hot air, even though the AC system was working just fine. Thought it might be a long shot, but I followed TopDownTony's guide, and as it turns out, it was the exact same layout on my bug. That black knob connected to the cable was bumped out of place, so I wiggled it back in (by pushing up on it while simultaneously turning the temperature control knob back and forth until it lined up.)

Boom.

I have heat and AC again. SUCH A LIFE SAVER, OH MY GOSH. THANK YOU!!


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## Rx Only (Dec 18, 2004)

My update, I finally got around digging into this and got it fixed. 
My problem was that I pushed too hard a few times and moved the door completely out of the way. 
I had to disassemble the lower dash so I can get an access to the door and move it back to it's place. 
I followed the instructions on this thread if anyone has the same problem:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...oor-foam-repair-diy&p=102405345#post102405345


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## Postman94 (Jun 13, 2021)

TopDownTony said:


> *Re: Climate Control Stuck Blowing Hot air only!! (CrazyDriver2.0)*
> 
> Oddly enough, I have exactly the same problem which started this past week. I too have determined that the issue is with the small black plastic piece at the end of the cable linkage from the temperature control knob. It is not fully clicked up into the tube. Can you tell me how you were able to re-attach it?
> UPDATE:
> ...





TopDownTony said:


> *Re: Climate Control Stuck Blowing Hot air only!! (CrazyDriver2.0)*
> 
> Oddly enough, I have exactly the same problem which started this past week. I too have determined that the issue is with the small black plastic piece at the end of the cable linkage from the temperature control knob. It is not fully clicked up into the tube. Can you tell me how you were able to re-attach it?
> UPDATE:
> ...




Sry to post on an old thread, but I can't se the pictures.
Can somebody repost them ?


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## scubacyclist (9 mo ago)

Topdowntony can you repost the pictures?


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