AC not blowing through upper vents

[Rileysowner]

Man that line is hard to get to when is breaks behind the alternator. I just reached it removing the air intake, but if it was broken a little further back, I would not have been able to get to it. Where does it go once it gets back there? Is is accessible with the dog house off? Either way, I got it fixed. I think replacing the whole line will be in order when I next have the dog house off. That and a little rerouting to get it away from the engine as much as possible.

[blacknome]

Holy Post Revival !!!

2003 AWD had the same issues. With today being the first day above freezing in recent memory I tracked down my broken line and patched it ( for now ).

Any ideas on the inner dia of the hose and how much is required to swap out the hard line front to back ? And where does it plug in to under the dash ??

thx Curley

[LiftedAWDAstro]

The part number for this hose is:

15967970 9.281 HOSE $6.99

AC DIVERTER VALVE HOSE (vac)

This is a GM part and the price was from around 2003-4. This will work for sure on 1998 and 1999 vans.

[MountainManJoe]

I've recently developed the upper vents problem, and so I'm going to remove the doghouse and dive in later today. Does a vacuum routing diagram exist anywhere? Maybe from the service manual? Can you buy that thin plastic vacuum line in bulk (like off a spool) from a parts store or do you have to get the GM stuff?

By the way, has anybody managed to fix the issue with the driver side floor vent getting almost nothing, and the passenger side cooking?

[LiftedAWDAstro]

For as cheap as the GM part is, I would just order one up through your local dealer. It comes with new 90 degree rubber elbows.

[MountainManJoe]

You're right. I parted with the $10 and now I have air again. Horay.

[crash]

no kidding.. holy post revival.. LOL

mine is still working fine and comes out of the various vents... WHEN IT FEEL LIKE IT!~

i choose floor and it comes out of the dash and vents (when it feels like it it will start shooting out the floor), i choose vents and it comes out of the dash and vents, i choose dash and it comes out the dash and vents.. LOL... i think i have a blend door problem :-k

[CaptSquid]

Methinks your vacuum line selector is "miswired."

[GnarliSafari]

this winter while i was replacing my power steering pump i saw the remains of this alleged hose and wondered where it was supposed to be and what it did. thats all the further i pondered it as i didnt care to work in the cold any longer than i had to. now i kind of wish i would have looked into it as i just replaced it today finally after having read this post. what a cheap fix for a change! thanks for making this post, because of it i now have air again.

[57BUDDii]

Rob,

Thanks for starting this thread..... Today, the wife dropped me off at work (don't go there) and she said her heater/AC controls weren't working. The fan speed was changing, but the air mainly came out the defrost vent. I will have to get the part listed above and put it in.

Got to love experience and a forum filled with it. Keep the tech updates coming.

[CaptSquid]

Would you PLEASE change the color of your sig fonts? White and yellow are EXTREMELY difficult to see.

[Rileysowner]

Crash, with the continuing problems I would say that while it could be a miss run line in the controls, it is more likely you have a leak starting elsewhere in that line you repaired. I say that because I had the same thing start to happen this summer where it would change where it blew for no apparent reason, I believe it was Dean who said the line was going again, and he was right--eventually it went completely and I only had air out the defrost. I replaced the whole line from the one elbow over on the passenger side under the hood all the way to the fitting inside the dog house on the driver's side.

It fixed it by trimming off all but an inch or so of the old hard line at the elbow fittings and then using a new line that fit very snugly over those ends. I got enough to do a major re-route and now everything blows where it is supposed to.

In short it is likely the same line you repaired before so check that out first for a break that is just starting out.

[GnarliSafari]

rileysowner, is the hose you used less brittle, more rubber like? otherwise for those of you looking into this, if you dont want to take the time or money to try to make it bulletproof and just want is to work the actual oem hose only costs $10 u.s. mine was fine for 8+ years and for $10 if i can get another 8 years id be content. if this one cracks earlier then i might consider making my own.

[Rileysowner]

The new one is more rubbery with much thinker walls. I am figuring it will last quite a long time both because it has been routed around the heat sources as much as possible, and because it is not a hard line so it has much more flex.

[57BUDDii]

Mom's feet were getting cold....so last night I went out to check out this "Mysterious" vacuum hose issue. I started under the hood by the passenger side and found the thin black plastic hose going into the engine area. With little or no effort, I was holding a piece of the hose. I opened up the cover, inside, and went to work. Note, when I take my cover off the 01..not only do I move the seat all the way back, but I raise the front also. I pull the cover back, lift it from the bottom and put it face down on the floor. Then it rolls out the drivers side. This may not be the best way, so feel free to give advice. All I know, is that it work for me with little or no effort. Now back to work.... Just like Scott's (sfeaver) picture, I found the source of the vacuum. I tried to remove the rest in one chunk, but that didn't happen. The plastic hose was too brittle. Since I was doing this outside and it was 27 degress F.; I decided to do a temp fix. I used new plastic hose for the ends and vacuum hose to get from vacuum source to the "T" behind the overflow bottle. A quick turn of the key and sweet scucess; we had control back to the vents. I buttoned up the van and headed in to call the Chevy Parts Guy. He stated that there were two hoses for the 01 Astro, depending on the number of hoses at the "T" and the angle. I plan to go in and see the pics and get more data. Then will pass on to the group the part numbers, names and costs. One of the hoses he referenced was the one listed above and it was $10 and some change. The other hose was $8 and change. I plan to get the correct one and install it with wire loom plastic tubes to get more than 8 years out of the next one. I did take some low def pics with my cell phone of the hose so people can see the size next to not so bright copper penny.. I will upload later. Note the penny was not hurt in the filming or temp fix of the Astro! So, for now, Mom is happy and as they say, "If mom is happy the household is happy!" Take care all and Happy New Year!