1997 Buick LeSabre climate control problems

[Dave S.]

I have a 1997 Buick LeSabre limited that has the automatic climate control feature. When we bought the car last year we noticed it took about a half hour for the air to start coming out the middle vents, it would only happen once in a while though. Right now it only blows air out the defrost and the floor vents. I read up on what the cause is and I can't trace it. I dropped the underside of the dash and the glovebox, I found the vacuum tubes that are supposed to open and close the blend doors, none of them have vacuum, I checked to see if there is engine vacuum and there is loads of it. I'm not sure if the whole programmer module (I think that's what its called) needs to be replaced, I couldn't figure out how to remove the box because I would have to drop the whole underside of the dash which has 2 bolts connected to the air bag compartment and under the module is the wires for the air bag and I don't want to ac idently detonate the air bags.

While I was under the dash looking at the actuators for the blend doors, I found a strange door behind the floor vents on the hump, I pulled it open while I had the car running and no air came out just louder blower noise. Does anyone know what this door is for?

I want to get this problem figured out ASAP because I live in southern Texas and its starting to get in the high 90's and with no air coming out the middle vents, a ride can be absolutely miserable.

I put my redneck skills to work while I had the underside of the dash off, I used a piece of bailing wire to hold the door open for the middle vents, air comes out now but not very strong. Is this because air is still coming out the defrost and floor vents?

 

[aliciadusty]

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger, I have a '98 limted doing the same thing. If I could find it I'd wire it to go to dash vents untill about mid november, I'm in NW Illinios, Good Luck.

 

[imidazol97]

http://www.imcool.com/articles/aircondition/fix_vacuum_line.php

You can bypass the bad plastic connector with plastic vacuum tubing from Oreilly--take a small piece of yours and test fit to see which size slides over it tightly.

That's IF you have vacuum to the inside. Check the violet tube from the programmer box to the C-pillar where it connects to a black tube from the vacuum storage bottle behind the headlight under the fender. If there's no vacuum there, you've got other problems.

The blue tube inside goes to the diaphragm for the dash vents. Stuff cloth into the back of that to hold it closed, which makes the air come out the dash instead of out the defrost vents. The floor diaphragm should be no vacuum and closes off the floor vent completely.

 

[aliciadusty]

THANK YOU ! As soon as the days drop below 90 degrees i'll try it. Thanks again.

 

[steppjohn]

Hi Folks,

I had a problems similiar to this one time, on my '95 PA. Air (Hot or Cold, did not matter.) would blow out of only the windshield (Maybe the floor too, I don't recall). Took me a long time to figure this one out.

I did have good vaccuum in the main little vaccuum line going into the Progarmmer unit. but no vaccuum going out to the doors.
I changed the programmer unit. Got one from a "u pull it place" at a very resonable price. GM ran the same unit for several years in full sized BOP cars. You can find the exchange info with some careful research on the WEB. It is a pretty expensive unit new.

Once I figured out what the problem seemed to be, and got the unit, changing it was not too difficult. On the 95 it was located just behind the glove box, the thing that has all the little vaccuum lines going to it.
I think you gotta remove the hush panel and flip out the Glove box.

Seem like about 3 screws attach it plus the small (7MM?) screw that holds the vaccuum line plug on. Plus you have to unplug the main electrical multi wire plug, an I think disconnect one door actuator arm on the top of the unit. At least in the '95.

Since I did have good vaccuum, It would have been possible (I think) to direct connect the good vaccuum line to one of the door lines. Such as the mid level door.
The draw back might be that you could not use the defrost option..

I read somewhere that the controller fails to the Defrost option since that is the safer option, in bad weather. Less lawsuits to GM.

Good luck.

John

 

[Fenery]

I have a 97 buick lesabre custom and I have no heat, I have antifreeze and my blend doors are working, can someone tell me what's going on

 

[HotZ28]

I have a 97 buick lesabre custom and I have no heat, I have antifreeze and my blend doors are working, can someone tell me what's going on

Welcome to the forums! You should start a new thread in the LeSabre forum. This thread is 6 1/2 yrs old. Some more recent advice may come forward.

 

[G-610354]

I have a 1997 Buick LeSabre limited that has the automatic climate control feature. When we bought the car last year we noticed it took about a half hour for the air to start coming out the middle vents, it would only happen once in a while though. Right now it only blows air out the defrost and the floor vents. I read up on what the cause is and I can't trace it. I dropped the underside of the dash and the glovebox, I found the vacuum tubes that are supposed to open and close the blend doors, none of them have vacuum, I checked to see if there is engine vacuum and there is loads of it. I'm not sure if the whole programmer module (I think that's what its called) needs to be replaced, I couldn't figure out how to remove the box because I would have to drop the whole underside of the dash which has 2 bolts connected to the air bag compartment and under the module is the wires for the air bag and I don't want to ac idently detonate the air bags.

While I was under the dash looking at the actuators for the blend doors, I found a strange door behind the floor vents on the hump, I pulled it open while I had the car running and no air came out just louder blower noise. Does anyone know what this door is for?

I want to get this problem figured out ASAP because I live in southern Texas and its starting to get in the high 90's and with no air coming out the middle vents, a ride can be absolutely miserable.

I put my redneck skills to work while I had the underside of the dash off, I used a piece of bailing wire to hold the door open for the middle vents, air comes out now but not very strong. Is this because air is still coming out the defrost and floor vents?

SOLVED.
I have a 1997 Buick LeSabre custom. I just bought it 2 days ago and the AC would blow out of the vents just a little bit, mostly on the defroster in the floor literally the day after I bought it I was just looking around to see cuz I know a little bit about that stuff cuz I did it to my Ford I bypassed the mod door like I held it open and one position so it always came through the vents I was trying to do that to my Buick. But anyway I was following vacuum lines and there is a bigger like thicker than the rest and it's like a softer rubber. But it's on the passenger side close to the firewall like I can stand there and have my hand in the passenger door on the vent and mess with the vacuum line. But what it was was that black vacuum line it runs and it's right in the corner on the passenger side about where the windshield is just down under the hood there's like a plate a black trim piece you have to lift that up you'll see a big wiring harness coming and there's actually a cutout on that black trim piece for the wiring harness you have to pull that little black trim piece up and look right coming out of that wire harness that big thick wire harness coming and it goes in on the passenger side under the hood it goes into the car from under the hood it's pretty thick about the thickness of maybe a maglite. But in that bunch of wires you'll see coming out on the bottom side of it there is a vacuum line follow that line. Mine was really soft and brittle from where it connected to where it goes in the wire harness and it was about 2 in where it was like really soft and I had my car running and the vacuum line was sucked in will I pushed on it to open it up and my vents kicked in so I unhooked it I cut it about 2 in back and I just reconnected it and now my vents work great and I can switch from the defroster to the vents to whatever. Good luck everyone I know that can be frustrating.

 

[DaisyJ]

SOLVED.
I have a 1997 Buick LeSabre custom. I just bought it 2 days ago and the AC would blow out of the vents just a little bit, mostly on the defroster in the floor literally the day after I bought it I was just looking around to see cuz I know a little bit about that stuff cuz I did it to my Ford I bypassed the mod door like I held it open and one position so it always came through the vents I was trying to do that to my Buick. But anyway I was following vacuum lines and there is a bigger like thicker than the rest and it's like a softer rubber. But it's on the passenger side close to the firewall like I can stand there and have my hand in the passenger door on the vent and mess with the vacuum line. But what it was was that black vacuum line it runs and it's right in the corner on the passenger side about where the windshield is just down under the hood there's like a plate a black trim piece you have to lift that up you'll see a big wiring harness coming and there's actually a cutout on that black trim piece for the wiring harness you have to pull that little black trim piece up and look right coming out of that wire harness that big thick wire harness coming and it goes in on the passenger side under the hood it goes into the car from under the hood it's pretty thick about the thickness of maybe a maglite. But in that bunch of wires you'll see coming out on the bottom side of it there is a vacuum line follow that line. Mine was really soft and brittle from where it connected to where it goes in the wire harness and it was about 2 in where it was like really soft and I had my car running and the vacuum line was sucked in will I pushed on it to open it up and my vents kicked in so I unhooked it I cut it about 2 in back and I just reconnected it and now my vents work great and I can switch from the defroster to the vents to whatever. Good luck everyone I know that can be frustrating.

Do you have a pic of that hose?