Car Trouble - 2005 Buick Century, Air Conditioning system

In My Humble Opinion
1

Vehicular savvy dopers, I’m hoping you can help.

My car has one of those new-fangled independent climate control systems, separating the air flow for driver and passenger. The passenger side’s air conditioning is nice and cold, almost instantly after turning the car on. My side (driver’s) blows hot air, then cools down to “not as hot as outside”. If I’m lucky, I might actually get a decent breeze by the time my commute is over.

Both control settings are on their coldest, A/C button lit up.

My Google searches are only turning up results with people wanting to sell the car (IT HAS A/C!!!).

Thanks in advance for the assist!

2

There’s only one A/C in this car, but there are two independent “mixers,” which blend cooled air with outside air. The blend is controlled by a “blend door,” which is moved by a motor (usually vacuum actuated).

The things to look at are:

  1. Bad control (at the dashboard).
  2. Bad blend door motor.
  3. Broken or crimped vacuum hose to the blend door motor.
  4. Stuck blend door.