[squish72]

thats good to hear for you. I assume changing out my actuator will fix it. Im gonna have to just tear into what i can and see if i can get to it without pulling the whole tie bar out.

[puppykat33]

Originally Posted by squish72

thats good to hear for you. I assume changing out my actuator will fix it. Im gonna have to just tear into what i can and see if i can get to it without pulling the whole tie bar out.

any updates?

[squish72]

Nothing good sadly, but here it goes. (sorry im not good with words)

I had a busy weekend planned but decided to start tearing into the dash on saturday morning. I wanted to try and see if i could just pull the top dash skin off and get to it that way. Things were going pretty well for a while until i had to remove the A pillar panels and couldnt figure out what the best spot to remove the clips that hold the bungie cords is, its so when the pillar airbag goes off it keeps that from becoming a projectile. I fiddled with it for a while until I decided to keep them connected but would just move them out of the way when I pulled the top of the dash.

I dont have a shop so I was doing it in my driveway and it was starting to get hot and windy. In order to pull the top dash panel I had to have the doors open due to the way the door panels go around the dash. Well wouldnt you know as Im trying to pull the dash off the wind gets INSANELY bad! I was trying to do it by myself and the dash was hanging up on the defroster vents and I couldnt do it all by myself. I had to go get my girlfriend to help me (doors still open and dirt from the wind still packing inside). With her I was able to get the dash situated right and get it out. I had to stop there and hookup my start button and other things so I could move my car out of the driveway. I poured a new sidewalk and needed to cut the reliefs in it and the sidewalk was along side the car.

Sunday morning I started back on it. I was able to touch the module and see most of it. It was still kinda surrounded by stuff but looked as though once it was unscrewed it would be able to twist it out one of the holes. The 2 screws holding it were phillips head and one of them was easy to get to and came out without a fight. Enter screw #2......... I could kinda see the head of it but it was in a very tight spot. I used a philips bit with a bit of electrical tape in a 1/4" socket and used my ratchet to break it free and start pulling it out until it wedged everything due to the length of the ratchet, socket and bit. I took the bit to my grinder and shortened it the most I could. I was able to get a few more turns out of the screw. I had to remove the ratchet and try to use finger power with the socket to remove it the rest of the way. One awkward tight mother you know what!

While trying to turn the socket and keep pressure on it my fingers slipped and pretty much did the motion like when you snap your fingers and sent the socket flying deep in the dash. It took me an easily 30 to 40 mins to find out that it no longer was in the dash but fell perfectly down the firewall behind the carpet in the floor. Not only did it go behind the carpet but there are thick pieces of foam behind the carpet that made a nice socket sized channel all the way to the floor pan. So after getting a magnet and having the socket fall down there a few more times (slow learner) I put a rag to stop it. The screw fought me until the end! After removing the screw and sliding the module off its plastic mounts I found no matter how I turned it or wiggled it, it was NOT coming out of there.

So now I have my car in so many pieces and no closer to doing what I set out to do. hopefully this weekend I can use my brothers garage and pull the doors and impact bar to get it out as gm said to do it

TLDR: Pull the doors and dash to change the module, Dont follow my footsteps! My car is in pieces, filthy dirty and not fixed yet -sincerely, Guinea Pig

[puppykat33]

Originally Posted by squish72

Nothing good sadly, but here it goes. (sorry im not good with words)

I had a busy weekend planned but decided to start tearing into the dash on saturday morning. I wanted to try and see if i could just pull the top dash skin off and get to it that way. Things were going pretty well for a while until i had to remove the A pillar panels and couldnt figure out what the best spot to remove the clips that hold the bungie cords is, its so when the pillar airbag goes off it keeps that from becoming a projectile. I fiddled with it for a while until I decided to keep them connected but would just move them out of the way when I pulled the top of the dash.

I dont have a shop so I was doing it in my driveway and it was starting to get hot and windy. In order to pull the top dash panel I had to have the doors open due to the way the door panels go around the dash. Well wouldnt you know as Im trying to pull the dash off the wind gets INSANELY bad! I was trying to do it by myself and the dash was hanging up on the defroster vents and I couldnt do it all by myself. I had to go get my girlfriend to help me (doors still open and dirt from the wind still packing inside). With her I was able to get the dash situated right and get it out. I had to stop there and hookup my start button and other things so I could move my car out of the driveway. I poured a new sidewalk and needed to cut the reliefs in it and the sidewalk was along side the car.

Sunday morning I started back on it. I was able to touch the module and see most of it. It was still kinda surrounded by stuff but looked as though once it was unscrewed it would be able to twist it out one of the holes. The 2 screws holding it were phillips head and one of them was easy to get to and came out without a fight. Enter screw #2......... I could kinda see the head of it but it was in a very tight spot. I used a philips bit with a bit of electrical tape in a 1/4" socket and used my ratchet to break it free and start pulling it out until it wedged everything due to the length of the ratchet, socket and bit. I took the bit to my grinder and shortened it the most I could. I was able to get a few more turns out of the screw. I had to remove the ratchet and try to use finger power with the socket to remove it the rest of the way. One awkward tight mother you know what!

While trying to turn the socket and keep pressure on it my fingers slipped and pretty much did the motion like when you snap your fingers and sent the socket flying deep in the dash. It took me an easily 30 to 40 mins to find out that it no longer was in the dash but fell perfectly down the firewall behind the carpet in the floor. Not only did it go behind the carpet but there are thick pieces of foam behind the carpet that made a nice socket sized channel all the way to the floor pan. So after getting a magnet and having the socket fall down there a few more times (slow learner) I put a rag to stop it. The screw fought me until the end! After removing the screw and sliding the module off its plastic mounts I found no matter how I turned it or wiggled it, it was NOT coming out of there.

So now I have my car in so many pieces and no closer to doing what I set out to do. hopefully this weekend I can use my brothers garage and pull the doors and impact bar to get it out as gm said to do it

TLDR: Pull the doors and dash to change the module, Dont follow my footsteps! My car is in pieces, filthy dirty and not fixed yet -sincerely, Guinea Pig

man that sux i was hoping it was gonna be easy for you.. keep us posted .

[squish72]

Well after pulling both doors, wiper motor and linkage, center console and steering wheel. I was able to get the tie bar bolts backed off enough that I could maneuver the actuator out and get the new one back in. I giggled like a little school girl when I did! Put everything back together using all the screws that literally filled both cup holder full. Cleared all the codes with my gds2 and everything works like a champ! I did end up with 3 left over screws one goes to the air ducts some where as it was shorter then the rest but the other two I have zero ideas where I could have missed any. I did use felt flocking tape when going back together on spots I thought might cause a rattle or creek so should be better then factory.

I had one of the red safety locks on the door harness (not a huge deal the way it's designed) and scratched the top of my steering wheel puting the top of the dash in (very small but in a perfect location to see it well.. uhhhh)

[puppykat33]

You are a brave man. glad you got it fixed but holy S*** at the complete tear down good job buddy. if it were me i dont think i could have done it

[squish72]

I hear ya! I knew I could do it I just reeealllly didn't want to do it. My reasoning was either I could do it, or pay someone else to break my stuff and not know about it. I'd hate to have it done by someone and have rattles or other damage. Yes I understand that then it's on them to make it right but I also live almost 4 hours from a dealer so return visits wouldn't be easy.

[squish72]

Here's what I found caused the issue and why it would work sometimes when I wiggled the connector. Just one little pin is bent different then the rest. I assume it started out less then that and then heat from not having a good connection caused it to pull further away.

[AussieSS]

Hi All, The engineering team at HSV have had my car for three weeks now, I should be getting it back today unless there's still problems they can't resolve. Last update was they were removing the dashboard and replacing the right hand side actuator and once the dash is out testing every other component in the HVAC system to make sure they get the fault rectified. So far the HSV team have been very professional, loan car supplied is a ZL1 and can't fault the attitude. The sales dealer lost the ability to rectify anything after trying twice, they did little more than see and reset a fault code without doing any fix to what triggered the fault in the first place. Interesting to see the difference in ownership and pride, the HSV team bend over backwards to try and make things right, the dealer on the other hand has not returned calls and has from all I can see walked away for the customer. Being so remote down here from the Chev HQ is really showing that support and customer service is probably going to be a longer term issue in Australia.

[squish72]

Sorry to hear that. Hope all works great when you pick it up

[AussieSS]

Hi all, the SS has been in with the engineers, this is the 6th week. Dash out all hvac being changed out and thanks to the Covid situations working with a skeleton team. Not super excited having a new car off the road for in total 2 months for an air con issue. Will post the outcome whenever it comes back.

[AussieSS]

HSV fixed the hot/cold problem, replaced the actuator that was faulty, wiring harness, heater box , pretty well all the hvac replaced. Works great temp equal on both sides.

[squish72]

Wow they had to change more then the actuator? Did they say why

[wintertopdown]

what is this software and module you speak of?