Are the 97-03 HVAC control units interchangeable?

**Drive XR7** · 07-16-2015

Mine came with the dual slider controls. I think the drivers side slider is shorting out. I replaced my drivers side blend door actuator but I think the problem still remains where it will "hunt" around.

This is the one I have:

Morad Auto Parts is very near me, but they don't have any of these in stock. They only have the digital climate control modules. These -->

Are these HVAC units interchangeable?

**SubwayGuy** · 07-16-2015

I wish they were, but they aren't. The wiring harnesses are different. It would be possible to swap one in, but you'd spend a lot of time doing mods to your wiring just to make it work.

**SubwayGuy** · 07-16-2015

I'd try and find one on RockAuto or other cheap parts sites for the correct one.

**wstefan20** · 08-16-2017

Just in-case anyone comes across this post, I'm still working out some kinks, but I believe that I have accomplished this swap and it was about as bad as swaping digital dic and hud. I will be posting a how-to with diagrams once I've worked everything out. In the mean-time, here are things you will need: both temperature actuators (blend doors look the same but won't work), vacuum control module (located to the right of the blower, is integrated on the manual unit but separate on these), digital hvac head unit, and fan speed processor (behind the blower where the resistor is located), the vacuum tubing, sunload sensor, inside sensor, and ambient temperature sensor. All of these can be bought for less than $50 at the junkyard (mainly because they don't know what half these parts are).

I just wanted to let people like me who have been told "it's not possible" or "it's too hard, don't do it" that it IS possible. But let me say one disclaimer, if you are not comfortable with running cabling trough the firewall, soldering wire, reading schematics, and general troubleshooting, then I would warn against attempting this.

**decifal** · 08-27-2017

Sounds similar to my question I posted today actually.. I have a dual climate control panel and would like to know if I could use a single control one to just control both actuators. Seen a video where a fella was changing his out and noticed that basically the pins all matched up, but he didn't try it for some reason (scared?)...

**wstefan20** · 08-28-2017

As far as I can tell with the diagrams between the systems, and my experience upgrading the manual dual to the digital, I would say that it is possible, and correct me if I am wrong, but it looks like all you would have to do to accomplish this is to tie the white/black wire from the RH actuator to the Dark Blue of the left.

*However* It is my experience that the positions are reversed on the different side, meaning if you hooked it up like this, you would have reversed temperatures since the actuator thinks it is in the opposite position. For that, you would have to somehow "invert" the position signal to the RH actuator.

I'll have to look into what it would take to "invert" the position signal, but it might take me some time. Probably pretty simple.

Other than that, I am 99.5% the rest of the controls are the same.

Your only immediate option (other than just trying to splice the white/black and dark blue) is to disconnect the RH, manually adjust, and swap the white/black wire for the Dark Blue and just use reverse hot/cold.

If you do try "splicing" these, let me know if it reverses or not! I know the automatic ones will so I'm curious.

Perhaps a voltage inverter on the signal wire would work? Just throwing out thoughts at this point.