HVAC recirc blend door / damper stuck. Where is it located?

[jack.duno]

The air recirculation blend door/damper seems to be stuck and I'd like to know where that blend door is located within the cabin. I'm hoping to be able to manually free it up, preferably without taking apart the dash.

The car has sat for over a year previous to driving it again, and it's now well below freezing outside as well. The other day the knob for the air recirc seemed stuck... So I forced it ...until the cable popped off the back of the knob. I've reattached it, but the blend door is still stuck. I'm thinking it's frozen, or there's a gasket material that's sticking the damper shut, or there's a blockage of some kind. Either way I need to get my hands on it to fix it. If I have to pull the dash, I'll not going to bother. Hoping it's easy. Thanks

[toyotavios_11]

remove the glove compartment and you will see it

[komichal]

I agree with toyotavios_11.
Just remove the glove compartment and it can be nicely accessed.
Mine gets stuck from time to time as well (I had to fix the popped off knob a few times as well). I tried to clean up the gasket of the blend door, hoping that it will get better - and it did, for a week or so... yet it returned.
I am not sure what I did wrong - I am using all the filters, changing them regularly, yet still for some reason the blend door from time to time just "glue" and I have no idea what to do with that. If you figure out something, please share here. :)

[IndestructibleYaris]

I just switch mine every week and this has stopped it from getting permanently stuck. If you don't use the knob enough, I wouldn't worry about trying to fix it unless you can afford a new blend door, if they even sell that individual part

[jonishornung]

Dealing with a stuck HVAC blend door can be a real pain, especially when it's freezing outside. From what you've described, it sounds like the door might be frozen or gunked up with something.Now, about locating that blend door - it can vary depending on the make and model of your ride. It's usually tucked away somewhere behind the dashboard, which, unfortunately, might mean some disassembly is needed in order to get to it.Before you dive into pulling apart the dash, though, I'd recommend reaching out to the pros at musiccityappliance.services (https://musiccityappliance.services/). These folks are wizards when it comes to fixing up HVAC systems, and they might just have a trick or two up their sleeves to help you out.

[komichal]

I learnt to live with this. Now I am used to leave the knob not fully "on the right" but lets say "95 per cent on the right". That way the door is closed yet not stuck.
There is no obvious gunk on the door or the contact area, I tried to clean it up with various liquids (brake cleaner, isopropylalcohol etc.) yet no luck. I gave up.

[CrimsonEclipse]

Check the gear mechanism behind the temperature control knob.
The gears can get worn and jam an it'll feel like the door is stuck.

I was able to rotate the little internal gear so the worn teeth don't meet each other when meshing.

[komichal]

Interesting point, Crimson Eclipse. Thanks, I will inspect that once I am in. The bulb in there got blown anyway so I need to replace it once it arrives.