I am working on a 2010 Armada. Air from the front vents is weak, all settings, all positions. Blower fan sounds strong. The cabin air filters are mildly dirty. Removing them had no effect, no blockage evident by mirror and light. Evaporator is not iced up, also weak at startup. I'm leaning toward an actuator has broken or stuck halfway and directing air down multiple channels. I don't know where to start looking. If someone could help, I would be thankful.

I know more about it than I'd like to admit.

So you have it on High and air isn't coming out of the vents you want but it is blowing out of the other vents right?

Like you are trying to get it to blow on your face but its all going to defrost or floor instead? Or theres no air blowing anywhere or not enough all added up and it just all disappears somewhere?

I haven't checked if it's coming out the other places. It's so weak at the face vents. May have to tape toilet paper to a stick it's that weak. I'll try later this morning and reply back.

Older cars had cables going to open/close heater control doors.

Newer cars tend to have electrical connections and activator doors sometimes with microprocessors.

Finding someone you might know with a high end professional ($500-$2000) OBDII scanning tool is a good first step.

You have to know if its coming out of the other vents to know if it exists or not. If it exists and is just coming out of the wrong hole then your mode actuator is probably acting up. If it doesn't exist then you were on the right track with the air filter being blocked. The air coming into the fan can be blocked like you are thinking or something could be blocking the air on the other side of the fan, inside the unit, i.e. the wrap around the evaporator rotted and fell in front of the coil. If you have a fresh air or recirc button its usually a picture of an arrow that circles back. If that button is engaged then it is recirculating which means its just drawing air from inside the car. If that button is off then its drawing in outside air. I don't know how you filter works but it probably is just filtering the outside air path. That is all just information. Most likely your Mode actuator is shot or the linkage took a boot under the dash and popped loose or broke.

Knowing if the air is coming out of the other holes and just not the holes you want eliminates all of that and points to the actuator and or linkage. There is usually a cam and linkage on a mode actuator b/c it controls so many differen't doors at once. i.e. turn this shaft this way and cam over to turn that shaft the other way. Because it moving all those doors at once with one motor; Defrost, Panel, Floor. At that point you can google your year car and replacing mode actuator and there will be videos showing you how to do it but I hate to tell you that's what you need to do without doing a little troubleshooting first.

P.S. - There will always be some coming out of the defrost. They make it so the defrost doesn't shut all the way so that when it does break you still have defrost and a clean windshield.

Mice or chippies will mess up the air circulation in cars......jk

Ohio boy, no air from vents up front. Defrost, face, feet. Fan speed up or down, recirc or not, mode, ac on or off has no effect. Fan sounds super strong. Fan down low ear next to gas pedal, I can hear something working in center behind dash.

sounds like it is time to find the air intake

there is an actuator by the passengers left toes that controls some of the blend options.

you said you have the filters out , are those the ones behind the glove box? is there any air movement at the filters?

Greenecountypete, yes filters behind glove box. Filters out, in the tunnel before fan airflow is good

That one at passengers left toes is for heat. It operates fine both ways as you turn temp knob up and down

So you hear the thing running like heck, have the air filter out, but can't find very much air really coming out of the thing? Weird. If you know where the fan motor is it mounts from underneath and probably has three screws holding it to he scroll housing. If it was easy to drop that motor down and let it lay on the floor then you could confirm the fan blades are in place or that the fan itself isn't missing a clip or something and is actually turning and not just the motor itself. Its usually a D shaft into a D hole on the fan. If the air filter is out, and the fan checks out, the only thing left will be the mode actuator but if it was that you'd think it would be in one mode or another and only air would be coming out at your feet for example and then you wouldn't be able to get it to move to the defrost. Not much air at all and it now blowing out of somewhere a whole lot is kind of weird. When you have the motor out you should be able to see the face of the heater core or the evaporator (depending on car) and know if something is blocking that or if its covered in green moss or something not allowing any air to go through but they figured the moss thing out in the 80s. Make sure theres not a walmart bag in there or something.

That fan will be about 3,000 rpm at 13.5v and pulling around 20 amps (on high) when its working and moving air. Interestingly enough the amps go down as you cover up the vents b/c its not moving air and is actually doing less work. A clamp meter over the red lead at the motor itself will show you amps if you are inclined. Careful running it on the floor. You don't want to break that top rim around the fan by letting it crash into something flopping around.

Maybe the linkage broke at the mode actuator which caused all the doors to flop closed and now as that actuator tries to operate its not actually turning anything and that's what you hear in the middle... (like a cam or link or something popped lose and is making noise instead of moving the things its supposed to move.)

If thats what it is then it just depends on the car and if you can get to it or not. Some cars the dash has to come out. My explorer the glove box comes out and you can just barely get a screw driver on it.

Whats the details on the 2010 armada? Its trim level. Do you have a dual zone unit with passenger temp control or a base model and theres just one temp knob?

I found a diagram of your unit. Looks like everyone complains about your blend (temp) actuator on those not really the mode actuator which is weird.

Looking at the unit in this direction those pipes go through the fire wall towards the front bumper.

Ohio boy you have been so helpful. I don't think the fan has slipped, once I saw with a mirror how far down it was from the filter box, I stuck my hand in there and feel good airflow before the blower. If I can drop the blower and see the evaporator that will be a good place to check. Will check mode actuator as well. This one has dual controls. I have done driver only, dual, hot, cold, every combo. Nada

No worries. Good luck.

Ohioboy I found the problem!!!!! I was hoping it was the mode actuator, because it is super easy to get to. But alas, I could see it moving the door, and even took it off and manually turned the door back and forth to no effect. So I dropped the blower. Fan is as it should be. Stuck my long skinny arm and hand in the box, and felt the evaporator, but has something on it. I fished a long neck diesel nozzle bore brush in, swiped a few times, and it came back as a ball of fuzz or lint idk. Evaporator is totally fuzzed over.
It's so bad I think the only solution is to open it up and physically clean it. Heater core is going to be clogged as well. If you could explain to me how to get to it or post a video of the process I would be in your debt. You taught a tractor mechanic a thing or two about Armadas. You the man!

One of the cool things about this place - no matter the problem there is usually someone who can help.

It may just be the one you see it just depends how they designed the unit. Some of them blow 100% through the first coil well the evaporator i guess it would be bc it kicks on and off and then the blend door actuator (not the mode) opens and closes which forces the air through or around the heater core thats always hot. i.e. outting the knob half blue and half red half opens that door so half the air is heated by the heater core. (Dual zone more complicated.)

To get to and change the heater core is usually pulling the dash. The way around that is to cut an inspection hole with a soldering iron to get access and then epoxying a piece over the hole. The small coil with the long tubes is the heater core. Usually you can see the cavity molded into the housing where it sits when you get to looking because they had to fit a square core into rounded plastic.

Id throw that filter in the trash can maybe. Is that the material on the coil? What got sucked up? Could be dog hair or something I guess who knows but for it just to act up all the sudden you drove through something or that filter gave up the ghost something got spilled in the car or something who knows.

Ive never actually seen an armada but i worked in a car hvac factory for 20 years. Random fact, Im actually the guy that designed built installed and launched the assembly line that made the 2005 - ? Dodge dakota hvac unit. Glad it finally paid off and i was able to help someone. lol

Id just shop vac a 1/2” tubing hose up to clean that first coil and drive it awhile. Be careful not to fold all those fins over cleaning in there. Good luck.