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Air inlet control door not closing all the way

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Brandonitis, Oct 27, 2013.

  1. Brandonitis

    Brandonitis New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 27, 2013
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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I noticed that my ability to preclude somebody's smelly exhaust from my interior disappeared several months ago. It seemed that when I would switch from outside air to recirc that not much would change. I would still be getting outside air through my AC, even when on recirc.

    I pulled off my glove box and removed the cabin air filter to expose the mechanism. The air inlet door is a scoop shaped door right above the cabin air filter that pivots one way or the other depending on whether you were on recirc or outside air.

    I can switch it using my AC controls and it does indeed move. It seats properly when on outside air mode but stops short when on recirc. It does not properly seat.

    I did try the "turbo" button that is supposed to filter the hell out of your inside air and that did not affect the location of the air inlet door.

    As far as I can see the mechanism is moving and looks ok.

    Has anyone else experienced this? I've attached a photo that shows it "not seated" in recirc.
    image.jpg
     
  2. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2009
    5,131
    1,338
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    Location:
    Wilmington, NC
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    The air inlet damper is not supposed to seat tightly in recirc mode. The manual says that a small amount of fresh air is needed for passenger comfort and to keep windows from fogging.

    The dust and pollen button is supposed to create a tight shutoff for 3 minutes in order to circulate the cabin air in order to remove dust and pollen from within the cabin. It is not meant to remove smelly exhaust fumes.