A/C hard to turn knob

[Paul]

My A/C knob are so hard to turn that I can't turn them by hand I have to use a pair of pliers to turn them.

Anyone else has that problem? What should I do to solve it? I have contacted my dealer service department but it's not open today they are going to get back to me tomorrow.

Any advice?

[charliem]

Pull the knobs and make sure they aren't binding on the plastic housing. You might also be able to shoot some WD40 around the shafts. Good luck.

[ADR]

Posted about the knobs on the LivinLite forum before I found this one-

Quote-


"Funny you mention that- when I first tried to turn A/C on in our 16TBS the knobs were extremely difficult to turn- so much so I feared breaking something.
I took the inner shroud off and what a poor design- the knobs are not inline with the controls they are supposed to operate.
They have a crude "ball and socket" type joint to attempt to remedy the misalignment.
Further the knobs actually have the "bearing" surface as plastic on plastic on the front panel and are a very tight fit.

After messing with them quite awhile I tried some silicone dielectric grease on the knob bearing surfaces.

What a difference!   Must have reduced the effort 10 fold.

Added in edit-  you really can't get the grease in where it is needed on the "fingers" that hold it in the hole while the knobs are installed.   You have to get the knobs out to do a proper job-  you might be able to pop them out without pulling the air shroud."

BTW my wife would NOT have been able to turn those knobs as they came....bad design.

Be sure you get the grease on both front and back of the knob fingers V area that grips the panel.
I would not use a petroleum based grease- it might interact with the plastic and create a bigger problem.

[Paul]

Posted about the knobs on the LivinLite forum before I found this one-

Quote-


"Funny you mention that- when I first tried to turn A/C on in our 16TBS the knobs were extremely difficult to turn- so much so I feared breaking something.
I took the inner shroud off and what a poor design- the knobs are not inline with the controls they are supposed to operate.
They have a crude "ball and socket" type joint to attempt to remedy the misalignment.
Further the knobs actually have the "bearing" surface as plastic on plastic on the front panel and are a very tight fit.

After messing with them quite awhile I tried some silicone dielectric grease on the knob bearing surfaces.

What a difference!   Must have reduced the effort 10 fold.

Added in edit-  you really can't get the grease in where it is needed on the "fingers" that hold it in the hole while the knobs are installed.   You have to get the knobs out to do a proper job-  you might be able to pop them out without pulling the air shroud."

BTW my wife would NOT have been able to turn those knobs as they came....bad design.

Be sure you get the grease on both front and back of the knob fingers V area that grips the panel.
I would not use a petroleum based grease- it might interact with the plastic and create a bigger problem.

Thanks for the info!

[Gary M]

Mine were so bad I couldn't even turn them. I pulled the knobs off and could see it wasn't lined up well with the shroud. I bent them a little to line it up better, then I just sprayed the knobs with silicone lubricant and now they're smooth as butter.

[Paul]

Mine were so bad I couldn't even turn them. I pulled the knobs off and could see it wasn't lined up well with the shroud. I bent them a little to line it up better, then I just sprayed the knobs with silicone lubricant and now they're smooth as butter.

Thank you for the advice!

[Paul]

I removed both knobs and one of them wasn't aligned properly with the inside and it cracked the plastic a little bit. The other one I removed it and it wasn't broke or anything but when I placed it back it was easier to turn

I have asked the dealer to order me new knob to replace the one that is cracked.