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Dodge Ram 2002-2008: How to Replace Recirculation Door

Are you setting the climate control to max, hearing the fan turn on, but feeling no any air come out? The problem is your Ram's recirculation door, and it's easier to fix than you think.

By Neftali Medina - July 24, 2015

This article applies to the 3rd Generation Dodge Ram (2002-2008).

Sometimes diagnosing the A/C system can be tricky, but when the recirculation door fails, its symptoms stand out from the the rest of the crowd. The recirculation door is used to prevent the outside air from entering the truck's cabin through the vents. When this component fails, it tends to clog up the air vents and causes little to no airflow. However, in cases such as this, you will clearly here the blower working and feel cold air from the vents.

Until recently, replacing the recirculation door was labor intensive and required complete removal of the dashboard. For you Dodge Ram truck, however, there is a quicker method, which can have you blasting cold air out of your vents in less than an hour. Just use the following instructions.

Materials Needed

  • Phillips screwdriver
  • Needle nose pliers
  • Flashlight
  • Replacement blend door assembly (Mopar part number: 68004226AB

Step 1 – Make sure recirculation door is the problem

You probably want to double check and determine whether or not the door really is the problem.

  • So make your way to the front passenger's side foot well, lie on your back, and unplug the fan's motor wire harness connector.
  • Then loosen the three Phillips screws holding the fan motor in place.
  • Take a flashlight and look up to where the blower motor was. If the recirculation door is the problem, you should see it blocking off the vents.
  • Simply pull out the recirculation door, so you can install the new one.
  • Figure 1. Remove the blower assembly.
  • Figure 2. Blower motor with fan cage removed.
  • Figure 3. Recirculation door removed.

Step 2 – Disassemble the replacement air inlet housing

All you need for the repair is the new door motor, axle pin, and the recirculation door itself; however, when you order a new unit you will receive the complete air inlet housing. So what you have to do first is remove the recirculation door from the new housing.

  • Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the new door motor.
  • Then remove the new recirculation door.
  • Take a pair of needle nose pliers and pull out the axle pin.
  • Figure 4. New recirculation door air inlet housing.
  • Figure 5. Remove the recirculation door motor.
  • Figure 6. Recirculation door motor removed.
  • Figure 7. Remove the reciruclation door axle pin.
  • Figure 8. Recirulation door axle pin removed.

Step 3 – Remove the glove box

  • Now make your way back to the cabin and remove the glove box. You can do this by pushing in the box's side tabs and pulling the entire glove box out.
Figure 9. Glove box removed.

Step 4 – Install the new recirculation door

  • While looking up from the foot well, remove the two Phillips screws holding the old recirculation door motor in place.
  • Use the needle nose pliers to remove the axle pin of the old door, and pull it out.
  • Install the new recirculation door, and insert the axle pin. This is the trickiest part because you have to feed it through one end of the air tube while aligning the axle with your other hand.
  • Once the door clicks into place, install the new door motor, and mount the glove box.
  • Re-install the blower motor, tighten its three Phillips screws, and reconnect its wire harness plug.
Figure 10. New recirculation door installed.

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