Passenger Air Vent Replacement, 2001 Double Cab

Passenger Air Vent was broken. I found a few posts about replacing it, but they involved messing with the airbag. I didn’t want to do that. Here is a step by step of how I did it without removing the dash or airbag. WARNING: you have to be able to maneuver your hands and tools in tight spots while looking through a mirror, lying on your back, cramped up on the floor, under the dimly lit dash, LOL.
AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE ORDER OF REMOVAL AND WHICH TOOLS YOU USED WHEN( I forgot a few times) TO MAKE RE-INSTALLATION GO SMOOTHLY.
1) Remove the 2 Phillips head screws for the glove box. I forgot to get the picture, but that’s the easiest part.
2) Remove 2 Phillips head screws and 1 ten mm bolt on this cross bar. Gently pull forward on the right side of the tab and slide to the right to get it out of the left hand pocket.

3) Remove this Phillips head screw that holds down the bottom of the black air tube elbow. This one was pretty tricky because it’s real close to your face when you’re on your back on the floor and need cheater glasses like me. Plus the clearance for a screwdriver is tight.
4) Remove the horizontal black air tube by sliding it to the right and gently pulling the left side out. No fasteners so this is another easy step.
5) Remove 3 ten mm bolts that hold the upper glove box section and gently pull towards you at the bottoms. You’ll have to slide a thin nylon trim tool (pictured below) or plastic putty knife along the top to get it untucked frim behind the dash. Don’t forget how that tucks when re-install comes around.
6) Unplug glove box light connector.
7) Gently depress the white tab from under that panel to slide the airbag wiring harness off.
8) Twisty tie that wiring harness up out of your way.
9)Use a small right angle cat’s paw (pictured above) to gently pry the black air tube elbow that you removed the screw from in step 3. Remove elbow when it pries loose.
Enjoy the space created with this elbow removed. It’s also a great time to clean the ancient dust out of these things.
10) THE FUN PART. It’s fun because if you actually manage to get the upper Phillips head screw out from the tiny cavity behind the dash between the air vent unit and the wall of the cab, you’ll jump for joy. (Double jump when you actually get it back in later) I set up my flexible DeWalt flashlight with a telescoping mirror and finagled it into just the right position so I could see the upper screw.
11) Cobbled together a 1.5” Phillips head bit on a 6” bit extender and right angle bit. I connected that to a flexible 8” bit extender with a ¼” socket and a chuck to fit my milwaukee impact driver. Now I know a flex extension exists somewhere that fits right into the milwaukee, but 3 hardware stores and an auto parts store didn’t carry it and I didn’t plan ahead to have ordered it online. You should plan ahead and you won’t need the blue tape to hold it together.
12) Feed that contraption behind and over that big steel bar and squeeze your right hand up in there to grab the long straight 6” bit extension so you can guide it onto the Phillips head screw while you look through the mirror. It takes some patience.
Holy Cow! The shuttle has landed! Hopefully you already set your impact driver on reverse. Slowly give it a squeeze and back that screw right outta there. No worries when it falls. Like Plinko it will make its way out of the dash and onto the cab floor. Get a good look at it and admire your triumph. Second of the hardest screws is out!
13) Easily remove the 2 remaining Phillips head screws that hold the air vent unit in place. Start with the top one and the right angle + 6” bit extension combo. Make sure your mouth is closed when this one comes loose so you don’t chip a tooth when it falls in your face. The last screw is cake.

14) Remove the air vent unit.
Video:
https://share.icloud.com/photos/096d86KV2WMEADo44eKrMRqtw

IT’S OUT!


Now reverse the steps to put your replacement unit back in. Set up the flexible flashlight/telescoping mirror combo again and then put tape on the screw that goes back up in the deep cavity to secure it to the phillips head bit.
Video:
https://share.icloud.com/photos/066vasFy9hsHLhpIM-Bo2jP2A#Peterborough

And the unit is back in in no time.


Without having to figure all this out and working steadily, but patiently, it should probably take about an hour and a half to remove and replace.

Good Luck! And enjoy a working Passenger Air Vent unit again.
Video:
https://share.icloud.com/photos/097c5qu1qI8rY9L5X22lj4rKg

Thanks for Watching!

 

No final pic? Very nice write-up man. This should be stickied. Thanks!

 

@Fantastic11 Thanks! For some reason the final pic wouldn’t attach. And I don’t know how to stickie.

 

So either embrace your inner dentist or remove a couple dash bolts and pull it out...hm....

 

@treyus30 , always embrace your inner dentist. Never know when you’ll have to pull your own teeth. LOL.

 

Nice write up! I was able to get to mine with some serious contorting of the arm.

Pro tip - do NOT install that one screw that's a PITA. It makes no difference and will make the removal of the vent 10x easier next time lol.