2001 Suburban - Passenger Side Draft

Hey just loaded the family into the car and the left wiper didn't work, I figure its stripped the arm and its not a quick fix.
Cold temperatures and snow.Has a cap looking thing on the post. I figure that it will pop off with a screwdriver.

This will fix a poor seal but it won't address the problem of the door not
closing properly. I had all this done and much more. The entire dash was
ripped out and everything resealed. The recirculate door warps or something.
TSB below:

99ssconv
Passenger Side of Vehicle Colder/Warmer Than Driver's Side (Repair HVAC Case to
Cowl Seal)
1999-2001 Chevrolet and GMC C/K Pickup (Silverado, Sierra) and Utility
(Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon, Yukon XL) Models 2002 Cadillac Escalade

Condition
Some customers may comment that the passenger side of the vehicle may be:

Colder than the driver's side when the heat mode is on.
Warmer than the driver's side when the air conditioning (A/C) mode is on.
There may be dampness on the vehicle dash assembly when the A/C mode is on.
Cause
Condition may be due to poor sealing of the HVAC air inlet case to the front of
dash or the recirculation mode door actuator may not hold the recirculation
door closed while driving.

Correction
Replace the recirculation door actuator (if necessary) and repair the HVAC case
to cowl seal using the following procedures:

Place the A/C control in the manual heat mode.
Remove the fixed mast radio antenna.
Open the hood and install fender covers.
Remove both wiper arm assemblies using the following procedure:
Disconnect the washer solvent hose from the air inlet grille panel nozzle.
Remove the cover from the wiper arm retainer. Remove the retainer.

Important
Use a battery terminal puller in order to remove the wiper arm.

Rock the wiper arm back and forth in order to loosen the arm from the drive
shaft. Remove the wiper arm.
Lower the hood.
Remove the air inlet grille panel using the following procedure:
On each end of the air inlet grille panel is a rubber flap for the hood hinge
cutout. Lift this flap and remove the air inlet grille panel attaching screw.
Remove the air inlet grille panel center top push pin.
Remove the clips that position the forward edge of the grille panel to the top
of the cowl.
Disconnect the windshield washer supply hose from the bottom of the grille
panel.
Remove the air inlet grille panel by sliding the panel rearward up the
windshield and out.
Just to the left of the right hood hinge, on the horizontal surface of the
cowl, locate a cover that is sealed in place. The cover has TRW stamped into
it.
With a sharp knife, cut out the panel following the panel impression in the
sealer tape.
Place a lifting device between the cover and the dash. Lift the cover enough to
allow another tool to depress and release the front retaining tabs by pushing
rearward on them. Remove the cover.
Look through the opening where you just removed the cover. You will see what
looks like a piece of foam about 76 x 127 mm (3 x 5 in). This is the A/C
recirculation door that is within the HVAC module.
Reach into the opening and carefully pull on the air inlet recirculation door.
If the recirculation door moves with very little effort, replace the air inlet
(recirculation) door actuator (Manual systems only). For systems with the
Automatic Temperature control, initialize the system using published Service
procedures.
Between the top of the HVAC air inlet module (appears as a 6 mm (1/4 inch)
black strip) and the cowl sheet metal is a foam seal. This foam seal may be
improperly positioned or damaged in some way (insufficient crush/sealing). This
may allow outside ambient air to enter the passenger compartment incorrectly
(under driving conditions). This can be corrected using the following
procedure:

Important
It is imperative that a good seal be achieved over the entire surface areas (no
voids or skips), especially around the rear and sides of the HVAC case to cowl
areas.

Seal the area between the cowl and HVAC case with RTV Silicone Rubber Sealant,
P/N 12345739 (in Canada, use P/N 10953541).
Using your finger, from the engine side of the cowl, ensure that the foam is
stuck nicely to the HVAC module and does not have any distortions.
From the engine side of the cowl, working through the opening in the horizontal
surface of the cowl, place a shop cloth into the opening and cover the blower
fan. This keeps silicone from dripping onto the motor and causing an imbalance
condition.
From the engine side of the cowl, working through the opening in the horizontal
surface of the cowl, apply the RTV silicone to bridge the gap and cover the
foam between the cowl sheet metal and the HVAC module case. Inspect your work
with a light and a mirror. Ensure that no gaps or skips are present in the RTV
seal.
Inspect your work for potential drips, runs, etc. If no problem is seen, remove
the shop cloth covering the blower motor.
Apply a 3 mm (1/8 in) bead of weatherstrip adhesive, P/N 12345097 (in Canada,
use P/N 10953479) around the opening in the horizontal surface of the cowl,
where the cover fits into the cowl.
Place the cover on the workbench, top on the surface, and apply a 3 mm (1/8 in)
bead of weatherstrip adhesive on the edge of the cover.
Place the cover into the cowl opening and snap into place.
Apply another bead of weatherstrip adhesive around the joint between the cover
and the top of the cowl. Smooth this bead into a smooth surface with a finger
or tool of some kind.
Place the leaf screen to the cowl. Attach the washer supply hose to the bottom
of the air inlet grille panel. Do not place the fasteners in at this time.
Install the radio fixed mast antenna. Tighten 1/4 turn after contact is made
with the base.
Lower but do not close the hood.
Center the opening in the air inlet grille panel around the antenna mast and
then install the air inlet grille panel retaining screws. Tighten
Tighten the screws to 2 N??m (18 lb in).

Raise the hood.
Reinstall the air inlet grille panel center retainer and front edge retaining
clips.
Cycle the wipers to ensure the wiper system is in the parked position.

Important
Inspect the windshield lower edge on each side. About 51-76 mm (2-3 in) from
the bottom, you will find a 13 mm (1/2 in) long black mark embedded in the
glass. The black line is the position for the wiper blade to be in when the
wiper system is in the parked position.

Install the wiper arm assemblies. Position the wiper blades just below the
black marks in the windshield.
Install the retaining nuts. Tighten
Tighten the retainers to 25 N??m (18 lb ft).

Reconnect the washer hoses.
Remove the fender covers.
Close the hood.
Lynn

I had this problem for years and finally had the dealer look at and repair it. This is from my invoice:

Customer states vehicle is getting cold air coming in on passenger side floor vents all the time even with vents turned off.

Found doc ID #971061

Reseal cowl air intake.

Removed wiper arms and cowl cover. Sealed with RTV. Tested operation and reassembled. Labor OP D2118 (1.3 hrs)

It cost me $183 in 2006 but it is fixed.

i have a 2001 silverado and i want to change the fuel pump by pulling the bed and i need to know what tools i need

air leak on passenger side was stopped when i had the cabin air filters replaced. they were completely plugged and the fan was heating up and started to smell at full power. a kid at mr lube told me what was wrong and replaced the filters(i didnt know i had them)i have owned the truck since new and noone ever reccommended i replace the filters . coincidently the draft quit.

I have the same problem with my 2001 Tahoe. I had it in 4 times about the
problem. The factory is to meet me soon. There are several things that can
cause this problem and there is a TSB at your dealer that addresses one of the
problems.

I bought the $120 service manual so that I could fix things myself because Mr.
Goodwrench doesn't have a clue. Try this first: Let the car out in the cold
overnight. Then remove the radio fuse for at least one minute. The fuse is
under the panel in the left end of the dash, next to the door. After the fuse
is plugged back in, the actuators in the heater will reset. This helped mine
but I still have some cold air.

The recirculate/fresh air door MUST seal in either positions to keep the cold
air out.

I'll bet you have the worst problem when you keep things set on AUTO. Manually
increasing the fan speed will force more of the cold air thru the heater.

If you send me your email address, I'll let you know what the factory man says.
Lynn

<<< I have the same problem with my 2001 Tahoe

Thanks Lynn,

I am bringing it into the dealer soon for an electrical problem so I'll have
them check this out too (if your suggestion below doesn't fix it). Do you
remember any details regarding the TSB?

-Brown

...