Fixed van heater with reset buttons

[HenryDavid]

File this under "easy repairs with no tools or cost."
Our 2003 van, The Blimp, not blowing heat anymore. Canadian winter setting in!
Enter The Google. Many suggestions, most involving many hours, dashboard removal to access heater, Dremel tool cutting, junkyard visits for cheap parts.
I do love a good junkyard visit. But what worked was simply pressing a combination of temp controls, holding 5 seconds, and presto! The temp control actuator thingy is now reset. Hot air pouring in, windshield defrost working.
How many other expensive repairs can be avoided with similar tricks?
(In similar news, our check engine light is constantly on--scary! But another electronic check revealed it's a sensor malfunction. So the Blimp lives on . . . .)

[FIRE me]

Well done! I am curious as to what make, model and year van that reset works on?

[HenryDavid]

You can Google around for specific models. Ours is an '03 Caravan.
For example:
http://www.allpar.com/fix/codes-climate.html

BBTW there are all kinds of other diagnostic codes accessible. We diagnosed our "check engine" light this way:
http://www.allpar.com/fix/codes.html

[FIRE me]

I have an older rust bucket Caravan, but mine is a late 80's model. Still, that's good info to know, if I ever end up with a later model Caravan.

[paddedhat]

Buddy of mine had an older Dodge Caravan with heater problems, but it was a cable that broke off a vent flap valve, WAY deep in the dash. The dealer wanted half a gazzilion to fix it. He researched the issue, lifted the hood and drilled a 4" hole in the firewall, at just the right spot, reconnected the cable, and patched the hole. Saved a few thousand in dealer repairs, or several days of DIY disassembling the interior to get to the same spot.