S2000 Fix Floppy and Loose Passenger AC Vent
Common issue for S2000’s, they develop a very loose passenger AC vent that just stays pointed up due to gravity. No real documented fixes for this so I tore mine apart to figure out what was going on. When I opened my vent and separated the bezel I noticed that I was missing a shim on one side of the vent blades. This shim is supposed to create friction with the combination of grease. Great, so I spun up Fusion and got to work, I modeled replacement shims identical to the OEM one and 3D printed it. Since this is such a small part, I have it uploaded to MakerWorld for anyone with a 3D printer. If you don’t have one, you can purchase a pair from my store.
MakerWorld: Link
To take out the vent, there are two metal clips on the bottom side of the vent that holds it in the dashboard. Press on those metal clips to make them clear the dashboard and gently pull out the entire vent. After this, there are 6 plastic clips that holds the AC vent blades and bezel to the vent. Very straightforward.
This was the one shim that was still on my passenger AC vent. Yours may have none missing but the shims are just worn down.
This is where the shim sits, the vent blades have a peg that is inserted into the shim.
This is the bezel partially separated from the actual vent, notice how to shim will sit in a rectangular pocket so that it does not rotate with the vent blades. This is how the friction is created.
Pair of the shims that I designed in Fusion, same shape and dimensions as the OEM shims.
Another photo of how the shim sits on the vent blades peg, except this time this is my 3D printed shim.