I own a 1998 Honda Civic LX (117,000 miles). Air conditioner is working fine, but the buttons to control the location of the air will not change. Air is blowing from main vents only. I cannot get the air to blow as a defroster for the front windshield. Is there a motor inside the dash that controls the damper for directing the air? All fuses are ok.

mode motor

The control unit has arms in the rear of your levers that pull on cables that control several things. In my car these cables can become disconnected from your control levers or the cable can become dislodged from the control unit (Which holds the cable in place.) You must open the part of the dash which holds the unit and look under it and inside of it to see if all of the cables are still properly connected. Once you look you will understand all.