1999 Explorer Blend Door Actuator

I have determined that my actuator has a problem with the board itself. The motor turns when I apply 5 volts directly to it but it will not work when seated in the circuit board and plugged into the harness. I checked with a meter and I have 5 volts so power at the plug doesn't appear to be the problem. I am going to order a replacement actuator but I need to be sure I get the correct one. My dash controls are all seperate buttons (heat, a/c, defrost, floor, etc) but there is also an automatic button. That would lead me to believe that I have ATC, not manual but in all the pics I can find online the manual actuator looks exactly like the one I have. The part number of my actuator is F87H-19E616-AB. Can anyone help identify the part and tell me if it is manual or ATC? I tried to do it on some of the parts sites but am drawing blanks.
In a sort of related question I am getting no air through my dash vents on any setting. Where exactly is the vacuum motor for the dash vents located? If it's behind the dash and hard to get to a procedure would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

yours is an automatic, the manual is just three knobs

Thanks for the quick reply. Were you able to confirm that the part number I supplied indicates ATC? Can you help with my dash vent question?

didn't even notice it, you might have a bad head unit, it controls the vacuum as well as the actuator, if you wait a few weeks you can usually find a replacement head unit on ebay for about $50 plus shipping.

That's the climate control unit I gather. How can it be tested?

just getting voltage at your actuator isn't really the "whole story" as it just basically comes thru the plug. Plug your motor back into the board. with the board unplugged from the system, measure resistances across "pin groups" -> 1,8,5 and 2,3,6, 4 (ie. 1-8, 1-5, etc and 2-3,2-6, etc) in all the combinations. IF any are open, then you have a break somewhere in the board somewhere and it is likely your problem. IF all have some form of resistance / continuity, then your problem most likely ISN'T that area.
Since you have a "complaint" about other "control stuff", there is a chance that your controller is fubarred which involves other tests. Good luck.

well the test for the head unit is

1. Press and hold the OFF button
2. Press FLOOR while still holding OFF
3. Release both buttons
4. Immediately press AUTOMATIC (within 2 seconds)

it takes about a minute to get through and you see a line going in a circular motion while it tests itself, the trouble codes are listed at http://www.cardomain.com/ride/296394/17 near the bottom of the page. although the self test is not always accurate, it works i would say 85% of the time (based of my install of an EATC system going through several components)

Bud and Cali, thanks so much for the great information. I should be able to check these things tomorrow and I will post the findings. Appreciate you guys taking the time to help.

Well I ran the diagnostics through the control unit and received an 025 error message. According to the web link provided by calisoundmix the explanation is "blend door actuator not responding". Visuals of the board and components did not reveal anything obvious so rather than have this problem rear its ugly head again sometime in the future I just ordered another actuator. I do have one question though. Currently my blend door is in the "heat" position. If I set my controls to heat and then plug in the new actuator will that take it to the correct "home" position for installation?

the unit will sweep the full range of motion when it goes from an off state to an on state or when you run the test, one note is there is more range of motion in the actuator than the blend door can move, so after the old actuator is off you'll just have to move the blend door into the new position, also don't bother reinstalling the back bolt for the actuator, it makes future removal much easier, just make sure the front two are tight.

if your vacuum problem persists you can check the vacuum harness running from the head unit to the heater assembly (behind glove box, left side)

I checked the vacuum harness and didn't hear or see anything wrong. I guess I'll have to keep investigating that one. Blend door actuator should be here by Friday. I'll update whether or not it fixes my a/c-heat problem.

The actuator can be a real pain to replace. The factory R & R procedures start out with the line: "Remove instrument panel". That should give you a hint that this is not going to be a fun job. But it can be done without pulling the instrument panel. Do a search and you will see. But if worse comes to worse, you can pull the instrument panel in a couple of hours or so. Well, first time with DIY tools, maybe the good part of the day.

If you decide you need a new ATC Control Assy, make darn good and sure you get the right one! It's not enough to just get one that looks like yours. When you get your old one out, it will have a color code on it...plus the body will actually be that color. It can be something like black, beige, blue, red, etc. You MUST match that color to be safe in your application.

Well, just received my new actuator. Installed it and tried the heat and air controls...NOTHING. Ran the head unit diagnostic agaain and now I have TWO codes, 024 and 025 (only had 025 with the old unit). The 024 code is "blend door actuator short". Did I just spend 50 dollars for nothing??? Need help as I am on a very limited budget and cannot afford to have a repair shop look at the problem.

me thinks that you need to do some "simple measurements" as was suggested earlier. The codes from the controller don't really help "directly".... much like having a "check engine light" and then reading a code PXXX... its only an indication of a "condition", not necessarily the actual "pinpointed failed component"... you have to do some additional testing unless you just want the throw money into parts.

Ok Bud. Had a friend at work go through the "pin" checks. Everything checks out fine, and the motor works when we apply 5 volts on the bench but it still won't work in the car. With the actuator plugged into the harness we tried all the buttons from a/c to floor, defrost, vent etc and the actuator did not move. We double-checked and verified power at the harness plug behind the glove box. I am now suspecting that the climate control unit itself may be the problem. Does that sound right to you? Is there a way to test that in the car? Also, if I wanted to replace it can you guide me to step by step instructions beginning with the dash bezel removal?

OK... just to clarify.... "motor works when we apply 5 voltages on the bench".... was that now with motor installed in either the old board or new... on the bench?????? IF not, you should be able to do this since you now have two boards. That will tell you that you have "operational connections" on the motor / board side of things. Actually, with two boards, you should be able to do "pin tests" and get the "same answer" on both for confirmation that you are "seeing" things right.

My unit does the same thing and I did also buy a new one.... it still didn't work. Since it is kinda hard to assume the high odds of having two bad actuator motors at the same time, I believe that would say the problem is not in the actuator motor unit but in the head control unit.

On the bench we did run power to the pins and we did get the motor to turn on both boards. Did you find out anything on removing the head unit?

Get a factory manual and follow the pin tests. They are very specific and will guide you to where you need to be. You need a digital VOM. It would really help if you had a scan tool that has Climate Control testing capabilities, but you should be able to do it with the built in test. But since I just went through this, I'm betting it's the control unit. But I wouldn't run out and buy one until I did the pin tests in the manual. They didn't take me that long to pinpoint my problem.

OK thanks for the clarification. Sorry can't help on the main controller in terms of removal as I don't have this option. Anyways, it would appear that your main controller is "broke".... having said that... as you have found out... that might not actually be true or only partially as you might have a connector problem... likely since you have been "playing" round there. Anyways, additional checks at the main controller are to see if you get a ground on pins 21 or 22 when you "think" you have requested the blender door to operate as this is how the controller activates the actuator board. Hopefully some one who has taken apart a EATC will pipe in with instruction on control board removal.


PS.... I still don't think that I understand your statement or that you understand mine.... I am asking about testing the motor in the actuator circuit board as opposed to testing the motor FROM each board. The way that it is worded, it "appears" that you took out each motor and tested it on the bench... that is not what I am asking.