How to: Quick and Easy 2nd gen Blend Door Replacement Tutorial

[themikeg]

I'm attempting this today! I hope to post here with a report of "fix successful" (which, I'm sure I will thanks to the detailed instructions)!

 

[RAMurillo]

yrs ago....I did a replace.Took 3 days & plenty of comments from Dad (God rest his soul).Now my '97 xlt Ranger ext cab 4x4 needs it done.Dad's not here anymore....so ford dealer will get one thousand four hundred eighty two dollars & a few cents.OUCH ! Come back Daddy....ur kid needs 2 save da $$$$

 

[ProfessorChaos]

fixed my a/c!!

I used these instructions today. My Ex is the same year and type as this but I had to go through removing the actuator that was bolted with 8mm Bolts not 5/16. My blend door turned out not be broken just the actuator. But I had already ordered the blend door repair kit from rock auto and a new actuator from Ebay. So I replaced both to avoid headaches in the future. As it turned out the guy I bought the truck from did the 5 min quick fix and fuggered it up. For whatever reason he taped the door on the inside...? But now thanks to the knowledgeable folks in this forum I fixed every thing in an hour.

 

[mdelcour]

I like everyone else here, would like to say a HUGE thank you. I am going to post my vehicle so that anyone doing a Google Search can find this.

1998 Mercury Mountaineer
Problem: Air turned warm upon acceleration on the highway.

Replaced the blend door. When I got in there it was indeed broke, just like the others on here. Took me about an hour to fix it.

This was a lifesaver!

Oh, btw, Oreilly's has the part cheaper than the $12 from Napa:

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/DOR6/902202.oap

And if you have an Oreilly's in your town, you can get Free Shipping to their store.

 

[Mirge]

I like everyone else here, would like to say a HUGE thank you. I am going to post my vehicle so that anyone doing a Google Search can find this.

1998 Mercury Mountaineer
Problem: Air turned warm upon acceleration on the highway.

Replaced the blend door. When I got in there it was indeed broke, just like the others on here. Took me about an hour to fix it.

This was a lifesaver!

Oh, btw, Oreilly's has the part cheaper than the $12 from Napa:

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/DOR6/902202.oap

And if you have an Oreilly's in your town, you can get Free Shipping to their store.

blend door actuator would be my guess. As luck would have it, shortly after I replaced my blend door, damn actuator died.

thankfully only the 2 front bolts were there... someone had already ditched the one way in the back that's hard to get to. few mins to replace it.

 

[Pepiv]

Could be goof ball tip here... but I used an old soldering iron and melted the plastic. Obv careful to not burn wires I burned the plenum box open relatively easily.

 

[JimbozX]

I'd like to add that you may want to check all of the vacuum lines. I found a bad connection and my AC runs on all settings, not just on Max air.

 

[Woodchuck 8]

Magic land......worked for me. I used JB Weld as my re-glue. Same color as the housing. Also, I used a plastics only grease on the contact points to (hopefully) stave off a future problem. And I don't really understand how anyone can do this job in anything like an hour..... Took me several hours and sore back.

 

[m33k101]

Not sure what i did, but my front vents don't work anymore. Help me please

 

[moke210]

Hello. I have a 03 ford explorer sport trac and the blend door is shot. The people i talked to said I had to remove the whole dash board to get to the blend door. Is this true or is there some type of short cut I can use. Thanks for the help.

 

[Woodchuck 8]

Blend door fix

Magic Land (on this site) has an excellent set of instructions on how to fix this. For God's sake, don't take then dashboard off. Way too much trouble.
Good luck!

 

[joecrna]

Did you read the thread you just posted to?

 

[socalsteve]

Anyone have the pictures from Magicland's write-up? The blend door gremlin hit me and I would like to have a better guide on where to cut based on those who've gone before me.

 

[Woodchuck 8]

Ranger Blend Door fix

I wonder what happened to Magicland's pictures??? Anyway, just use a Dremel tool or Roto Zip to cut our way around the perimeter of the bottom of the heater box. I only cut 3 sides but ended up breaking the 4th side and the whole bottom dropped out. But it's no biggie..... just get some JB Weld and glue the bottom back on with the new door in place. Careful not to get the JB Weld on the door hinge. That would negate the whole fix. I also put some plastic grease on the hinge point to ensure this doesn't happen again.
Hope this helps.

 

[ford tuff]

easy way to DIY blend door repair

Hey guys,
Just came across this thread and thought I'd let you in on an easier solution. Is anyone aware of the heater treater kit? They make blend door replacement kits for these models and they include new blend doors, instruction, and a video to help with installation...anyway it took me about an hour, no big deal! check it out.

 

[socalsteve]

So now that I have the Dorman blend door repair kit in my possession I am curious how I will insert it in the bottom end of the plenum. I did find these videos from Heater Treater so I think I have an idea where I am cutting, right?

http://www.heatertreater.net/mercury-mountaineer-97-02#videos

 

[DaExplorer]

Hey SoCalSteve, Don't know what happened to Magicland's photos as they were really great. The write up is still there and gives good instructions. I can't find my photos from when I did it, So... I took a photo of the finished area. After I glued it in place I used some foil duct tape. The outline shows where I cut, kind of like a triangle. Where my finger is pointed is the point where the blend door pivots on the bottom. DO NOT CUT all the way there. I was a little scared to do the repair at first, however my son and I like the Ecology wrecking yards near us and by the border. I was lucky enough to practice cutting on a couple. (that is where I got my donor part after finding two other broken ones) After you do your cuts pry the back down leaving the pivot point in place. My broken one just kind of fell out. I took the new one and worked it in and then had to line up the top where the actuator is. I then had to pry down some more to get the bottom piece to slip in. I made sure it functioned and then glued it up. DO NOT get glue in the pivot area.
Really is not that hard to do. Good luck and let us all know how you did.
Happy Holidays.

 

[huntem]

Blend Door Replaced

Thank you so much for your post. I just replaced the blend door in my son's 1997 EB Explorer. It was 0 degrees in NE this week. He was complaining about no heat. Kids are soft. (ha!) I went through the bottom of the plenum using the Dremel tool. I took the passenger seat out first so I could lay down which made it easier to cut. The seat has 4 bolts with a 10mm and 1 bolt with an Allen wrench. Unclipped the power and set the seat on the driveway. Wife was getting nervous. Got on my back, took the leap of faith, and cut out the pie shape which included the recessed slot for the blend door shaft. Dropped out the old blend door with the broken shaft. Bought a new blend door at Napa for $12. I put the actuator back in place (on top). Mine was on tabs so no bolts. I then worked the blend door from underneath back and forth slowly with upward pressure until I got the "D" shape to line up and slip over the actuator. This takes a little patience but eventually you will feel it slide in as you apply pressure upward on the shaft. I then put the plastic cut out back over the opening I cut out. Taped it to hold it. Checked to make sure the blend door moved back and forth. You can hear it working. Then used JB Weld (plastic) to seal and hold the cutout in place and edges. He know has heat (and cool) on command.

 

[DaExplorer]

Huntem, Glad you found us. Thanks for posting another successful repair

Welcome to the forum. There is alot of great members on here from all over the world which gives us all a world of information. Use the search area and there are a ton of threads for whatever your issue is.

 

[Ruralmale]

Blend door replacement

I just wanted to give my testimony also to the fact that these procedures worked for me also. I replaced my blend door by cutting through the bottom of the plenum, the only thing I did differently was I used a soldering iron with a blade attachment which made a nice cut with a small amount of material removal. I would be careful around the door pivot point however I was afraid that I might melt or warp the plastic here and restrict the door movement but it seems to work well. I also had to reprogram my controller which I wish I’d researched how to do last summer when it was all on or all off. Thanks guys for the information it was very helpful.