3rd gen Explorer Blend Door Actuator Replacement

[harabai]

the diagrams and the instructions in this thread worked like a champ. only hiccups was making a trip to the store to buy a 10mm deep socket to remove then nuts from the brace. And made another trip to buy a flex extender for my socket wrench since the straight extension didn't work in removing the upper left bolt of the actuator.

On the 2nd trip. found out the flex tubing on the wires controlling the rear wiper and defrosted cut into the fugn cut the wires in half. Had to crimp those.

another thing that sucked was removing and putting back in, the center console. hooking the ####ing rear vent into the air outlet was a biatch.

 

[jakedrew]

Hi Folks,

Last winter i encountered the dredded click of death. I broke down and bought the Heathertreater blend door fix and found that only the actuator was broken - likely the blend door jamming caused the actuator to break..

Anyhow, Ever since the fix (almost a year now), I can't get enough heat from the system. 100% hot on the dial feels like 50-60%. I've actually dismantled the whole fix and checked and the actuator and blend door appear to be working, though contorting ones self like a gymnist reveals some doubt. As with most things - summer = not caring about heat, but now that winter approaches its suddenly more of a concern.


Any ideas?

Tomorrow i plan on pulling the dash panel and watching the arm on the right side of the blend door move. Will see if it moved "enough".

Perhaps it needs a recalibration?

did you plug in the actuator before hooking it up and turn it all the way to cold? I thought that is what you are supposed to do.

 

[crudster]

did you plug in the actuator before hooking it up and turn it all the way to cold? I thought that is what you are supposed to do.

I cant recall 100% if i did, so.... I'll give it a try and report back.

Thanks!

 

[prhaws]

actuator replacement

Do you have to remove the console

 

[prhaws]

actuator replacement

Can any tell where to get diagrams and instructions on replaceing the actuator in my 2002 xlt explorer

 

[crudster]

There are full instructions further back in this forum. I dont know 100% if the 2002 model was a last gen design for Blend door or not.

If you want videos, i suggest you go to heatertreater.net, they provide a fix to the blend door itself as ultimatly - the breaking of the actuator motor gears is caused by a shoddy design of the plastic bend door.


-----

An update to my situation (poor heat after fix), it *appears* that setting the dial to cold, unplugging the cable to the actuator motor (you can do this without disassembling the whole console / dash, removing the battery lead, waiting a few minutes and reversing the process may have worked. Until it gets real cold, i wont know for sure, but after doing this on a rainy day it chugged out some unbearable heat into the cabin.

i also just realized that when you remove the bezel around the radio / temp controls, you can actually SEE right into the blender box and see the A/C rad (the heater core lays flat at the bottom). Nonetheless if you shine a flashlight into the vent holes and adjust the temperature you can SEE the blend door move up and down (HOT = HIGHEST - blocking the A/C Rad, cold = lowest). That should help in troubleshooting.

 

[F U FORD]

blend door cheat fix in 20 minutes 03 exp xls

here is what i did:
-spent 6 hours getting frustrated.
-Put everything back together

- Drilled a hole in center console right over the blend door actuator
- inserted 5mm Hex T handle (yellow) in actuator mechanism..have to give a little nudge to seat properly. This will allow you to manually operate the blend door.
- When i turn climate controls from hot to cold and hear the thumping sound, i can see the T handle moving and give it a nudge in the right direction. (towards driver's seat for heat and opposite way for A/C)
- WORKS great!!!!!!!!!
- T handle set was $6.99 at Harbor Freight.
- I will change it one day and keep my fingers crossed that Ford will do the right thing and issue a recall.

 

[ohiodisneydad]

Anyone have the part Silver State Ford part number? I need to order this dumb thing for next week. This thread has been pretty informative.

 

[BigRondo]

Anyone have the part Silver State Ford part number? I need to order this dumb thing for next week. This thread has been pretty informative.

I recommend giving Silver State your VIN so you make sure you get the correct part. I just got mine from the Ford Dealer ($70) and the first thing the parts guys asked me for was the VIN.

 

[360cid]

Has anyone contacted a machinest about machining metal gears about this? I mean the little gear set that actually strips out on every single on of these things? Initial expense might be higher than the initial cost of just replacing the entire thing once, but......

Just curious!

 

[dozer919]

I think this may be what's wrong with my heat. I've got the digital climate control. When I turn my heat full blast the correct amount of air blows out of the vents and defrost vents but it's cold air and not hot. At the end of last year my heat slowly started to die, every drive got colder and colder so it was a gradual thing and it didn't just suddenly stop working if that makes any diff. Does that sound like a bad door?

 

[swetrid]

I think this may be what's wrong with my heat. I've got the digital climate control. When I turn my heat full blast the correct amount of air blows out of the vents and defrost vents but it's cold air and not hot. At the end of last year my heat slowly started to die, every drive got colder and colder so it was a gradual thing and it didn't just suddenly stop working if that makes any diff. Does that sound like a bad door?

Look at the heater valve under the hood and see if it works or has rotted off. That will give you no heat.

 

[BigRondo]

I just did the Blend Door Actuator replacement. Nice to have heat again! Wasn't too bad. I did a write up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=294140

 

[dozer919]

Look at the heater valve under the hood and see if it works or has rotted off. That will give you no heat.

I followed the plumbingfrom my heater core in the engine bay and found a solenoid operated looking valve on the passenger side of then engine. Thus plumbing running to and from it looked in good order so I started playing with my climate control trying to get it to move and couldnt. I shut it manually with my hand and the air still didn't blow hot. But I'm not sure if it was the heater valve. Can someone point me towards a parts fiche were I call pull up the diagrams to see what I was messing with exactly?

 

[IridiumRed]

I thought I would pass on my experience with replacing the actuator on my 2003 Explorer XLT. Although some of the instructions that I found in this thread were very good, none of them actually hit the nail on the head. So I've taken some liberties with what I found, and provided more detail on exactly what I did, and how long each step took.

First, the autopsy report:

The broken actuator could probably be serviced if you could find the right sized gear, or if you were industrious enough to machine a new one. But, buying the part and doing the installation yourself is still a minutes saving of $350 at at Ford Dealer. The smallest of the gears has two stripped teeth, as everyone has reported. If you decided to salvage any parts, the motor is a plug-in and probably worth keeping. The case has MANY clips around the edge which break very easily when you separate. I'd suggest making the clips a little fragile by putting a hair drier to them, then use toothpicks to hold them open until you are ready to separate the two halves.

My Steps:

1. While you engine is running, turn the heater control to the far left (COLD setting), turn off the fan, then shut down the engine. NOTE: In my experience, you do not need to disconnect the battery.

TIME: About ONE minute.

2. Remove the center console, usually a two part process. You need a 7mm socket and an 8mm socket. Remove the screw under the rubber mat at the front of the console. That is all that hold the cup tray in place. Lift it up from the rear in front of the glove compartment. You may need a flat head screwdriver to pry it a bit before it pops. Unplug the cigar lighter. Set aside.

TIME: About TWO minutes.

3. Now remove the center console lower trim and glove box. There are 12 screws and two plugs. Start at the front and work back. a) Pop out the trim plug on either side at the very front. b) remove the two 8mm screws holding the trip to the lower part of the front dash below the heater controls. c) Remove the 4 7mm screws on the top surface of the trip halfway along the console (two on either side). d) Remove the 4 screws inside the glove box under the removable felt liner. e) remove the two 8mm screw on either side of the rear of the console trip near the floor. (You will need to slide both front seat forward to gain access). Now you can lift front the rear, separate from the front and move it out of the way. This whole process is just to expose the dash for access.

TIME: About TEN minutes.

4. Pop off the trim around the front of the dash surrounding the radio. The heater controls are part of this piece. I recommend doing this so you have a downward view of the actuator, and to shed some light on the patient. You'll need to pop off connector plugs from the back of the trim to move it out of the way. Use a flat blade to pop it off.

TIME: About TWO minutes.

5. Remove the plastic panel under the steering colum. One screw on either side.

TIME: About ONE minute.

6. Remove the vertical brace to the right of the gas pedal. There are two nuts and two bolts. Use a deep socket for the lower two nuts.

TIME: About TWO minutes.

7. Remove the lower air duct. Just two bolts. This is a must to gain access to the actuator from below.

TIME: About ONE minute.

8. Remove the top screw from the actuator. This is easier than has been reported. Just use a 7mm socket on an 8" extension and go straight at it from below the steering column. You can see it very clearly. (NOTE: There are three screws holding the actuator onto the blend box. They have coarse threads and only require a few turns to remove.)

TIME: About ONE minute.

9. Next remove the remaining two screws from the actuator. I have a different approach. Because the lower edge of the dash below the actuator has a lip, it was impossible to access the remaining two screws with a standard socket wrench. I eliminated much hardship by cutting a 1/2" x 6" piece of the lower edge of the dash to allow easy access with the socket. You can use a utility knife as its just foam between two pieces of vinyl. Once that piece was removed - and you can't see it unless you stick your head down on the floor and look up - it doesn't hurt the appearance of the dash.

TIME: About TWO minutes (after removing the small piece of dash with a utility knife).

10. With the three screws removed, reach up and wiggle out the actuator. The cutting away of the piece of dash mentioned in the previous step, helps this process too. Save the piece of foam under the actuator (looks like a little donut). When you get it free, carefully unplug the electrical connector.

TIME: About ONE minute.

11. Take the new actuator, and plug in the electrical connector with the proper orientation. Place the foam donut over the axle. The axle is keyed, and is also marked by Ford for proper COLD setting alignment. Slip the axle into the keyed hole on the blender box, and you'll see that all the holes are properly aligned and ready to accept the three screws.

TIME: About TWO minutes.

12. Replace the screws starting with the top one. Do not overtighten.

TIME: About THREE minutes.

13. You're done with the actuator replacement. Test it! Start the engine and let the temperature of the engine get up to normal. Now turn on the fan, feel cold air. Turn the heater control to the right and towards hot and you should feel the heat! NOTE: The new actuator appears quieter than the old one. I cannot hear the blend door opening or closing.

14. Now replace everything in the reverse order of removal.

TIME: About 25 minutes.

So that is how I did it. One note about the part. Ford Parts go by VIN # to ensure that they give you the proper part. I paid $70 for the actuator at the dealer.

I'm just finishing up this repair on an 04 explorer for a friend of mine. Everything is in and works, just have to put some of the trim / console back in. LOTS of good info in this thread, but I'd say the above directions were the most useful of all, thanks!!!

 

[BigRondo]

I'm just finishing up this repair on an 04 explorer for a friend of mine. Everything is in and works, just have to put some of the trim / console back in. LOTS of good info in this thread, but I'd say the above directions were the most useful of all, thanks!!!

I agree. I used the instructions from ColdnFrosty to change my blend door actuator and did this write up: How To: Replace Blend Door Actuator in 3rd Gen Ex.

 

[IridiumRed]

I agree. I used the instructions from ColdnFrosty to change my blend door actuator and did this write up: How To: Replace Blend Door Actuator in 3rd Gen Ex.

ANOTHER writeup?? oh now you tell me.... (kidding)

This job wasn't nearly as bad as what some people made it out to seem like (thats not most of the people in this thread)

Btw, one thing I did that worked well, was for putting in the top screw on the actuator -

I used a 1/4 socket drive with a couple of long extensions (6" each, that was convenient. one 6" might do it, but 8" is probably a safer length...??)

But between the extensions and sockets I used a universal joint, and taped up around the outside of it (so that it would flex a few degrees to the side, but not be loose / floppy like universals often are).

Also, I taped the socket to the universal, and then the screw to the socket.

I thought that screw was going to be TERRIBLE to get back in, but doing it in the above way, man, it was like a minute to put back in. -almost- too easy. I didn't even have to trim anything.....

On a side note, I did this whole job with relatively standard tools - mainly 1/4 drive sockets, socket wrench, and a couple of combination wrenches. But I did use an 8mm gear wrench (like a combination wrench, but has a reversible ratchet drive in the closed end). That was pretty handy, made some jobs faster. not ESSENTIAL though.

One other thing - there is a wiring harness or two I ended up needing to move. Not hard to do, only one or two push connectors or whatever, but your life gets easier once you move them around a bit...... otherwise they block access.... make things a lot tighter

Thanks again everybody. This helped me help my friends, and they appreciate it

 

[BigRondo]

ANOTHER writeup?? oh now you tell me.... (kidding)

This job wasn't nearly as bad as what some people made it out to seem like (thats not most of the people in this thread)

Btw, one thing I did that worked well, was for putting in the top screw on the actuator -

I used a 1/4 socket drive with a couple of long extensions (6" each, that was convenient. one 6" might do it, but 8" is probably a safer length...??)

But between the extensions and sockets I used a universal joint, and taped up around the outside of it (so that it would flex a few degrees to the side, but not be loose / floppy like universals often are).

Also, I taped the socket to the universal, and then the screw to the socket.

I thought that screw was going to be TERRIBLE to get back in, but doing it in the above way, man, it was like a minute to put back in. -almost- too easy. I didn't even have to trim anything.....

On a side note, I did this whole job with relatively standard tools - mainly 1/4 drive sockets, socket wrench, and a couple of combination wrenches. But I did use an 8mm gear wrench (like a combination wrench, but has a reversible ratchet drive in the closed end). That was pretty handy, made some jobs faster. not ESSENTIAL though.

One other thing - there is a wiring harness or two I ended up needing to move. Not hard to do, only one or two push connectors or whatever, but your life gets easier once you move them around a bit...... otherwise they block access.... make things a lot tighter

Thanks again everybody. This helped me help my friends, and they appreciate it

Good deal. I love having heat!!!! :biggthump

 

[IridiumRed]

One other trick I picked up a while ago, which was SO useful when i did this -

When you have a screw / bolt that wants to fall off a socket or screwdriver, and you dont have room to hold on to it (maybe its too tight, theres no access), I take a piece of tape, sticky side up, and stick the screw / bolt through the middle of it. Then let the sticky side wrap around the socket / screwdriver. It will hold it in place, no worries about it falling off and getting lost, or just not hitting the right place.

If you worry about some of the tape getting left behind, use something like electrical tape and leave it long. Once you get the fastener started (always the hard part), you can pull hard on the tape and it will separate and you can pull it out... and then tighten the fastener.

Sounds so basic, and it is in a way, but its such a handy trick. I'm glad I knew that one when I did this actuator motor!!! (would have been WAY WAY harder getting that top screw in otherwise!!)

 

[BigRondo]

One other trick I picked up a while ago, which was SO useful when i did this -

When you have a screw / bolt that wants to fall off a socket or screwdriver, and you dont have room to hold on to it (maybe its too tight, theres no access), I take a piece of tape, sticky side up, and stick the screw / bolt through the middle of it. Then let the sticky side wrap around the socket / screwdriver. It will hold it in place, no worries about it falling off and getting lost, or just not hitting the right place.

If you worry about some of the tape getting left behind, use something like electrical tape and leave it long. Once you get the fastener started (always the hard part), you can pull hard on the tape and it will separate and you can pull it out... and then tighten the fastener.

Sounds so basic, and it is in a way, but its such a handy trick. I'm glad I knew that one when I did this actuator motor!!! (would have been WAY WAY harder getting that top screw in otherwise!!)

That's how I got the top screw on. I have been using the "tape the screw method" for more years than I'd like to admit! :biggthump