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AC Blows Cold Around Town But Hot On the Interstate
- Thread starter GLOCKer
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Is the actuator supposed to be in one position when it's installed into the blend door? Does the actuator park at one position, like when the EATC is turned off? I have swapped actuators twice, once in each of two Explorers, but the key was out in both cases, I just went at it with the truck off. Reaching the small bolts on top was the toughest part, getting the wrench in there.
GLOCKer
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How hot is too hot to open the radiator cap?
I've only run this thing for 10 minutes about an hour ago and its burning hot under the hood. I'm afraid of un-bypassing the heater core with it this hot.
And in other news; the hood struts I replaced a year ago are already broken. I'm so F'n pissed at this thing right now.
I've only run this thing for 10 minutes about an hour ago and its burning hot under the hood. I'm afraid of un-bypassing the heater core with it this hot.
And in other news; the hood struts I replaced a year ago are already broken. I'm so F'n pissed at this thing right now.
GLOCKer
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If I shut it off for a couple of minutes it blows through the dash vents . If I hit any of the other options it gets stuck blowing through the defroster and floor. If you couldn't tell I'm beyond frustrated.
GLOCKer
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Sorry to all about my loosing it earlier when I was working on the blend door. I started just after 2PM and walked away from it around 6PM. The blend door is replaced and the blend door actuator is back in. It took a little over an hour to get the blend door actuator indexed to the blend door correctly. It took another hours to let the truck cool to un-bypass the heater core. In that time I was able to clean up from the blend door repair.
I am very unhappy about my cuts on the heater box. I couldn't cut a straight line to save my life today! I was also very dismayed by the amount of kerf lost to the dremel attachment. I bought some Permetex Plastiweld to put all of this back together with but the kerf was too much so I ended up just using the metal tape that was included with the blend door.
The good news is the blend door is no functioning perfectly. I am getting ICE cold air out of the HVAC system.
The bad news is that if I hit the defrost or floor buttons on my EATC, I can't get the air to switch back to the dash vents unless I put it back to MAX AC and shut off the truck to let it sit for a minute. Once I start it up and turn the EATC back on, it blows through the vents again.
Here is the offensive blend door!
I am very unhappy about my cuts on the heater box. I couldn't cut a straight line to save my life today! I was also very dismayed by the amount of kerf lost to the dremel attachment. I bought some Permetex Plastiweld to put all of this back together with but the kerf was too much so I ended up just using the metal tape that was included with the blend door.
The good news is the blend door is no functioning perfectly. I am getting ICE cold air out of the HVAC system.
The bad news is that if I hit the defrost or floor buttons on my EATC, I can't get the air to switch back to the dash vents unless I put it back to MAX AC and shut off the truck to let it sit for a minute. Once I start it up and turn the EATC back on, it blows through the vents again.
Here is the offensive blend door!
koda2000
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Actuator installation:
I'm curious... What brand of blend door actuator did you install? I found I had more trouble installing the Dorman brand actuator than I've ever had installing multiple Ford OE actuators. It appeared to me that the Dorman actuator's shaft was ever so slightly larger than the OE actuator's shaft. This made it hard to line-up/index to the blend door's socket and once lined-up I had to push it in, where the OE actuator's shaft just fell into place. I also found that the two front screw holes of the Dorman actuator were slightly off, which made getting the screws started difficult. Other than those issues the actuator has been working fine.
Center Vents:
Replacing the blend door and actuator has nothing to do with your center vent air flow. Air flow direction(s) are controlled by the EATC unit, which operates a series of vacuum motors to open/close multiple doors on the heater box. Putting the system in A/C Max mode directs 100% of the air flow to the dash center vents (and dash side vents) and closes the outside air door, putting the system in recirculate mode. Our 2000 Mountaineer has the same issue you are experiencing with your air flow. I've never been able to figure it out. Even replacing my EATC control panel did not improve this. My guess is that I have some sort of vacuum motor issue, but it doesn't bother me enough to tear my dash apart to find the problem. My biggest complaint with it is that I can't get 100% heated air flow to the defroster vents when necessary.
Coolant Temp:
If your engine was actually overheating after running it for 10 mins while parked, that's also a separate issue. Could be a sticking t-stat, or a bad fan clutch, but if your TEMP gauge's needle was in it's normal position (roughly in the center of the temp gauge) you probably don't have a cooling system problem. I suggest you never try loosening the radiator cap unless the cap is relatively cool to the touch. Even then, it's best to put a towel over the cap and only turn it to it's first stop to see if it's going to puke on you.
General Advice:
You need to keep in mind that you're dealing with a 21 year old, previously neglected, vehicle. While I find your quest for perfection admirable, you will continue to have to chase problems on a regular bases. Other than my '01 EB, I find I'm pretty much always chasing at least one problem on my older vehicles. It's just the way it is. If this kind of stuff is going to drive you nuts, maybe you should rethink owning an older vehicle. Generally, I find working on older vehicles a rewarding and satisfying experience, but when I find myself getting frustrated I walk away for a few hours, or days. Clearing your head and thinking about what you're doing always helps.
I'm currently in the process of removing the engine from my '01 SOHC Sport Trac to rebuild it. I've struggled with the idea of doing this, as the costs involved (even with me performing all the labor) may equal/exceed the value of the truck. If I put my time and money into it and it ends up getting totaled in 6 mths it will have been a poor decision to have saved it.
I'm curious... What brand of blend door actuator did you install? I found I had more trouble installing the Dorman brand actuator than I've ever had installing multiple Ford OE actuators. It appeared to me that the Dorman actuator's shaft was ever so slightly larger than the OE actuator's shaft. This made it hard to line-up/index to the blend door's socket and once lined-up I had to push it in, where the OE actuator's shaft just fell into place. I also found that the two front screw holes of the Dorman actuator were slightly off, which made getting the screws started difficult. Other than those issues the actuator has been working fine.
Center Vents:
Replacing the blend door and actuator has nothing to do with your center vent air flow. Air flow direction(s) are controlled by the EATC unit, which operates a series of vacuum motors to open/close multiple doors on the heater box. Putting the system in A/C Max mode directs 100% of the air flow to the dash center vents (and dash side vents) and closes the outside air door, putting the system in recirculate mode. Our 2000 Mountaineer has the same issue you are experiencing with your air flow. I've never been able to figure it out. Even replacing my EATC control panel did not improve this. My guess is that I have some sort of vacuum motor issue, but it doesn't bother me enough to tear my dash apart to find the problem. My biggest complaint with it is that I can't get 100% heated air flow to the defroster vents when necessary.
Coolant Temp:
If your engine was actually overheating after running it for 10 mins while parked, that's also a separate issue. Could be a sticking t-stat, or a bad fan clutch, but if your TEMP gauge's needle was in it's normal position (roughly in the center of the temp gauge) you probably don't have a cooling system problem. I suggest you never try loosening the radiator cap unless the cap is relatively cool to the touch. Even then, it's best to put a towel over the cap and only turn it to it's first stop to see if it's going to puke on you.
General Advice:
You need to keep in mind that you're dealing with a 21 year old, previously neglected, vehicle. While I find your quest for perfection admirable, you will continue to have to chase problems on a regular bases. Other than my '01 EB, I find I'm pretty much always chasing at least one problem on my older vehicles. It's just the way it is. If this kind of stuff is going to drive you nuts, maybe you should rethink owning an older vehicle. Generally, I find working on older vehicles a rewarding and satisfying experience, but when I find myself getting frustrated I walk away for a few hours, or days. Clearing your head and thinking about what you're doing always helps.
I'm currently in the process of removing the engine from my '01 SOHC Sport Trac to rebuild it. I've struggled with the idea of doing this, as the costs involved (even with me performing all the labor) may equal/exceed the value of the truck. If I put my time and money into it and it ends up getting totaled in 6 mths it will have been a poor decision to have saved it.
GLOCKer
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@koda2000
I actually just reinstalled the blend door actuator that was already in the truck. It function checked fine when plugged in but run out in the open. Once I had finally indexed it properly, I found it was a bit of a snug feeling fit to slide it in. But hell, it's all working now!
As for the vent issue I was experiencing; that was annoying! I did notice that when I put it to heat, the fan would also drop really low and seemed to push less air. I am also concerned about this, but it may actually be normal. It may actually not even be a problem; I wont know until it gets cold out again! But when it's on MAX AC, it blows VERY cold. It's the ice cold I've been looking for!
As fr the motor being hot, it was overheating. After I went to un-bypass the heater core, I was a little afraid of doing it because the motor was really hot to the touch after only having been run a little. The radiator cap was still hot. I didn't want to take it off and risk issues. But only after a short time I was able to un-bypass the heater and everything seemed fine.
A good friend of mine, who is older and wiser, warned me to not overly invest in this Explorer. Realistically, it's a bad idea investing a lot of money and effort in one of these things. I think I have a touch of the OCD though, and I hate not having it right. Plus, there are some other issues I'm contending with.When I was a teen and in college, these things were PIMP! I had friends who's parents drove them and they were all the rage. When I was in college, I had a well to do college friend whose parent's bought her a new Explorer. Shortly after I lost a cylinder in my Buick Regal GS and had to walk everywhere. My friend would leave me the keys in her Explorer at work; all I had to do was hitch a ride on the college transit bus and use the door code to get in, and make sure I was there in her truck to pick her up when she got off work. I really fell in love with the Explorer then! Fast forward to today and I finally have one of my own.
We have the money to buy several new trucks (I'm not trying to brag, I'm sorry), but for purposes of marital bliss, I can't (my wife is VERY frugal, and it's a good thing). I have a Mustang in the garage and I desire very much to keep the miles off her and enjoy her just like that; a low mileage show car. This Explorer is very important to me for that and the other reasons I've already mentioned.
God help me, I'm wanting to convert it to 4x4 too!
I actually just reinstalled the blend door actuator that was already in the truck. It function checked fine when plugged in but run out in the open. Once I had finally indexed it properly, I found it was a bit of a snug feeling fit to slide it in. But hell, it's all working now!
As for the vent issue I was experiencing; that was annoying! I did notice that when I put it to heat, the fan would also drop really low and seemed to push less air. I am also concerned about this, but it may actually be normal. It may actually not even be a problem; I wont know until it gets cold out again! But when it's on MAX AC, it blows VERY cold. It's the ice cold I've been looking for!
As fr the motor being hot, it was overheating. After I went to un-bypass the heater core, I was a little afraid of doing it because the motor was really hot to the touch after only having been run a little. The radiator cap was still hot. I didn't want to take it off and risk issues. But only after a short time I was able to un-bypass the heater and everything seemed fine.
A good friend of mine, who is older and wiser, warned me to not overly invest in this Explorer. Realistically, it's a bad idea investing a lot of money and effort in one of these things. I think I have a touch of the OCD though, and I hate not having it right. Plus, there are some other issues I'm contending with.When I was a teen and in college, these things were PIMP! I had friends who's parents drove them and they were all the rage. When I was in college, I had a well to do college friend whose parent's bought her a new Explorer. Shortly after I lost a cylinder in my Buick Regal GS and had to walk everywhere. My friend would leave me the keys in her Explorer at work; all I had to do was hitch a ride on the college transit bus and use the door code to get in, and make sure I was there in her truck to pick her up when she got off work. I really fell in love with the Explorer then! Fast forward to today and I finally have one of my own.
We have the money to buy several new trucks (I'm not trying to brag, I'm sorry), but for purposes of marital bliss, I can't (my wife is VERY frugal, and it's a good thing). I have a Mustang in the garage and I desire very much to keep the miles off her and enjoy her just like that; a low mileage show car. This Explorer is very important to me for that and the other reasons I've already mentioned.
God help me, I'm wanting to convert it to 4x4 too!
BruceExploder
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Yeah we both still have to do a 2wd to 4x4 conversion too
GLOCKer
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I woke up and head out to go fishing today, and I was excited to test out my AC. I set it to AUTO and 74 degrees. It kicked on blowing pretty hard and then settled down after a couple of minutes with a lower blower speed. I'm happy to have the AC working! I still don't know what's up with the issue I was having with it getting stuck on DEFROST and FLOOR, and I'm sure glad it wasn't like that today. It actually gets a little too cold on my feet when it happens and I wear sandals out to the lake!
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