duranged03
New Member
- Joined
- February 5, 2012
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Oklahoma
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2003 Explorer XLT
Finally got a little time and was tired of the inoperative blend actuator, so I tore into my Expy today. Of course, stipped gear. I then tore into the rear hvac unit, as the temp actuator back there is stripped too. The back defaults to cold, and, to me, it seems easier to heat the interior than cool it. So thats not a problem, at least till I have more funds to dump into less important things on this truck that need repairs.
The Bi-level actuator for the rear was still in great shape. Gears look perfect, had more grease in it than either of the other two. The rear Bi-level defaults to roof vents, which I think is more effective than the one side/floor vent, so thats ok too... The actuators all have the same gear sets in them and are interchangeable. The drive pins on the main gear are different, so keep them organized as to which motor it comes out of and which motor is which. I used a paint pen to mark each unit. Also the Bi-level actuator has a small adapter between it and the hvac box, be carefull not to lose it. It really cant go far, but I hate having to fish parts out of a dirty quarter panel. Which, mine has a small hole in the plate or around one of the hoses in the bottom which let a bunch of dirt in behind the panel. I suggest some silicone if yours is dirty in here too, Maybe spray the bottom down from the outside and silicone from the bottom in case you ever have to change one of the hoses.
Back on topic, I used the small commonly stripped gear and the next larger one up that rides on it as one of the original gears teeth was missing too. Check your gears very closely. One bad or worn tooth and youll probably be wasting your time swapping these out. I have no Idea how long the used one will last, but its worth a shot to me. Might make it easier to locate as well as cheaper from scavenging salvage units for the rear bi-level actuators to use for parts. Using the guides on this forum, it was fairly straight forward and quick to get to everything and get it all apart. I managed to RR the front actuator without cutting the dash also. So far, it is smooth and quiet. And since it was bad when I bought the Expy, its kinda like gettin a new toy now that it works. I plan to check some local yards for rear actuators and see if I can recycle some more gears to fix my back two actuators. Just because I dont think its right to have to shell out $25-100 just for parts on a 1/2 cent gear. Plus the outrageous labor I see people paying.
Hope this helps someone out and saves people some money. Will update if and when I get some salvage units to repair the back two. Your results may vary. Good luck, and post your results if you try it. Maybe we can get an idea of how realistic this may be or if its a pure luck deal that wont last very long.
Also, if you do this and dont fix your rear actuators, you can simply put them back in (plug in first, set control to cool and roof vents) and bolt them back up so you can fix later and so doors wont flop. Dont know if they would or not, But we're gettin rid of the clicking so dont need to take chances on a new noise. after you bolt them back up, unplug them, then they will be silent and if somebody touches the controls, It wont matter. This lets you retain use of rear blower as well.
The Bi-level actuator for the rear was still in great shape. Gears look perfect, had more grease in it than either of the other two. The rear Bi-level defaults to roof vents, which I think is more effective than the one side/floor vent, so thats ok too... The actuators all have the same gear sets in them and are interchangeable. The drive pins on the main gear are different, so keep them organized as to which motor it comes out of and which motor is which. I used a paint pen to mark each unit. Also the Bi-level actuator has a small adapter between it and the hvac box, be carefull not to lose it. It really cant go far, but I hate having to fish parts out of a dirty quarter panel. Which, mine has a small hole in the plate or around one of the hoses in the bottom which let a bunch of dirt in behind the panel. I suggest some silicone if yours is dirty in here too, Maybe spray the bottom down from the outside and silicone from the bottom in case you ever have to change one of the hoses.
Back on topic, I used the small commonly stripped gear and the next larger one up that rides on it as one of the original gears teeth was missing too. Check your gears very closely. One bad or worn tooth and youll probably be wasting your time swapping these out. I have no Idea how long the used one will last, but its worth a shot to me. Might make it easier to locate as well as cheaper from scavenging salvage units for the rear bi-level actuators to use for parts. Using the guides on this forum, it was fairly straight forward and quick to get to everything and get it all apart. I managed to RR the front actuator without cutting the dash also. So far, it is smooth and quiet. And since it was bad when I bought the Expy, its kinda like gettin a new toy now that it works. I plan to check some local yards for rear actuators and see if I can recycle some more gears to fix my back two actuators. Just because I dont think its right to have to shell out $25-100 just for parts on a 1/2 cent gear. Plus the outrageous labor I see people paying.
Hope this helps someone out and saves people some money. Will update if and when I get some salvage units to repair the back two. Your results may vary. Good luck, and post your results if you try it. Maybe we can get an idea of how realistic this may be or if its a pure luck deal that wont last very long.
Also, if you do this and dont fix your rear actuators, you can simply put them back in (plug in first, set control to cool and roof vents) and bolt them back up so you can fix later and so doors wont flop. Dont know if they would or not, But we're gettin rid of the clicking so dont need to take chances on a new noise. after you bolt them back up, unplug them, then they will be silent and if somebody touches the controls, It wont matter. This lets you retain use of rear blower as well.
