Blend door repair?

[David in NC]

It seems that my son has the dreaded blend door failure on his '97 XLT. Luckily it failed in heat mode so I don't have to repair it immediately.
I bought a Dorman replacement door from Advance Auto Parts for $12. Is it a direct fit replacement or does it require modifications. I plan to gain access through the bottom of the plenum. Will the replacement door fit onto the actuator shaft without modification? I read most of the thread in the blend door sticky. Any other advice? Thanks in advance.

 

[Cobraguy]

From what I've heard from those who have used that door, it is a drop in replacement and no modification is necessary.

I would check the blend door actuator prior to cutting up the plenum. That can be a problem as much as the door itself.

 

[hunterdan]

I actually went in through the back of the heater box under the hood. I was able to slide the back of the plenum away from the heater box after unbolting some bolts. I did have to break the old one in half using a hammer and a screwdriver. To get the new one in, I had to trim some off the bottom of the door at an angle to slide it in. Took about 2-3 hours to do, but saved me a ton of money and aggrivation. Getting some of the bolts out of the plenum in the back isn't exactly easy, but if you have smaller hands, it would be easier. Here is a link to my thread, but the link inside it is dead.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198705&highlight=Blend+Door


Dan

 

[my98nnj]

I also baught the Dorman replacement door. If fits perfectly, no modifications are required, well... except for the hole in your HVAC system.

I went in from the bottom, was fairly straight forward. Follow the instructions on that thread and you should have it done in about an hour.

 

[Driveway2fast]

Did it 2 weeks ago on my 97 Mounty
Part was exact replacement. Works like a champ.
Check the sticky thread on the procedure for going in from bottom.

 

[rollinstone]

I did this repair last winter. Has anyone noticed a reduction in heat? Seems to me that I don't have as much heat coming out. I checked my taping job and it seems secure, i.e. no leaks. I know it's not a completely tight seal, but wouldn't expect that much heat loss. Anyway...it's not that cold in Western Washington, but on somedays or coming home from skiing it would be nice to have a bit more heat.

 

[rollinstone]

Bump.

 

[Bern]

I replaced my blend door recently the right way--complete removal and replacement of the plenum assy. It cranks out so much heat I cannot hold my hand in front of the registers for more than about 5 seconds--it is that hot.

 

[Clintonracer]

Plenum assembly.

How much is an entire plenum assly for a mid 90's explorer?

CR

 

[96eb96]

I actually went in through the back of the heater box under the hood. I was able to slide the back of the plenum away from the heater box after unbolting some bolts. I did have to break the old one in half using a hammer and a screwdriver. To get the new one in, I had to trim some off the bottom of the door at an angle to slide it in. Took about 2-3 hours to do, but saved me a ton of money and aggrivation. Getting some of the bolts out of the plenum in the back isn't exactly easy, but if you have smaller hands, it would be easier. Here is a link to my thread, but the link inside it is dead.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198705&highlight=Blend+Door


Dan

You do have to evac the A/C for this...

Yeah, this is a great way to do it. I didn't feel it was right to butcher up the box. Also, my evaporator was shot too..so it was a natural. Just follow the instructions for an evaporator plenum replacement, then you cut a 1/4" diagonal piece of the bottom edge of the door (if you look at the jamb there is no problem with sealing) . You may have to trim the door top and bottom hinge posts a bit.

One benefit also to this method is you can clean all the crap/mold out of your evaporator box. I had a blocked drain hole and the A/C had an odor before. I made the hole slightly larger. You can also clean the eatc speed controller with contact cleaner, which will fail if it gets too dirty.

 

[rollinstone]

I fingered it out! I pulled the tape from the original repair and discovered that I had not fully seated the new blend door to the actuator shaft.

During the original replacement whilst replacing the bottom cutout, I thot it was odd that the cutout did not go in flush...but figured WTH and taped 'er up. That translated into the door not properly cycling...in this case it wasn't mixing in enough hot air.

So, when reinstalling the door, I made sure to push up with steady force and she snapped in with that gratifying snap you feel when you've done something right.

Ahhh...sweet heat! And none too soon...Seattle is in the midst of a major cold spell!

So, the lesson here is make sure the upper portion of the new door gets fully seated on the actuator arm...it should just hang there if fully seated.

 

[hunterdan]

Only if you disconnect the lines, I was able to squeeze everything out without having to do that, and my hands are pretty big.

Dan

You do have to evac the A/C for this...

Yeah, this is a great way to do it. I didn't feel it was right to butcher up the box. Also, my evaporator was shot too..so it was a natural. Just follow the instructions for an evaporator plenum replacement, then you cut a 1/4" diagonal piece of the bottom edge of the door (if you look at the jamb there is no problem with sealing) . You may have to trim the door top and bottom hinge posts a bit.

One benefit also to this method is you can clean all the crap/mold out of your evaporator box. I had a blocked drain hole and the A/C had an odor before. I made the hole slightly larger. You can also clean the eatc speed controller with contact cleaner, which will fail if it gets too dirty.