Climate Control/noise from behind glove box

[zrxxx]

So my wife has been complaining about a clicking noise coming from behind the glove box of her 97 Eddie Bauer. I checked it out today and this is what I found.

When the temp is changed from below 69 degrees to more than 69 degrees you hear the clicking. It has nothing to do with the fan speed or the direction of flow (vent, floor, defrost, etc) but only with temperature change.

I dropped the glove box and found the noisy culprit. It's a small box that appears to bolted to top of the blower box and has a small white connector plugged into it. When I unplug it it stops. I realize now what the part does. It changes the air temp from hot to cold. Also, if I have the heat on and change to AC (under 69 degrees) the compressor will kick on but the air will still come out hot. I have to power cycle the climate control a few times to clear it up.

SO, what is this temperature control box actually called and what kind of a nightmare am I in for in order to change it?

 

[Xzibit A]

that box is the blend door motor,thats not the problem usually. the whole case(a/c plenum) usually cracks where that motor is. to replace it the dash has to come out and replace the box

 

[zrxxx]

WOW, Sounds like a bitc*. Sort of like doing a heater core? So I'll have to pull out the case just to see what my problem is (or rather confirm it) but you think the case itself is cracked? Dam, how much stuff is in there. Ever do one?

 

[TPLYNCH]

Run a search for Blend Door Fix. To replace the box, you have to remove the dash. That is why it's a $1K repair at Ford. There are several threads with instructions on how to Jerry-Rig it, working thru the glove compartment opening.

 

[zrxxx]

Follow up

I dove in today and checked things out a bit further. The blend door motor seems to spin a bit and then it skips in place. I stuck a small stubby screwdriver into the little square hole on top of the motor and watched it try to spin but skip instead after moving just so far. I pulled out the motor and while in my hands I changed the temp to make the small tab spin while I held the tab still with my fingers. It spun just so much before it lost it's "bite" as though it was stripped. Untouched it will spin all the way in each direction without any trouble.

What are the chances of the motor actually being stripped and not have enough power/grip to move the blend door?

Or is this just wishfull thinking?

 

[zrxxx]

Bump

 

[TPLYNCH]

It's possible......

 

[Xzibit A]

hose motors do go bad but the door usually cracks th box as well, replace the moto and see if it works properly, if it does sweet, if it still not right youll have to replace the box.

 

[zrxxx]

I'm gona try the motor first. $65 is better than a grand!

 

[ygu]

Is there a way to check the motor? I had brought it to ford and they had told me that my blend door was broken, but they also mentioned that the motor might be bad or the wiring to the motor could be bad. Is there a way to hook up a meter to the harness and check to see if there is power? Thanks. If it is the motor then I will buy one and do the blend door fix.

 

[DaveWH]

I did the quick fix on a 97 EB. took a couple trys but has been good now for over a year. I pushed some modeling clay (wrapped in plastic) into the shaft hole to see how much of my sleeve was still there. Here are some links. the first one is the best.

http://www.blenddoorfix.netfirms.com/

http://www.automotiveforums.com/t377843-the_last_resort_heater_ac_blend_door_fix.html

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:...+ford+blend+door+fix&hl=en&start=1&lr=lang_en

 

[Xzibit A]

you pull the motor off and keep it pluged into the harness, and then you adjust the temp, and the motor shold turn, if it doesn't its bad, and be careful with those fixes, casue if you glue the door to the case it wont turn and that will make a good door go bad.