Solved Dorman Blend Door Kit Issue

[Jaywalker]

I just received my Dorman Blend Door kit from Rock auto. At $20 plus shipping it was a little higher than the basic Napa door, but I figured the cutting template was worth the difference. It probably wasn't.

The upper right item is the blend door. The lower right item is the cutting template. The lower left item is the "gold colored blend door pivot/cover." I have no idea what the upper left item is - it isn't referenced in the instructions - maybe a 2002 Explorer blend door? If so, I have a spare one now...

The instructions are a little unclear (think black and white photos reduced then copied a thousand times).

They say to remove the entire HVAC plenum - how do you do that? Do they assume we've removed the dashboard?

Okay, ignore that for a second and assume we're going to cut from below using the template while the plenum is in place. I can do that and can remove the broken blend door. So far, so good. (i haven't started yet - just rehearsing.)

The main problem I have is - where does the pivot/cover go - inside or outside the plenum? Realistically, the only place I can put it is outside the plenum, but I want to make sure I'm not missing something obvious. I'm not sure the blend door pivot is long enough to do that, for instance, and if the pivot/cover is supposed to go inside, then the door won't fit well without it.

Thanks.

 

[scucci]

Don't know if this will help, but is a shortcut way to replace the door through the engine compartment:
1996-99 Ford Explorer Heater Door Replacement
By Ben Altman
May 31, 2006, 21:23

There is a problem with the heater doors breaking on ‘96-98 Ford Explorers, Rangers, and Mercury Mountaineers. You know this, unless you have been living in a vacuum for the last few years…no pun intended.

I wrote an article a while back about a shortcut I came across to replace these doors without removing the dash. You still have to purchase the entire heater plenum to get the door, but if you just pop the door out of the case, you can discard the rest.
The shortcut requires that you first remove the evaporator from the vehicle to gain access to heater door. Next, remove the actuator motor from the top of case (it’s behind the glove box) by either removing the screws or popping off the snap-on clips that hold it in place.

Then, take one of your larger screwdrivers and gently pry down on top of heater door, through the opening on the firewall, and pull out on the door. Once the door is free up top, you have to “persuade” it out of the opening. This is not the easiest thing in the world to do. So, to get it out easier, you may want to get the upper edge into the opening and grind off the top of the door.
You are probably thinking: “if I have to cut the old door to get it out, how am I supposed to get the new door in?”
Good question. Take the new door and cut the lower corner (nearest the evaporator) off at an angle. Measure up from the bottom of door about 3/8" and cut downward at a 45 degree angle, taking off about 1 1/2". Don’t worry, the door will still seal out the heat while in A/C mode.

Install the new door by reversing the original procedure. You have to maneuver it around until you get the right angle. When you get it in place, a gently nudge at the top to snap in place will do.

I have never had a problem with the existing motor fitting up to the new door. But John Blalock mentioned at our last convention that he had to make a slight adjustment to opening on the top of new door to get the motor in place. So you may want to do what I do on all of these now, test fit the motor to door before installing. You do not want to install it more than once. Thanks for the feedback John.


“Why not just pull the dash?,” you might ask, “because there is not much to pulling a dash out of vehicles now.” We have all learned shortcuts and a good tech can remove a heater plenum on a lot of these vehicles in an hour or so. Answer: because it can be done in about two hours total, and you do not have the aggravating comebacks of “dash rattle".

I have included pictures of the door being removed and of the opening in firewall after removal. If you have any questions about this repair, please feel free to call me. Ben Altman, Automotive Air, Beaufort, SC

I have an important adddition to this article that just came about recently. A door assembly is now available through NAPA for these vehicles. The part # is BK660-1810 and it only cost about $11.00. I received an email from Joe Fedora regarding this article online and he gave me the part number. I ordered one the next day from NAPA and was stunned when in came in. I was sure it would not be correct or it would be some flimsy plastic door. It looks identical to the OE door and it comes with some other stuff that I haven't quite figured out how to use. The only thing I really need is the door. I haven't installed one yet, but by looking at it, I can't see any difference.
Thank you Joe Fedora and we wish you would join our group. We need more members willing to get involved and share the information.

 

[Jaywalker]

scucci,

I must have read hundreds of blend door posts in dozens of threads, but that wasn't one of them. I'm committed to going in through th ebottom, so, no, it doesn't really answer my question. Thanks, though.

I still could use an answer - does the Dorman pivot/cover go inside the plenum or outside?

 

[Jaywalker]

Okay, I figured it out. The pivot/cover goes on the outside, but it goes on the top, not the bottom of the plenum. The template for cutting into the plenum is also for the top.

If you cut into the bottom as most of us do, then the Dorman kit is unnecessary. Buy the Napa door instead and and save a few bucks.

One little hint, if you've tried the "pin through the actuator shaft" fix before replacing the door. Pull what's left of the pin out before seating the door into the actuator shaft or you'll have trouble seating the actuator back in place.

 

[rollinstone]

I replaced my blend door last year...used a Dremel (flat disk) to cut thru the bottom of the plenum, sort of a semi-rectangular cut, but just on three sides so the piece was like a flap.

When I dropped the flap the old door just fell out. I just snapped the new door (your upper right pic) in place, closed the flap, taped it good with duct tape, and it works good as new...very happy with the results. And if this one breaks, I can just remove the tape and go back in again...easy!

I bought the kit from Rockauto.com and it came with all the parts you got...is that the Dorman...don't remember. It was only $17, so figure I got off cheap rather than having the stealer do it ($1000+).

 

[Jaywalker]

rollinstone,

I did the same thing you did and got the same results. I must not have made my point right - if you do it the way you and I did it, you don't need all the other parts Dorman sends you. Instead, buy the Napa door and save $6 instead of having all those extra parts that serve no purpose which you just have to throw away.

 

[radav]

ok so the kit I bought from dorman without using all the extra parts the door will still fit?

 

[my98nnj]

yes

 

[radav]

Ok, but I cut the hole, got out the old door, which was broken, and now I cannot get the new door to fit.Any ideas?

 

[RomeovilleIL]

Please define how cannot get the door to fit. If you mean it won't fit through the hole, you will need to enlarge the hole. If you mean the door seems too long or wont go all the way into the opening, its probably just an alignment issue of the top pin. I would suggest you drop down the glove box and carefully pop off the actuator with a flat bladed screw driver (it has press mounts at the corners). Then try reinserting the door to get the pin into the hole on top. Once its in place, set the actuator back on the press mounts and slowly move the door side to side until you feel the top pin match up with the actuator. Snap actuator back in place, tape up your hole, and test the system.

 

[radav]

Please define how cannot get the door to fit. If you mean it won't fit through the hole, you will need to enlarge the hole. If you mean the door seems too long or wont go all the way into the opening, its probably just an alignment issue of the top pin. I would suggest you drop down the glove box and carefully pop off the actuator with a flat bladed screw driver (it has press mounts at the corners). Then try reinserting the door to get the pin into the hole on top. Once its in place, set the actuator back on the press mounts and slowly move the door side to side until you feel the top pin match up with the actuator. Snap actuator back in place, tape up your hole, and test the system.

Does the bottom of the door at the hinge side have to be in the divot thats there before the top will snap into the hole?

 

[Drack57]

Dorman Blend door installation..

Does the bottom of the door at the hinge side have to be in the divot thats there before the top will snap into the hole?

The Dorman blendoor for the 96-01 Explorer is an exact factory replacement, and instructs you to remove the Plenum, and install from the top. I had already created the opening from the bottom, but could not get the door in. I was able to fish the top part in to the actuator opening, and found that even fully inserted, I had no way to get the bottom in place. I got around this by cutting off the top of the blendoor shaft, maybe 3/8 of an inch. The actuator shaft goes down nearly a full inch, so can still move the door. I was then able to put the BOTTOM in first, then line up the top, and put the actuator shaft in. (be sure you have set the shaft to a neutral position with the thermostat...first!). When the shaft is in, make sure you secure the actuator motor on the pinch posts. You should then be able to turn on the ignition, and test the movement of the door. (In my case, worked just fine!!) I closed the flap, and sealed with metal tape. Since this door is the same as the original, I suspect it may fail in 150-200k miles and need replacement again..but since access has already been gained, I could probably replace in less than an hour.

 

[white_shadow]

i did this a few months back. i used an electric hot knife to cut the bottom of the plenum. virtually no smoke from it, and it was a nice clean cut. after i cut the piece i sanded the edges to smooth them out, replaced the blend door, and used RTV to seal it all back up. i figured when it happens again, i would rather cut through some RTV as opposed to some epoxy. the repair has been doing fine.