EATC diagnostics don't work. Time to replace the EATC?

[SteveNYC]

So I'm looking for a bit of a reality check.

My 2000 Explorer Eddie Bauer has the climate control feature and I have loved it. Over the winter, it got this very odd habit of surging back and forth between high fan and low fan speed even when it was set to auto. But I did get heat and all was well, so I figured I would look at it come Spring.

Well, Spring has now sprung, it's getting warm, so it started to kick up the AC. But it's only coming through the defrost vents. This has been commented on a number of times in the forum, so I went to check the diagnostic codes on the EATC. But it won't go into diagnostic mode. With the ignition set to RUN, I press the OFF button along with the FLOOR button and then press AUTOMATIC w/i 2 seconds, but it never goes into diag mode. It just goes into auto. I've done it 30 times. Either I'm an idiot [still a possibility ], or this thing is simply shot.

I'm willing to pull the actuator and see if it works, but what's the point if I don't know whether or not the EATC is sending the right commands? If it won't go into diagnostics mode, who's to say it's sending the actuator the right command?

Has anyone experienced this? Is this nothing more than a sign that the EATC is bad? BTW, it does push out cold air. Just not through the correct vents.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

 

[SoNic67]

Try to release first the OFF and after a very short time FLOOR - before hitting AUTO. Or the other way around... I cannot make it work always either, but one in three tries works.

 

[SteveNYC]

Appreciate the effort, SoNic67, but no go on that either.

No matter what I do, no diagnostics. If I hit FLOOR before OFF, it goes to FLOOR, so OFF must be the first button to be held. Second button is FLOOR. Then release FLOOR for half second and hit AUTO, nothing, goes right to AUTO. Release OFF before releasing FLOOR and it goes right to FLOOR. Release both at the same time and hit AUTO, and it goes to AUTO.

Anyone else got any ideas? I'm reluctant to do it, but part of me thinks that I have to replace the EATC. Anyone ever use CircuitBoardMedics.com? Seems less expensive than buying another EATC on eBay.