How to: 2nd Gen Blend Door Quick Fix | Page 6 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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How to: 2nd Gen Blend Door Quick Fix

I just cut the door in the box and taped it closed. I went to the local auto zone yesterday and picked up a can of freon and it has a gauge built in for like $14.00 I will try it out this week end and see if it works but it looks like it goes in the port on the passengers side in mine. do a "air conditioning" search all kinds of threads on this.
 



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Ok, Thanks Dean, I,m on my way to Autozone.
 






Cool there are a few different kinds I got the one that has oil in it too.

Let me know how it works out.:cool:
 






Well I went over there and started talking to the clerk and they were all out of the kits with the gauge on them so he started telling me about how it could be low on oil or freon and that if I overfilled it I could damage the seals so I decided to leave it alone for now. It still blows cold but when it gets really hot later in the day it wont cool the truck. I should wait and take it to the pros.
 






I have no idea what I am doing, but I need to try something. As a single female with a small child, I am desperate.

I live in AZ and it is triple digits and my car is pouring out heat without even turning it on. My blend door started making noises 1.5 years ago but it wasn't causing me problems other than the annoying clicking which would eventually stop. Now that I have replaced the air compressor (to the tune of $1500), the blend door is now broken - 3 weeks later. The repair bill is $800 - I just can't see pouring in another $800 after I JUST spent $1500 in a 14 year old car. (I don't mind spending money on a wear and tear to keep this baby going, but all that labor to replace a stupid part?!?).

I wouldn't even mind if the cold air was not coming out, but the vent is open and the super hot air is cooking my eyes!

Let's hope I can figure this out.

Thanks to listening to my whine. =o)
 






I went through the very same thing on my '97 Explorer. Heat pouring out in the summer. Yes, it was my blend door as the Explorers are prone to this problem. The dealer wanted $1,400 to remove the heater box and replace which is just stupid! It's like replacing all four tires for one flat!
I ended up getting a kit at Heatertreater http://heatertreater.net/
Yes, I might have paid more (approx. $120) than other fixes but it has been about a year and everything is working... heat and AC.
It took me about two hours and it was a straight forward easy fix. The "clicking" noise you hear is probably the servo motor (motor at the top of the blend door that swings it open and closed). The blend door that comes from Ford is made out of plastic and the shaft is prone to breaking. The Heatertreater door is stainless and will last forever. Others have tried the "pinning" method, but it did not work for me. I was thrilled to spend the $120 and have it fixed for good!!!!
 






Holy Stinkin Moly!

I did it! I got up early this morning before work and got to work hacking away. I had cool air blowing 15 min later! I was driving to work in style! =o)

Thank you, thank you to the original poster. You saved my sanity when I have to drive this puppy around town and it is in the triple digits. Like I said before, one thing to have no air - a total different story to have no air AND hot air pumping into my face (not to forget a 4 year screaming that the wind is blowing her hair around and yelling to close the windows). I may be 43, but that is enough to drive anyone insane! =o)

@gliderman8 - at this point I am not even going to worry about that darn door. I live in AZ so it does not get *that* cold when I need to be in the car. If I need to drive up North, then I will open that darn door myself. I don't even know if the motor is working anymore because I don't hear any clicking at all when I turn the air on.
 






Good for you.... three cheers!
Glad you have some relief from the heat. As a heads-up, the door may not stay in the position you currently have it in. Just from driving, the door may swing in the opposite position. No big deal, just readjust it when you get time.
As far as the servo motor, it only works when you adjust the temp. by using the temp control knob. It may indeed still be OK.
In any case, glad you have it working again. Good show... it must feel good to have done it yourself!
 






Easy

I am a picky person when it comes to fixing a vehicle myself. I looked all over the internet and could not find a single place that explained what happened to my A/C and why before offering a solution. I have had my truck for exactly a year as of yesterday and have had NO A/C what-so-ever. Yesterday afternoon, at about 3 p.m., I went to Dollar General here in town and spent $3 for Duct Tape, and $1 on a razor knife making my purchase a full $4 and some change for tax. As soon as I pulled in my driveway I opened the glove box, dropped everything in it on the floor and cut away neatly at the cheap plastic that was hiding my Blend Door. Less than 5 minutes after starting I was in. The top of the blend door was busted as suspected and I was able to move it to the right side all the way without any problem. I thought I was going to be macho and be the only person who's performed this without cutting themselves, but...I was wrong. I nicked one of my fingers on the sharp plastic. Anyways, I closed the make-shift door flush with the other plastic, taped away and needless to say...MY A/C WORKS!!! And it's all thanks to everyone who posted what they did and how they did it on this site. Now when it gets cold outside, all I have to do is remove the tape, open the door, reach in and grab the door and move it all the way to the left again. I now have more respect for my Explorer. Oh yeah, I loved the A/C so much I finally decided to replace the inside driver-side door handle, which was just as easy as this.
 






Just don't forget that when you move the door to the opposite side when it gets cold, you will have full heat. Obviously, the blend door will "mix" the air to get it where it's just right for you. If you've gone this far, you may want to get it working the way it was supposed to. Glad you have AC.
 






might be stupid question, but door left vs door right? Is door left turning door counter clock wise for full heat. turning door clock wise for cold AC?
I PUT A VALVE UNDER HOOD TO TURN WATER OFF TO HEATER.
 






Mickey I can't remeber which way the door goes (left/right) for heat/AC.
The best way to find out is to remove the servo motor that controls the swing of the door and turn the temp control to full heat or full cool to see which way it turns the door. Maybe others on the forum can give you a better answer.
 






Turn your A/C on. You'll be able to feel which way is which. Its a blast of cold or hot air depending how you have it when you're arm is in there. You'll know. Trust me.
 






If you turn the door left towards the Driver-side you will have full heat. If you turn the door all the way to the right towards the passenger-side you will have full A/C and NO heat.
 












Blend door DIY repair advice

I have the same problem as most al of you. Is started about 2 falls ago. I went to turn on the heat on a cool fal day and nothing. Tried again a few days later and it worked, then stopped again. I took it t the dealer and they diagnosed the blend door. The told me the price and I nearly fainted.

My Ford dealer is great and they are happy to switch from heat to cool and back with the seasons. Howwever, that means I can chose heat or cool and that is it. The dealer is ok changing the blend door for me, but did say that eventually they may find it gets worn out and work stay put. They understand the $, but have no other options.

I have 4 dogs and we go out every day to a place they run - a few days ago it was raining so hard we were all soaked. Imagine how unfun it was to drive home soaking wet, 4 soaking dogs, foggy windows and only air conditioning to defrost the windows.

I'd really like to try one of the reapir kits that give you the full function of the heat/cooling system. Will that work with my explorer? This one has a center console that is between the 2 front buckets and fills in the whole area under the radio to the floor. Did I describe that ok?

Any advice would be great. I really can't afford 1200 or more in repair, but in Wisconsin a working heater is really important. It has 140,000 and I was really hoping to go at least 100,000 more. I love paid for vehicles :D
 






I did a quick fix cut an opening flipped the door.
I never use the ac just roll down the windows so I'll just keep the heat on all year. I works great thanks.
 






What is on the other side of the plastic you need to cut to get at the door? I was just wondering if it might be lined with asbestos since its right by the heater core?
 






i haven´t faced the problem yet, but the more i read, the more i think a little creaking i hear every time i turn the a/c on is a sign of forecoming problems. I hear it every time i start the blower, hot, cold, max, vent, etc... and i´ve read in some posts the posibility of lubricating the pivot of the blend door when this creaking becomes audible, so that you are less prone to a greater problem.

some have said to drill a little hole and spray silicone, but i just havent found a pic of the right place to drill. If anyone has done it before and has a pic, it would be great, or if someone knows where to and uses one of the pics in the site and like put a little red dot with paint or photoshp where i need to drill, it would be great.

i have a 2001 xls, with turning knobs in the ac, without rear blower, i don´t know if this is relevant, but i also read that 99+ models are less prone to blend door problems, so i don´t know if this changes anything.

thanks in advance.
 



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I am about to attempt this fix....A number of posters said they did not cut around the hinge pivot underneath the plenum (which looks very difficult to do). What I am wondering is how does the door slide out if it is wedged inside the pivot at the bottom and the shaft at the top. Wouldn't the pivot have to be lowered to slide the top of the blend door shaft out of the plenum?
 






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