How to: Replace Front Blend Door Actuator in 3rd Gen Ex.

[flutyr525]

thanks once again Rondo...this write up saved my ass and was so fantastic. mine has been clicking now for a few months but i still had heat so i put it off. well yesterday the clicking became very faint and i had no heat. today i called a few local ford dealerships, picked up the actuator, pulled this thread up on my phone and set off. less than 2 hours later...i have ice cold air to super hot heat and everywhere in between. super happy!

here are a couple pics of what my old actuator looked like on the inside. makes sense why i had no heat lol!

 

[BigRondo]

Thanks once again Rondo. This write up saved my ass and was so fantastic. Mine has been clicking now for a few months but I still had heat so I put it off. Yesterday, the clicking became very faint and I had no heat. Today I called a few local Ford dealerships, picked up the actuator, pulled this thread up on my phone and set off. Less than 2 hours later I had ice cold air to super hot heat and everywhere in between. Super happy!

No problem. That's what we do here at Explorer Forum. I'm glad that I could help out!

 

[Horsegirl]

THANX RONDO !! From MEG

Hey Rondo, just had to take a sec and say thanx soooo much!!...Ya know my Dad used to help me with all my car stuff,, even if he had to tell me where to bring it if it were to big a job for him.. But now that hes gone..well i didnt have anyone to ask so i checked this site out,, and guess what??? I did it !! I went to the ford store got the actuater, went to home depot and got the tools on the list and printed out all of your instructions...and about 3 hours later I HAD HEAT !!!! THANK YOU !!! My Dad would have been soo proud!! Im a hospice nurse and i travel alot for my job,, and just couldnt afford right now to get it done,,I live in Ct so i was freezing!!,,But im good and warm now thanx ,,next brakes!!! Couple people said if i could do that i could do brakes,,, actually was easy with your instructions,, just had to follow them exactly,,,,Your an angel and i bet u dont even know it ...God Bless and happy new year!!! Meg

 

[BigRondo]

Hey Rondo, just had to take a sec and say thanx soooo much!!...Ya know my Dad used to help me with all my car stuff,, even if he had to tell me where to bring it if it were to big a job for him.. But now that hes gone..well i didnt have anyone to ask so i checked this site out,, and guess what??? I did it !! I went to the ford store got the actuater, went to home depot and got the tools on the list and printed out all of your instructions...and about 3 hours later I HAD HEAT !!!! THANK YOU !!! My Dad would have been soo proud!! Im a hospice nurse and i travel alot for my job,, and just couldnt afford right now to get it done,,I live in Ct so i was freezing!!,,But im good and warm now thanx ,,next brakes!!! Couple people said if i could do that i could do brakes,,, actually was easy with your instructions,, just had to follow them exactly,,,,Your an angel and i bet u dont even know it ...God Bless and happy new year!!! Meg

Welcome aboard!!

Meg, you're welcome. I'm glad I could help out. I'm sure that your Dad is very proud of you.

I know what you mean, my Dad taught me how to work on cars. The brakes aren't bad there are some write-ups here. I'll see if I can find them and get you the links.

Happy New Year!

 

[Francisco1022]

Thank you man

I was having the same issues with the heating on my Explorer. Searched online on various sites, and they all suggested to replace the "Blend door actuator". I asked a few shops how much would that cost including the part. Because the dash board "had" to be removed, they hanged from that thought and threw crazy numbers like 2-300$. Luckily I found this amazing site, and even better a how-to on the same issue. Just yesterday I followed step by step and now I finally have heat on my truck. I appreciate it very much !

 

[BigRondo]

I was having the same issues with the heating on my Explorer. Searched online on various sites, and they all suggested to replace the "Blend door actuator". I asked a few shops how much would that cost including the part. Because the dash board "had" to be removed, they hanged from that thought and threw crazy numbers like 2-300$. Luckily I found this amazing site, and even better a how-to on the same issue. Just yesterday I followed step by step and now I finally have heat on my truck. I appreciate it very much !

Welcome aboard!!

Nice job on the fix. Glad I could help out!

 

[Nakoa]

How about directions for the one in he Rear?

I have a second unit in the back and it is doing the same thing. Loud banging and won't change temp. It is in the back panel on the drivers side, just haven't tore it apart yet.

 

[BigRondo]

I have a second unit in the back and it is doing the same thing. Loud banging and won't change temp. It is in the back panel on the drivers side, just haven't tore it apart yet.

Welcome aboard!!

Here are some threads to help you out:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199644

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=205370

 

[dcarling]

Just double checking

My 2004 Explorer started "clicking" when the heat is turned to hot, and no heat. It's quiet when turned to cold. So from everything i'm reading on here it's time to change the blend door actuator.

Is there anything else this could be? I'm thinking i should buy the part prior to starting the dismantle.

Looks like a very good write up. Well done.

 

[BigRondo]

My 2004 Explorer started "clicking" when the heat is turned to hot, and no heat. It's quiet when turned to cold. So from everything i'm reading on here it's time to change the blend door actuator.

Is there anything else this could be? I'm thinking i should buy the part prior to starting the dismantle.

Looks like a very good write up. Well done.

Thank you.

Sounds like the classic bad Temp Blend Door Actuator. I would definitely have the new actuator in hand before I started taking anything apart. Follow the write-up and it should go well.

Be sure to keep us posted so we know how you make out.

 

[dcarling]

I got heat again!!!! Took me 1.5 hours and went very well due to the great write-up. Thanks for taking the time to do this, you really helped me out and probably hundreds of others.

FYI I did notice the actual Motor Craft part is $50 on amazon. I had to pay $82 at the dealer last night.... i didn't want to go a week without heat waiting for it to come in the mail. I'm in Fargo and it's -5 this morning.

PS....thanks for being a Marine.

 

[BigRondo]

I got heat again!!!! Took me 1.5 hours and went very well due to the great write-up. Thanks for taking the time to do this, you really helped me out and probably hundreds of others.

FYI I did notice the actual Motor Craft part is $50 on amazon. I had to pay $82 at the dealer last night.... i didn't want to go a week without heat waiting for it to come in the mail. I'm in Fargo and it's -5 this morning.

PS....thanks for being a Marine.

Nice job.

You're welcome.

 

[MO-Explorer]

Nice write-up. Helped me out a lot.

Thanks

 

[BigRondo]

Nice write-up. Helped me out a lot.

Thanks

Glad I could help out.

 

[treats54]

I have finished replacing the blend door and actuator motor, but still have no heat. Any ideas on what to do next?

I also now have an awful screeching noise coming from the air box, which I did not have previously. Could the problems be related?

 

[alnaab3294]

Blend Door Genius

Rondo, I know your post has been there for a while but I just picked up an '04 XLT for my wife last week and had to do this fix.

I knew the familiar click, click click from the blend door I did in my '97 Mark VIII. I also knew that the process was a witch with a capital B!
Your post made it easy and I wanted to add my thanks to all the others.

Well Done !!!

 

[BigRondo]

Rondo, I know your post has been there for a while but I just picked up an '04 XLT for my wife last week and had to do this fix.

I knew the familiar click, click click from the blend door I did in my '97 Mark VIII. I also knew that the process was a witch with a capital B!
Your post made it easy and I wanted to add my thanks to all the others.

Well Done !!!

Welcome aboard!!

You're welcome. Glad I could help out. :biggthump:

 

[Ed Adkins]

Where do i send a check bigrondo

Did it in about three hours. Had to wait to get the part but everything was just as you said. You have restored my faith in the interweb. Ed Adkins

 

[chitown1211]

Hello eveyone. I am having a heat issue as well, but I am not sure it is the blend door as described in this thread.

My heat seems to work fine. No clicking or clunking. Airflow seems to change to the appropriate vents when I select them and it is strong and hot.


My problem is my feet are always freezing. It feels as if there is hole in my firewall and cold air is coming is when I drive down the highway at high speeds. As stated above, everything works fine and I can feel the heat blowing hot out of the floor vents, but there is definately something making my feet cold.

Any ideas? I can't actually feel "cold air" coming from anywhere, but my toes freeze whenever the weather is extremely cold???

 

[dsbates]

Blend Door Actuator Replacement

Thank you very much for the instructions on the blend door replacement. The instructions are very thorough and easy to follow. I was able to replace the part in ~3hrs. I didn't have to cut the dash, either. Thanks again and Nice job!!