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Comments
You can check the operation by fully opening the glove box, removing the actuator motor on top of the plenum box and examining the blend door axle. Pictures of the common fail signature are available on the heatertreater.net web site. There are several "free" fixes that mostly are worth what you pay for them. The solution on the web site is solid and proven over hundreds of vehicles and will resolve the problem once and for all.
Thanks
After further review, it has to be ordered (3-5 day wait) and the entire dash has to be removed to change it...
Again, I do not know if this is your problem but its a place to start...
Good luck
Once the motor is off, you can feel the top of the axle or view it with a mirror. My favorite trick is to use a digital camera to "see" where I can't put my head. On this one, there's not even enough room for a camera. There are two common break patterns for the axle and examples and pictures are available on the HeaterTreater web site. Most of the time, you will find one of these fail modes and the diagnosis of a broke blend door(common) is fairly obvious.
The trick now is replacing the blend door without having to remove the steering column, remove the dash, evacuate the AC, drain the radiator, and finally remove the plenum box. Replacing the blend door is easy, it's the work to remove and replace the dash that is difficult....and after you go to all that work, you are just putting in another plastic blend door that will break again over time. The good news is that the second time you will be experienced and it will take a little less time.
There are various fixes for this problem ranging from a three cent nail inserted into the motor axle to paying the dealer $$$$$ to disassemble the Explorer and put in new OEM Ford approved plastic. The HeaterTreater fix cuts an opening in the bottom of the plenum box in the passenger side footwell and replaces the door with a metal replacement that will NOT have the same failure problems as the plastic door. You end up with metal duct tape sealing the bottom cut in the box and if you lay on your back and squeeze under the dash, it will look hacked. Fully functional, but hacked. The solution has been installed in hundreds of Explorer/Ranger/Mountaineer's with 100% success. This isn't the least expensive fix, but is a severe fraction of dealer cost and is proven to be a one time permanent solution. The engineers at HeaterTreater are the experts and you can rely on the fixes and customer support from that team to guarantee success on restoring HVAC function to your automobile. Check the web site(heatertreater.net) for full details of the fix and technical reports on different solutions.
The newer box(02+) is a different animal and the fix is completely different. Again, check the technical information at HeaterTreater to understand, diagnose, and fix problems on this box as well as the earlier box.
- On the 02+ models, the blend door is on a horizontal axis. When the door breaks, gravity will usually pull it to the bottom of the box. If can wedge in different positions, but it is most common for it to lie in the bottom, blocking air flow through the heater core. However, it isn't a complete blockage. The 02+ has a vacuum button that will shut down coolant flow through the heater core when the door is forced to the full down position for Max AC. Just the weight of the door is not enough to depress this switch and it will actually hold a broken door slightly open. You will get a minor amount of heat, and poor AC efficiency when the door is broken and just lying in the bottom of the box.
- On the older models, the blend door is on a vertical axis. When it breaks it can swing open and shut freely and operation is unpredictable. Again, it can break in different ways and wedge in any position in the box, but usually just "flaps in the breeze". A lot of customers will report that they can get heat if they go uphill, make a hard right turn, and hit the blower motor to full blast. What is happening is that the door is being pushed around by motion of the automobile and the door is pinned in one position by blasting the fan motor to hold it in place. If you check through different posts, you can find a lot of "superstitions" to get heat or AC. If this describes your truck, it's fairly certain that the blend door is broken. You can find pictures of both systems on the heatertreater.net web site.
To your question directly: The switch between defrost/vent/floor is controlled by the mode door. This door is vacuum actuated on the Explorer and failure to switch is usually a vacuum leak somewhere in the system. The no-vacuum default mode is defrost-only for safety reasons. If this is your problem, you need to start with an inspection under the hood for loose or deteriorated vacuum lines and move on to using a handheld vacuum gauge/pump to check operation of the doors and trace a vacuum leak back to the source.
The roar is probably your fan clutch but who knows. If you have a small leak in your radiator it can also cause the fan to engage and sound like a freakin bus.
now I think I'm crazy WHEN and how does this door operate--seems as if it's working backwards now but maybe I just Thought it was working the reverse before--help--also any ideas how to remove this smell and could it be in the vent if so is there any way to get to them--Ford wants a fortune to do this, I'm trying to do what I can.
Thanks so much for any help
I tried one of those cans that you charge it yourself and it didn't even make the AC cold for any time period at all.
Any advice appreciated. Thanks.
A common problem with this particular model is the blend door in the system. This door diverts some or all of the air flow through the heater core. The door tends to break and will let air flow through the heater core, killing AC efficiency even if the evaporator core is cooling properly. The actuator motor for the blend door is on top of the plenum box behind the glove box opening. You can remove this motor and examine the blend door axle. There are two common fail modes and pictures of both are available. The repair involves replacing the blend door and the dealer will want to remove the dash and plenum box to replace the plastic door with another plastic door. Replacing the door is easy, but it's 8-10hrs labor to disassemble the dash, evacuate the AC system and remove the plenum box(figure $800+). There are better alternatives available.
On #192, the function between defrost/vent/floor is controlled by the mode door which is a vacuum actuated system. The vacuum motor and door is visible from the passenger side under the dash above the transmission tunnel. If you happen to be a left handed, 93lb, double jointed, contortionist, it's easy to get to...otherwise it's a tight fit. There is a plastic lever from the door that the shaft of the vacuum motor attaches to. This little plastic arm tends to break and will give the exact symptoms that you are seeing.
The lever is a plastic piece that inserts into the end of the axle. It can be pried out with a screw driver and you can attempt to glue the pieces back together and get it working again. The HeaterTreater guys can help you with a metal replacement lever if the glue doesn't work out. Once you have it out, you can see the size and axle connector and may find some way to make a little lever that will work or a junkyard piece. I don't think Ford sells this part individually and you would have to buy the entire plenum box to get a replacement.
HeaterTreater
I have a '98 Explorer v6 sohc, with 127k miles. It blows warm air when the
a/c is switched on.
2 year ago I had the same problem, took it to a shop, and they told me the condensor was leaking. I bought a used COMPRESSOR at a junk yard
by mistake. They put it in and everything; they had a machine that cleaned/filled the system and all that. It worked great until the following summer. I guess the leak never subsided, but I bought a can of refrigerant/stop leak and everything worked well again. Now it doesn't.
I thought it was the leak again so bought more freon but this time it appears the system is full. There's a little pressure gauge on the can and the freon squirts out the side when I tried putting more in.
Is there any to tell if it's the junk yard compressor that went bad? I still have my old one and figure I can put it in myself.
Question: Where underneath the hood is the cap located where I need to try and put freon in?
Thanks
Tracie
Kilowatt6
Concern:
The vents on the driver-side of the vehicle (includes left vent on dash center panel, vent on left-side of steering wheel and left floor console vent) blow warm air whenever the A/C is in the maximum (re-circulated interior air) and regular (draws in exterior air) positions. This warm air condition is most observable when outside air is used. I believe this is because as the a/c system re-circulates the interior air in the "Max" a/c position, the difference in vent temperature diminishes.
Observations:
1. Air flow volume appears normal
2. Right-side (passenger side) vent temperature is in the 65 to 68 degree range (not precise as inexpensive stick-on thermometer was used)
3. Left-side (driver side) vent temperature appears to equal the temperature outside of vehicle when a/c is in regular position
4. Left-side vent temperature slowly equals right-side as the interior cools (only applicable when "Max" position is selected)
Questions:
1. What should be my next steps to attempt to diagnose the concern?
2. Is there a physical divider in the a/c system that splits the cool air distribution into two distinct (driver-side & passenger-side) sections?
Thank you,
Jay
1. Is the air flow strong and changes with fan speed on the defrost/floor/dash vents? Need to make sure that there isn't some sort of blockage of air flow into the fan motor. If flow isn't changing with fan speed, suspect the re-circ door.
2. Did this occur all of a sudden or was some work done to the dash panel before the symptoms. It's easy to get the dash panel out of alignment when you attach it to the frame and a misalignment may diminish flow through the center vent. You can always pull the center dash control panel and make sure that the vent is clear.
3. There is a spring loaded valve on the center vents that opens when the vehicle is on max heat. If the vent doors stick, it will block air flow during normal operation. Does the vent come to life when you go to max heat? If the flow changes then the problem is this sticking vent. The vent is opened when the blend door moves to the full up position and is meant to give a little boost of heat when the heater is first started. It's kind of a dumb idea since the air is cold at first and rapidly becomes too hot and you have to turn the heat down. If this is the problem I'd suggest just removing the front control panel and breaking valve. It's only purpose is to make the passenger compartment warm up about 30sec faster. We can provide pictures if you search the user name.
4. The center vent door is actuated by the blend door moving up and down. If the door starts to get out of alignment, it can push the spring actuated center vent door to the side causing it to jam. This is an early indication that the blend door may be going bad. When this breaks, you lose control over the temperature control in the system. We have extensive information on the doors and a technical explanation of the operation and design flaws in the system. If the door turns out to be the problem there are aftermarket solutions available.
I would be interested in knowing what you find.
??
HAVING SAME PROBLEM AS MANY OF THESE POSTS, AND WOULD LIKE MORE INFO ON HOW TO ACESS THE BLEND DOOR VIA THE GLOVE BOX.
SOME OF THE POSTS MENTION METHOD OF CUTTING INTO THE DUCT TO AVOID THE EXTENSIVE DASH REMOVAL, REFRIGERANT AND COOLING SYATEM EVACUATION / DRAINING
Thanks!
My guess is that you have a bad connector or wiring that has degraded over time and the problem is most evident in full load mode. It won't get better over time and eventually the wires will melt. Check the motor wiring comments on the GC on the www.wjjeeps.com forum for an idea of what can go on with the wiring. I haven't seen reports of the same common problem on the Fords as is apparent on the Jeep, but there's no reason that some systems wouldn't see the same issues.
My suggestion would be to closely inspect the wiring from the motor to the switch, looking for any signs of burns or melted insulation. If it doesn't look pristine, you've found the problem. I'd also inspect all connectors and remove any signs of oxidation by polishing with steel wool or sand paper. The final resolution may be replacing or patching the wiring/connectors.
PS, the refrigerent has also recently been recharged.
I don't know if this is a vacuum leak under the hood somewhere, or if it is the under the dash door problem. Any help appreciated!
here is the link that i am using to help me with the replacement, and i bought a repair manuel. i am sorry this is all the info i have for now.
http://www.napaonline.com/masterpages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=470&LineCode=BK&Part- Number=6601810&Description=Heater+Blend+Door+Repair+Latch
here is the link for the part.
i hope this helps you a little!!
kasey