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Ford Explorer Air Conditioner and Heater Problems

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Comments

  • tazman3969tazman3969 Member Posts: 1
    Trying to fix my ac, I put 2 cans of refrigerant in and couple days later its hot again. Is there anything I can do to check it without taking it to a dealership? Where would i start
  • lieserlieser Member Posts: 1
    I own a 2002 Explorer. I’ve noticed a clicking sound coming from the rear heater / AC control box that’s near the driver’s side rear fender. The clicking occurs even when the heater / AC is off. While trying to locate the problem I noticed that the black plastic box housing the rear controls is getting hot, most likely due to whatever is causing the clicking. I’ve read some other questions on this site that address the same problem, but I couldn’t find a solution other than stop using the rear controls. Does anyone know what causes this clicking sound and how to fix it? One person told me that it could be a stuck solenoid or other electrical problem; does anyone know if this is true? My biggest concern is that the box unit is getting hot because of the clicking or stuck part / solenoid. Thanks for any help you can provide.
  • 7287glenn7287glenn Member Posts: 4
    Hi every body, My problem is that the heater is staying on even when the hot cold dial is on cold. It is that bad that if I wear thongs on my feet, my feet look like cooked lobster and sore to boot. It is getting on summer here in Australia and need a fix urgently. I have tried to take off the dash but am stuck with the wiring loom on the drivers side having only little flexabiltiy.
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    Your problem is almost certainly with the common blend door failure. If you remove the actuator motor on top of the plenum box, you can observe the axle and most likely see the problem. There are two common fail patterns, one where the axle breaks completely and is no longer attached to the blend door and the other where the axle connector splits. Pictures of both are on our web site.

    The door can be replaced without removal of the dash. Assuming that your Explorer is RHD, the configuration of the replacement door has to be the mirror image of the LHD version. The problem is the same with all models of the Explorer, but the solution is different dependent on the drive configuration. Follow my user name to our private area for a pointer to a web site with more information and pictures.

    cgallen
  • rconant2rconant2 Member Posts: 1
    I'm a Service Tech. and I worked on this for over two hours before I found the lever, so I wanted to share my info so the next person might not have to look so long. After the glove box is open, on the far left hand wall you will see two silver canisters with metal arms sticking out of them. Immediately below and behind the arm of the lower canister was a lever that was flipped up. You have to flip this lever down and that fixed the problem. This was on an 03 XLT Explorer. The lady was right, you can't see it, but I could feel the ticking on the lever and I immediately knew that was it. Thanks #84.
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    The plenum box in the Explorer was changed for the 03 model, so discussions on 02 and earlier models do not apply on 03 and later models. The first observation was the ability to press down on the top of the motor and stop the clicking sound. This is an observation for 02- models. What is happening is that the gears are out of alignment and are slipping against each other, causing the clicking sound. The actuator motor is trying to calibrate itself by driving to a stop point and recording a resistance value on an internal variable resistor. Since the gears are slipping, the motor never finds the end point that it is looking for and just clicks until the car is started 20 times which kicks off a new calibration cycle. Sometimes pressing on the right pressure point on the motor housing will cause the gears to temporarily catch, stalling the motor and allowing the computer to make it's resistance reading and move on.

    However, just stopping the clicking is only a temporary fix since the motor will get into a position where it slips again and start the routine over again. If this is allowed to continue, it will strip gears on the motor and it will have to be replaced. The root cause of the problem is that the blend door is out of alignment with the motor. The gears in the motor have to be planar to operate correctly. If the drive axle breaks, the motor "tilts", causing the gears to no longer be planar and they slip against each other. While it's possible for the motor to fail and reach the click stage on it's own, more commonly, the blend door axle is cracked or broken. This happens every day on thousands of Rangers, Explorers, Mountaineers, Mazda trucks, etc. It is a wear-out mechanism in the system and not a rare occurrence. Follow my user name back to our CarSpace and follow the link to a web site with more information and pictures.

    The 03+ Explorer is a different beast altogether. On the 02- the blend door is on a vertical axis and the actuator motor is found on top of the heater box. On the 03+ the door is on a horizontal axis that spans parallel to the dash across the center of the console. The actuator motor for the single control version is on the driver's side of the box and can be seen if you remove the skirt next to the transmission tunnel and crane your neck. It also clicks, but for a different reason.

    The lever described in a previous post is on the passenger side of the box and again, you have to remove the skirt on the passenger side and "double crane" your neck to see it. It is connected to the end of the axle which is driven by the actuator motor on the other side. This lever presses down on a vacuum switch which controls a valve under the hood which shuts off coolant flow through the heater core. The idea is that when the blend door is in the full down position(max AC), the lever pushes a button that shuts off heat to the heater core. This maximizes AC efficiency.

    Observation of the clicking sound being reflected in the vacuum switch lever is again just a symptom of a different root cause problem. As in the 02-, the gears in the actuator motor are getting out of plane and slipping against each other. However, the cause of the mis-alignment of the blend door to the axle is a design flaw in the system. This is very difficult to explain with out pictures and arrows, so you will need to go to our web site for a full technical explanation.

    The point is that the problems are different for the the two generations of Explorer and the fixes are different. Follow my user name to our CarSpace and pointer to our web site for more information than can be typed into this little box.

    cgallen
  • 7287glenn7287glenn Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for the info, I have managed to take out the heater box with a great deal of stuffing around. the blender door shaft ( female part) is shattered. do I have to replace the entire heater box or is there another way of fixing the door. thanks ps the heater box looks like it is glued together as i cannot see any screws or bolts that hold it together.
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    It's a little tricky to post without soliciting. Follow my user name back to my CarSpace page and follow the link to a complete solution.
  • 7287glenn7287glenn Member Posts: 4
    Hi to heater treater, how do I go about buying the replacement blend door for explorer that you say that you sell as I can not get any information to buy it with out a pay pal account, I can how ever pay by australian postal order. How have other australian buyers bought from you? the price you advertise $119.00 plus $40 is that in australian or american dollars, any information that you can give me would be greatly appricated as I need this part urgently thank you
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    Howdy Mate(Texas/Australia cultural blend). I'm assuming your Explorer is RHD. We have built and shipped a half dozen or so RHD fix kits with the assumption that Ford just did a transpose on the CAD drawings and ordered mirror image plastics. This is the method that most manufacturers use. While we asked for feedback, no response on the kits. Under the assumption that no news is good news, we think it is modified correctly for the RHD, but without complete confirmation and pictures, we can't make our usual guarantees.

    We have sold multiple Jeep Grand Cherokee HeaterTreaters into Australia and the UK and don't really know how the finances work. People click paypal and dollars show up in our account. Not sure how the magic works. Our prices are in US dollars, so there must be some conversion from different currencies for the transactions. If you search heatertreater on Ebay, our products will show up and I think credit cards are accepted via that route.

    An Australian post office money order will be OK, but there will be a fair delay for it to get to the US. Our bank said that they can redeem an Australian money order for shrimp that we can throw on the barbie......better than money anyway. Contact us through our online email at support@heatertreater.net and we can get this going. If you are anywhere near a surfing area, my son wants to go back and we'll trade for free lodging......
  • 7287glenn7287glenn Member Posts: 4
    Howdy tex, As luck would have it, a friend who has the same problem with his explorer with a pay pal account has bought me one from you and he is waiting to see how i go with installing it before he buys one. PS I live in wagga wagga Goggle maps and you'll see how far from the ocean when i am. I will let you know how the installation goes thanks
  • supertruckersupertrucker Member Posts: 1
    Mechanics said the actuator pump has stopped working and its gotta be replaced but will cost me alot of money. can anybody tell me how i can get diagrams of the inner panel.
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    For the late model Explorer, there is a video posted on the web site showing the location and method for accessing the actuator motor. Usually the problem is not the actuator, but the computer control. When the computer detects a fault in the system, it will shut down the motor as a "safety precaution" and it will appear dead when you visually check it for operation.

    Schematics of the connector and a method for checking the motor with a 9V battery are available from the web site. Additionally, there is a full explanation of the design issues and remedy in the TECH section.

    Follow my user name to our CarSpace page for a pointer to more information and contact info from our web site. We can help....
  • hogfan4hogfan4 Member Posts: 3
    I've spent nearly 5 hours looking at blogs trying to find the answer to my issue. I'm getting close but no homerun's yet.

    Description: 2002 Ford Explorer: Dual Air Control Heat/ACMax
    Issue 1: Clicking Noise in Drivers Rear Firewall - Sounds like its the blend door and for this model, I can simply take the inside panels off and replace the acutator. (Is that Correct?) BUT, I have to ensure that the contols are set to cold before I plug the wiring into the NEW actuator to ensure correct position. The noise was loud at first now faint.
    Issue 2: I don't have heat. Is that because the rear actuator went out? If I correct the rear actuator, will that provide heat/defrost?

    This is a great forum. I've had to fix a crapload of issues on this vehicle and I've had it since birth.
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    Since birth??? I hope it the birth of the Explorer, not you! We already have enough problems with teenage drivers(my sons), don't need to go younger ;-)

    The system is self calibrating so the position of the motor when it is installed or the temperature control don't matter. The motor will center itself and find the extents of movement from there.

    We have developed a method for checking the Ford motor with a 9V snap battery and it is described in the listings for the older Explorers and is the same for 02+. I will be improved and posted on the web site soon. You want to check the motor before spending money on a new one. While you have the motor off, you also need to check the blend door motor connection and manually move the door to see if you find any issues. You should be able to move the door with your fingers and change from heat to AC. A flat piece of metal with a bend in it will slip into the motor connection and you can turn the blend door. Pictures on the web site. Follow my user name to our CarSpace area and follow the link to the site.
  • hogfan4hogfan4 Member Posts: 3
    Great advice, heatertreater!! I'll do my initial inspection first then see what I come up with then. I'll post a follow up soon.
  • mjfixmjfix Member Posts: 3
    My 2003 ford explorer is blowing out cold air while on the heater setting. I also have a knocking/clicking from the dash board when the fan is on. I am not sure if this helps but the a/c did not blow out cold air in the summer. Any suggestions?
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    It's hard to tell from the description whether the noise is leaves or foreign matter caught in the fan or the actuator motor clicking. If the blend door is broken, it could also be the door itself flopping in the breeze and making noise.

    The symptoms sound very much like a blend door problem and you will need to get to the actuator motor and pull it to see if the axle is damaged and whether you can turn the blend door freely and switch from AC to Heat by turning the door manually.

    The actuator motor is barely visible under the driver's side dash, next to the transmission tunnel. There are pictures, and a video in the Tech section on our web site. Follow my user name to our CarSpace page for a pointer to a web site with more information.
  • jman15jman15 Member Posts: 1
    Rear AC on 2003 Mountaneer 4.0 L was not cooling - front was but compressor eventualy locked up. Compressor, orfice tube, drier on front were replaced and expansion valve and evaporator core in rear were replaced (clogged badly). Now we get cold air in front and rear vents until the vehicle gets warm at which point the air in the rear starts to come out warm depsite the rear a/c controls being set to cold. The mechanic has pinched off the hot water lines in front of the passenger firewall and this causes the air in the rear to blow cold again. He believes there is a rear heater control valve that could be failed but he can't find it. I've done some surfing on the web and am starting to think it might be a problem with a blend door in the rear plennum or the controls that go to it. What do you think? Is there a heater control valve for just the rear or should we follow a different route to solve the problem?
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    The rear system has it's own heater core and AC evaporator core and a DC motor controlled blend door to regulate air flow through the cores. The system has the same basic problems as the front HVAC system, but generally the plenum box is easier to access. In our experience, when they go bad, most people just turn it off and drive the front system harder.

    The system operates by always driving air flow through the evaporator core and the blend door then diverts some or all of the air through the heater core. Heat is achieved by turning off the AC compressor and pushing un-refrigerated air through the heater core. AC has the compressor on and the heater core blocked. And of course, there are all the variations in between to regulate between full heat and full AC.

    Depending on the position that the blend door falls to when it breaks, it makes sense that blocking the flow of heated coolant through the heater core would restore AC. It sounds like the system is always blowing air through the evaporator and with a broken door, through the heater core. The system would cool, then heat the air, killing AC. With the hoses pinched, the air is still flowing through the heater core, but with no heat, it doesn't affect the cooling effect of the evaporator core. Heat would still work since with the compressor off, all air would be heated to the max. The biggest problem might be that the system gets too hot.

    You might want to look into installing a valve in the rear heater hoses with either electronic control or just turn the valve like a water hose and just switch it around to match the season. If it's just the kids in the back, freezing in the winter and sweating in the summer builds character.....do nothing ;-)
  • mjfixmjfix Member Posts: 3
    Thank you. I am had the mechanic look at the blend door and I think he put in a new acutator motor. You saved me a lot of money by going right to the mechanic with the problem rather than pay for the diagnosing time.
    Is this something that may happen again with the Ford?
  • apachebirdapachebird Member Posts: 8
    hello i have a 2003 explorer heat went out after the clicking noise started i have seen the heatertreater kit to fix what seems to be the more common cause of this my question and problem i believe is different the part that has broken on mine is located behind and under the left hand side of the radio, there is a black plastic piece that connects to a metal arm with a hole in it the arm still moves as i adjust form heater to defrost etc the plastic part is what broke and it appears to fit into a hole on the vent assembly however when i put the piece back in the hole to see if i am able to move anything ( like a door or flap) there is nothing in there its very difficult to reach, i have removed the stereo the temp controls and a few other parts to see if i can reach any better it helps. can anyone tell me whats next and can i even buy the part thats broke, is there a flap in there needing replaced ? do i need to remove the dashboard drop the steering ?? if so do i need to disconect the airbag?? is there a diagram of this anywhere ?? :confuse: :confuse: :sick: i have included a pic of the broken piece that started it all arrows point to the areas that are broke can anyone please help please help !!!??? freezing in the pacific northwest .. and thanks ahead of time 1031081147a.jpg
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Your pic link doesn't work for me - you need a place to host the photo so you can link to it. Your CarSpace page would work. Just go to the Photo Albums there and upload the pic from your computer to the album.

    There's more in Help (or shoot me an email):

    How do I post a photo in the Forums?
  • apachebirdapachebird Member Posts: 8
    hi steve thanks for responding so fast i copied the pic and shot u an email thanks again :shades:
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Looks like you got it! Here's the pic:

    image
    See more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    The broken piece in the picture is a lever that pushes down on a vacuum control button that controls a vacuum actuated valve on the heater hoses. The lever is positioned so that it depresses the button in full AC mode. The idea is to cut off flow of coolant through the heater core to maximize AC efficiency. The broken piece will leave the heater core hot when the system is in max AC, but has nothing to do with your lack of heat when you are in heater mode.

    The first thing I would check is the vacuum actuated valve on the heater hoses. The default for the valve is that with no vacuum, the valve is open and if the lever in the picture is missing, there should be no vacuum and you should have heat. Since the lever seems to be associated with the problem, I'd check the valve on the heater hose to see if it is somehow stuck closed. You can replace the valve with a garden hose splice connector to just take it out of the loop altogether.

    The lever to stop coolant flow in max AC is an efficiency invention from Ford. It's a good idea and will make you feel more "green", but it isn't a critical component for operation of the HVAC system. The HeaterTreater replaces this lever and installing a new door would solve the problem with the broken lever, but I'm not sure that it's worth the time and effort to replace the blend door just to get a new lever. The HeaterTreater would certainly be much less expensive than a dealer fix for the problem, but I'm not sure that it's worth the cost to fix it just to improve AC efficiency.

    Check the heater hoses going into the firewall. My guess is that your valve is stuck and no heat is being transferred to the heater core. This may just be a 59 cent fix with garden hose parts from Home Depot.

    HeaterTreater
  • apachebirdapachebird Member Posts: 8
    :) thanks heater treater that is wonderful info i will check the hoses today in hopes that that is the problem !!! sure will be nice to have heat again !!!!! :)
  • goldezzgoldezz Member Posts: 3
    I TOO HAVE A 2003 EXPLORER AND IT STARTED CLICKING WHEN THE AIR WAS TURNED ON.
    ONLY THE HEAT WOULD WORK AND NOW NOTHING WORKS.
    THE CLICKING NOISE IS STILL THERE.
    WHAT DID YOU FINALLY DO ABOUT THE PROBLEM?
  • apachebirdapachebird Member Posts: 8
    well to be honest i am still working on it, i have checked the heat valve as heater treater advised and still no heat, both hoses to the core are hot to the touch so i am on to the next thing, its cold and miserable so i am checking one thing a day by the time i get home its dark and i have no where to work so its a slow process but i will keep u advised but check the blend door actuator first, open the glove drop it all the way down look up on the heater box housing and u should see a small white plastic piece with wires going to it thats the motor or actuator.
  • goldezzgoldezz Member Posts: 3
    OK, WILL TRY THAT FIRST AND IF I FIND ANYTHING OR HEAR OF SOMETHING, I WILL LET YOU KNOW
    "JIM"

    GOLDEZZ
  • apachebirdapachebird Member Posts: 8
    ok thanks jim i will be sure and do the same .
  • iamdugliestiamdugliest Member Posts: 1
    Hello, im hoping that someone can help, before I get ripped off by the German ford dealer. My wife's 2006 ford explorer does not blow out hot air while it sits at a idle only once we start driving(for a few days it smelled like something died in the vent). sometimes it doesn't blow any and the fan or engine starts winding up and the temp gauge shoots up and the overheat light comes on. we have to play with the air knob on and off and then the fan cuts off temp goes down to normal. this happens almost instantly, does anyone have a clue what this might be. its bad enough im stationed overseas and now i have to deal with a mechanic that barely speaks english. thank you
  • hogfan4hogfan4 Member Posts: 3
    Well, its a few weeks later. Took me a while to get to it. The heating issue initially was a clogged heater. Had it flushed and heat is BACK baby. Now, the bad news. Rear blend door actuator still thump thump. Took it all apart. Pull the actuator out. Looked inside and the gears were stripped. Before monkeying with it, I made notice of the position of the gear. Bought a new one..$50 bucks. Installed it. And I'm getting COLD air???!! What?!! I made sure everything was turned to cold prior to turning on the car. What did I do wrong? How do I get the actuator to blow heat? Thanks... :
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    If you are getting coolant circulating through the rear heater core, you have heat, just no air flow through the heater core. The blend door regulates the amount of air that is diverted through the core. It sounds like the blend door is not in a position to do this job.

    The actuator motor is self calibrating and will seek the full open and full closed position and electronically record the information and regulate between the two extents in response to the temperature request. It sounds like the motor is not calibrated and is stuck in the wrong position. If you haven't already done it, you need to force the system to reset to correct the problem(learned this from Bill Gates). You can trace the fuses and pull/replace or just disconnect the battery, wait for all capacitive charges to dissipate, and reconnect. This will force a full system reset and the motor might come to life. If the computer was running with a stripped motor, it is "confused" and will have to relearn the new motor.

    Information on how to check the operation of the motor independent of the automobile controls has been completed and will be posted this weekend on www.heatertreater.net. This will enable you to check the motor when it is disconnected.
  • rsavidgersavidge Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2002 Exploere XLT that has a thumping coming from the drivers rear panel. If it is the blend door, How do I get to it?
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    On the 02, the actuator motor is located on top of the plenum box and can be seen by fully opening the glove box and look in the upper left hand corner. The motor is crammed in and difficult to get to and remove(Ford never anticipated HVAC failures and there is no engineering provision for access and repair). You can remove the motor, but figure on needing a long screw driver and a couple of bandaids.

    The clicking sound you are hearing is the gears slipping against each other. If you let it continue, it will eventually strip the gears(see problem above). The gears are plastic and will take some slippage without permanent damage, but will eventually strip. The slippage occurs because the gears are flexing and getting out of planar alignment. The computer control system drives the motor to a stall point and detects the end point by recording the voltage surge from the stalled motor and uses this to "know" the extents of movement and regulate the door position between the two stall points.

    The most common cause of the gears getting out of alignment is a broken or cracked connection to the blend door. This allows the motor drive shaft to "tilt" and results in the gears getting out of planarity. You can remove the motor and inspect for any damage to the gears by gently prying the motor case apart. You will also need to inspect the blend door connection to the motor for cracks or obvious breakage. You can feel the top of the blend door axle or use a small mirror. Again, this is not SOP Ford diagnostics, so you will have to be a little creative.

    Additional information and pictures of what to look for are available on heatertreater.net. The standard dealer fix is to remove the dash, steering column, and plenum box to access the motor and blend door. Figure 8-12 hrs labor at whatever the going rate is in your area plus parts and new refrigerant and anti-freeze. The HeaterTreater fix is done without removing the dash and is well within the range of most shade tree mechanics. You can do a $1k+ repair at 1/10 the cost of taking it to the dealer....and end up with better components that won't break again.
  • rsavidgersavidge Member Posts: 2
    The noise I hear is from the rear of the vehicle and no where near the glove box. The thumping is coming from the drivers rear some where near the auxilary blower. I could not see any moving partd when I looked. Please advise.
  • goldezzgoldezz Member Posts: 3
    ok people, this is the link for good advise and good pics.

    http://www.heatertreater.net/Ford%20Explorer%2002-08.html
  • jkgilliam1jkgilliam1 Member Posts: 2
    I have the same piece in my hand and was thinking the same thing as you today at about 2:00 in the evening freezing in the cold. Knowing i have about an hour before picking up the kids I know now I am where I started from last night when I read about the lever and an easy fix, guess not . As i was about to go purchase this piece i decided to check this site 1st and here I go again at the beginning. I was just wondering if you found out your problem , or did you take it to the dealer. Me, i cannot afford it no way no how. Any advise
  • apachebirdapachebird Member Posts: 8
    no i havent been able to get it fixed as of yet, and its still freezing cold, i tried the fix heater treater suggested but that wasnt it so i go to the next step tonight if i have anyluck i will advise asap
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    I think the broken lever is a symptom of, not the cause, of loss of heat. The lever is connected to the blend door axle and it's position is set relative to the blend door. The lever actuates a vacuum switch when the door is rotated to the full max AC position. The switch applies vacuum to a heater hose valve that is activated to shut off coolant flow when the button is pushed by the lever. The idea is to increase AC efficiency by shutting off hot water flowing through the heater core and remove any radiant heat from the plenum box.

    The lever that pushes the button is on the passenger side buried deep under the dash panel. Even my wild-child youngest son couldn't kick it and break the lever. The question is why the lever broke in the first place. It would be possible if you really tried to physically break it, but it would take a contortionist in a frenzy.

    Two things to check:

    1. The lever itself has no effect on the heater, only the opposite concern of making the AC more efficient. If the problem is related somehow to the lever, it would have to be that the switch is also damaged and stuck open and shutting down coolant flow. You can locate the vacuum actuated valve under the hood and see if the heater hoses are hot on both sides of the valve. This would indicate that the valve is open(fail safe mode) and heat is reaching the heater core. This doesn't explain how the lever broke, only tracing symptoms that could be related to the lever.

    2. The blend door can break off from the axle, allowing the axle to spin past the point that it would normally stop at. If the axle is turning past the normal stop point for max AC, it would also torque the lever harder against the vacuum switch and has enough force to break the lever. If this is the case, the door could be broken off an lying dormant in the bottom of the box, blocking any air flow through the heater core. This would explain the broken lever and lack of heat. If the heater hoses are delivering hot water through the firewall into the heater core, this would be a likely explanation.

    What we need to know is whether heat is getting to the core and if it is hot, why the blend door is not allowing air flow through the core. The actuator motor is located under the driver's side dash and is tricky, but possible to get to. You need to locate the motor, remove it and examine the motor side of the blend door axle. You should be able to turn the door with a flat angle bracket piece of metal and manually switch between AC and Heat by positioning the blend door differently. If the door is OK, the motor has to be suspected. Check the HeaterTreater web site for information on how to check the motor with a 9V snap battery. If the door is broken, you have a choice of paying the dealer an arm and a leg to repair it, or do it yourself with the HeaterTreater fix. It's not easy since Ford did not anticipate HVAC failures and access to the components was not planned as a standard repair operation. That's why the whole dash has to be removed for the dealer approved repair. The HeaterTreater takes a little "creative persuasion" and a couple of bandaids, but it can be done, and once done you have metal components that will never break again. heatertreater.net
  • huskerohuskero Member Posts: 7
    Update to message #78:

    My fix is not working any longer, so it lasted less than one year. I'm going to try and see if I can get it to work again. I put a lot of money into my Explorer this fall (what was I thinking?!?), so I don't want to invest a lot more, but I (or more specifically, my wife) needs heat!
    -H
  • huskerohuskero Member Posts: 7
    Update to message #162:

    I posted too soon again. The blend door fix is still in tact. It looks like my heater core is plugged. The hoses through the firewall are not very hot. How hard is it to replace the heater core on a '97 Explorer? Or can I blow or flush it out?

    -Huskero
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    I'd take a shot at flushing it first. Prestone makes a good kit for flushing the coolant system and I've seen it at WallyWorld fairly cheap. You can always just use a garden hose splice connector from Home Depot to connect the heater hose to the water hose and flush the core by itself. The Prestone kit has some fancy super secret chemicals that are supposed to be better than just flushing with water.

    The Explorer also has a vacuum actuated valve on the heater hoses to turn off flow of coolant through the heater core when running Max AC. The problem could just be a malfunctioning valve that is easy and cheap to replace. You can always just take the valve out of the loop and connect the two connections to the valve to each other with no valve in the loop.

    HeaterTreater
  • MishasmaMishasma Member Posts: 2
    I have owned my 98 Explorer for 4 years, its a 6 cyl SOHV, not SOHC, 4X4.
    First problem: When driving with the a/c on and you accelerate, the air cuts out and blows hot air, but once the engine catches up with the idle, or you let your foot off the gas pedal it will begin to blow cold air again.
    Second problem started this winter: no heat... Originally it was a northern vehicle, so it originally had removed the thermostat, but when I moved south we reinstalled one. The truck will never get the temp gage more than 1/16" past the "C" from C to H, and now there is no heat coming out of the vents, but its too cold to tell if the a/c is working. Also, when you turn the knob from the blue "cold" area to the red "hot" area you do not hear the door opening or closing. I am not even sure you are supposed to hear it. You can however hear the vents change from foot/face/windshield settings

    Does anyone have a clue what could be the problem? I read up here about a "blend door", but have no clue what or where that would be, or how to check it.

    Thank you for anyone who can help. :sick:
  • jkgilliam1jkgilliam1 Member Posts: 2
    I finally fixed my truck, it was the blend door actuater like everybody else. but I think that part that broke off was the reason y our motor broke. I have heat, but i still hear the banging noise as soon as i start the engine. I think that piece somehow regulated the vacum switch through the varies positions , and with no regulation the switch keeps putting mad presure on that actuater.But guess what i dont care, i wont worry about it until i dont have heat again. so get that regulater changed so your truck can be hot :shades:
  • heatertreaterheatertreater Member Posts: 50
    Ford changed the HVAC system in 02 so a lot of the previous comments do not apply to your model. The earlier Explorer has the blend door on a vertical axis which is also susceptible to the same sorts of failure as the later models. The difference is that when the axle connector breaks, the door is free to swing back and forth. Bumps in the road, hard turns, acceleration, fan speed, and general gremlins can cause the door to shift position randomly.

    Check the heatertreater web site at heatertreater.net for diagnostic information and pictures of the most common fail modes. The actuator motor is located on top of the plenum box and can be accessed through the glove box opening. The motor is frustrating to remove, but you need to do this and examine the connection to the blend door.

    This is a common problem and there are lots of suggestions and procedures to effect a repair. The HeaterTreater is not the cheapest, but is the easiest and is proven over hundreds of successfull installations. If you just want to fix it once and be done with it, we can help.

    HeaterTreater
  • joshuagjoshuag Member Posts: 92
    I know this is probably dumb to ask, but have you checked the level of your radiator fluid. I have a 2003 Dodge Ram and the radiator developed a leak, and when the level of anti-freeze was low it would not blow hot air when stopped, and it would start to overheat. So check that.
  • LHWLHW Member Posts: 1
    When accelerating or climbing a hill, especially when pulling my boat, the air flow from the HVAC vents (either fresh air or AC) stops. But, once I let my foot off the gas, the air flow slowly returns. Seems like the air bleed door is electronically closing whenever there is a load on the engine because you can still hear the blower working but no air is flowing thru the vents.
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