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Ford Explorer Air Conditioner and Heater Problems

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Comments

  • jenk1jenk1 Member Posts: 1
    I have pulled out as much as I can on the drivers side and still can't find it???
  • apachebirdapachebird Member Posts: 8
    if u can see on the other side where the blend door sits ( the axle of the door) go straight across from there on the drivers side the motor will right in that area it has 3 screws and a small plug ,, warning i replaced the motor in mine and it did the same thing after the first two times finally figured out it was the blend door itself needs to be replaced , cold has set in so i will repair it when it warms up however i did rig a piece of kite string to pull the door open and heat the car works fine now like new .
  • brian138brian138 Member Posts: 1
    @All, This is one of the reasons why I have stopped purchasing American cars! The reason I am on this forum as of this writing is because I am searching for a solution to this exact problem. Although it is unfortunate, I am glad that I am not the only one or else I would not have found the solution here. Thanks to all for your posts. This, among several other problems regarding this POS model year Explorer, have me really spun up dealing with this vehicle.
  • mg425mg425 Member Posts: 1
    I have an explorer that thinks its on a/c when its supposed to be on heat. whenever we turn on heat the a/c kicks on. replaced the control knob panel twice, and still does same thing. Any ideas as to whats wrong. Its confused...And I need my heater!
  • psu1988psu1988 Member Posts: 1
    I own a 2005 Explorer. I lost heat in the front but it works in the rear of the vehicle. I don't hear any clicking or any other noise like I've seen in some of the other posts. Do I have 2 heater cores and would that be the problem? Thanks for helping.
  • dobbsadobbsa Member Posts: 3
    Any one have any ideas?

    I have a 1998 Ford Explorer. The A/C works fine at idle up to moderate speeds. Once it is at highway speeds, then the A/C turns warm. When I slow down the A/C gets cold again.

    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!
  • rwaterrwater Member Posts: 2
    apachebird,
    how much paneling did you have to remove to even rig the kite string?
  • elvoolzelvoolz Member Posts: 5
    my explorer is a 2005 but i am having the same exact problem! what year is yours? I wonder if i can fix mine the same way. I am going to try this...i don't know how to figure out if that particular blend door is the proper one for my year care.
  • hash_pennihash_penni Member Posts: 13
    ok i figured out what the prob was in my 2002 ford explorer. we thought that our blend door was the problem, but turns out it wasnt. the knocking noise you are all hearing, or at least what i was hearing, was the gears in the blend door actuator, which is connected to the heater controls, which makes the blend door move. we took out the box, which in my truck, was located on the drivers side

    dash.http://www.p71interceptor.com/eatcswap/blenddooractuator/Photo0029.jpg

    It is really kinda hard to get to, but if you can manage to get to all the screws loose great! we only had to take off the panel near the floor to get to it, but when you get the screws loose, and take out the box, you have to open it up and look at the teeth of the gears, if they are not broken off or chipped then thats not your prob. my gears were broken. you can do 1 of 2 things. if the gears are broken, you can go to an auto store and order a new actuator, which is around 40 some dollars, and then just put the new box in, replace the screws, and your finished....lol i actually have a quick fix solution while your waiting on the part to come in. when you open up the box, there is a piece that sticks out of the box, that fits into a slot in the dash that connects to the blend door. if you take that piece out of the actuator, just that one piece....and stick it back in the hole in the dash, you can manually turn the heat on by flipping the piece either forward or backward, but the blower will have to be turned on for it to stay on. but this is a quick fix and it will give you heat, until you get that box replaced. if you have any questions, or this doesnt make sense let me know. thanks kasey
  • elvoolzelvoolz Member Posts: 5
    Kasey,

    Thanks so much for the info. I will be trying this soon because IM COLD!

    Laura
  • keith45keith45 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 Explorer with heat problems. Can somebody tell me the exact location of the blend door?

    Thanks- :lemon:
  • rwaterrwater Member Posts: 2
    If you have a 2002 or newer explorer, here is another emergency/quick fix to get heat. My vehicle was clicking and blowing cold air. Open and pull down the glove box (you don't have to remove it completely). With the engine running, and the heater on hot, look inside to the lower left and you will see a lever that may be moving slightly in sych with the click you hear. With a long screwdriver (or if you can reach it with your hand) push the lever back as far as you can. I did this today and immediately heat started blowing. I think you have to keep the dial at heat or you have to repeat the exercise. I think this is the lever an earlier post referred to when they temp fixed it with a kite string.
  • motocrazy78motocrazy78 Member Posts: 1
    i have a 2004 ford explorer that is making a clicking noise under the dash. dealer said it was the actuator motor. any help on trying to fix this is greatly appreciated!
  • dick38dick38 Member Posts: 1
    The fan motor works but the heat is always on. How do I check the rest of the related components before pulling everything apart to check the BLEND DOOR? I don't see the actuator diaphragm working.
  • rjmillsrjmills Member Posts: 1
    Hello All!
    I've also had problems with the blend doors but I seem to have a more pressing issue, which is the blower motor, which is not operating by way of inside control knobs My blower was working intermitantly as if it had its own mind. At this point the blower will not operate. I have check the fuses and all are fine. I went to the blower motor to the wire connection and went an inch back and stripped the wire to except a separate wire which I ran directly to the positive terminal of the battery. As I suspected the blower motor worked. I can not for the life of me figure out where the interruption of power to the blower motor might be.

    From the blower I followed the wiring harness back to the passenger side frame where I located a roughly, 2 inch by 5 inch box which had a cover on it towards the front of the vehicle which had roughly 3 or 4, 1 by 1 square black boxes which appear to be contacts which can be pulled out. Would my problem exist in these contacts?

    Also, once I connected the separate wire to the blower from the battery terminal, I turned the vehicle on and then on full heat I went from high speed to medium and low spped, the blower shut off on the two lower speeds. I replaced the resistor at the blower motor housing with a junk yard one, assuming the problem might be there but nothing came from replacing it.
    As I said I am confused to where the interruption of power might be and any help would be appreciated!!!! Prior to this problem of the blower not working, the blower only worked on high speed or off and I had a continues supply of heat that I couldn't control during the summer months. I understand why, by following other threads here, which were very helpful with blend doors, but I'm more concerned now with the blower not operating. Please except "my thanks" in advance for anything you can suggest!!!
    My controls inside are three round knobs which control speed, temp and direction if this helps! Thanks Again!
  • wwisewwise Member Posts: 2
    I too have an 02 explorer and last week I noticed the fan would not blow at any setting. I was able to tap (well, maybe a little more than a tap) on top of the dash and it would start up. Each time the fan was cut off I would have to tap the dash again to get it started. Over the weekend I noticed the fan getting weaker and weaker. Now today it will not start at all. It does not work on AC or heat. As the fan got weaker I could hear a clicking sound but now it does not make any noise at all.

    Do I have a bad blower motor? Thanks for any help in advance.
  • sange74sange74 Member Posts: 1
    My Explorer is blowing cold air when I turn the heat on. I hear a knocking or ticking noise. When I turn it back to cold the knock stops. The a/c works fine. Any suggestions please?
  • smitty47smitty47 Member Posts: 1
    need to see pics or video on removal of actuator
  • jmorrow1jmorrow1 Member Posts: 1
    What does this lever look like?
  • eadams2eadams2 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2004 Explorer with the same problem; heat in the back but not the front. Mine only "clicks" when the control is turned from cool, however it only blows cool air in front regardless of where the temp control is set.
  • elvoolzelvoolz Member Posts: 5
    I can't find this lever
  • sporttrac07sporttrac07 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2007 sport trac limited.. V 6..it has dual climate control and push button everything..... we are having issues with low air flow on defrost setting only... the air volume on the vents are fine ( there is a slight clicking noise with fan control setting but it's not a big issue) the big problem is that we lice in a cold climate -40 f and even at 0 degs ambient temp we have low heat and low air volume on the defrost.....it takes about a good hour of run time before the windows defrost so we can drive the vehicle........( it just came back from ford for the 9th time and 860 dollar repair bill..... they said they had to replace the block heater as it was faulty....I argue that beacuse it works fine ..you can hear it ticking away ..and no leakage of antifreeze from the block...... we never had coolant issues....always full of coolant) Ford has taken me for another ride on this one ...... anyone with simular problems know of a fix...... I guess my dealership is useless....
  • fouchlerfouchler Member Posts: 1
    Just found the lever an hour ago.......I have a 2003 explorer. you have to release the glove box ( not all the way out) and put your right hand inside toward the a/c heat controls right inside and toward the bottom of the left side of the glove box....you can feel a small lever vibrating slightly.......its about 4 inches down....i pushed the lever down and my heat started working..........(had the car running and the heater turned on)...............hope this helps. Have to figure out some way of tying a string on it though as the lever wants to move back to the shut position.
  • elvoolzelvoolz Member Posts: 5
    THANK YOU SOO MUCH! i just found it! and its working....u made my day Fouchler! thanks so much for your detailed explanation!
  • peeples1peeples1 Member Posts: 1
    :confuse: our 94 ford explorer is leaking antifreeze but the heat stays on then it blows cold and the truck runs hot until i put in more fluid :confuse:
  • ggrimmggrimm Member Posts: 1
    Thanks also, just got the heat back on by pushing the lever/door whatever it is.
  • karen66karen66 Member Posts: 1
    WE HAVE A 99 EXPLORER AND ARE HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE HEATER. THE BLOWER WORKS FINE BUT THERE IS VERY LITTLE HEAT COMING OUT. IT JUST BARELY GETS WARM. WE PUT A NEW THERMOSTAT ON IT, BUT IT STILL WON'T GET HOT. THE TEMP GAUGE WON'T MOVE OFF OF "COLD" AND THE WATER IN THE RADIATOR DOESN'T GET VERY HOT EITHER. ONE MECHANIC TOLD US IT WAS A HEATER CORE?? ANOTHER ONE TOLD US IT'S A BAD MOTOR ON THE BLEND DOOR AND ANOTHER ONE TOLD US WE NEED ANOTHER THERMOSTAT. WE'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THE WHOLE DASH HAS TO BE REMOVED AND IT'S GOING TO BE EXPENSIVE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. DOES ANYONE HAVE AN IDEA?
  • bstednickbstednick Member Posts: 3
    The door is on the drivers side, it is a bit involved getting to there. Check out the videos on www.heatertreater.net. I wish I lived closer to Texas to have them fix it. Good Luck. :cry:
  • clusterbusterclusterbuster Member Posts: 24
    I can't believe that you guys had the same problem with no heat from the 2004 Explorer. My temp control was clicking loudly as well, and then one day lost all heat. Thanks to the guy that found that blend door lever. I just went out in 20 degree weather and found the lever and fixed it. I would have never found it, and I am a retired mechanic. Thanks for the tip, she's blowing mighty hot heat now.
  • cdrurysoncdruryson Member Posts: 1
    Good morning Folks! I have a 98 Ford Explorer which out of the blue has decided to direct all hot air through the Defrost Vent below the windshield. The Digital Push Buttons indicators on the dash control clearly respond as if the hot air is directed to the floor or the panel or mixed - HOWEVER ONLY THE DEFROST VENT has hot air flow. Feet get cold like this and nose gets dry LOL! I am a techie and it seems as though the the Blend Door actuator is working as warm or cold air (when AC is on) gets to the dash in defrost mode - it seems as if I may have a stuck Floor Panel Door [if there is one in this 98 Explorer (and where would it be so I don't have to take off the entire dash to locate it further diagnose) (its stuck closed routing all air to dash defrost vents). Is there a part I can go to to check if vaccuum to that door is avaialbale and the hoses are connected and do not leak or are broken -or is there a digital low voltage switch that activates that door that I need to locate and replace. Thanks! gary
  • clusterbusterclusterbuster Member Posts: 24
    In regards to your 98 Explorer that heat is only directed to the defrost outlets, I have a 2004 Explorer and recently had to work on the heater controls. On the 2004 you can access the vacuum control by dropping the glove box door down . You can easily see the vacuum control on the 2004. It is on the upper left. You can manually move the control on mine to change the flow from defrost to heat. It's worth a check to see if you can locate yours in that area. Of course the engine has to be running, in park and brake on. Hope this helps somehow.
  • amybr77amybr77 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 03 explorer, when I turn the temp from cold to hot there was a clicking noise Then one day it would just blow cold air. We checked the heater core and it is hot. My boyfriend took the glove box out and found a lever making the clicking. Right now he has a shoestring tied to it and pulled for heat. Can someone please tell me what I need to fix this.
  • danbo1danbo1 Member Posts: 1
    I can smell engine coolant when the heater is on and from reading your prior post I have an additional directional air flow issue(only comes out the defrost vent).
    When I have the thermostat in cool, I smell nothing, but when I turn it to heat, cant see due to the windshield is fogged up. Any news good or bad would help. Is it safe to drive in cool mode, until I can get it fixed....and whats the fix.

    'Preciate it.
  • clusterbusterclusterbuster Member Posts: 24
    danbo1, What you are describing is a typical heater core leaking. You might want to try a good grade of stop leak . You would add the stop leak to the radiator, going by the directions on the container. General Motor's parts departments have an excellent pellet type of stop leak that might well stop the leak until you may then want to have the heater core replaced. Some of the Ford models are very expensive to replace. Don. Retired mechanic.
  • lynchsmomlynchsmom Member Posts: 2
    Thanks to all for the tip on locating and fixing the lever for the heat control. It took me awhile to locate it but finally found it and heat is restored. Yea!!
  • tedhudson34tedhudson34 Member Posts: 1
    i have a 96 explorer.my front heater/defrost does nothing when turned on.i also have a heater in the center console for the back seat that i can turn on and off from the front seat. that works fine,blows hot air. why does that work and not the front? what should i do to resolve this? please help ...i live in cleveland ohio and man its cold.if only i could drive from the back seat id be fine, but they frown on that in ohio
  • clusterbusterclusterbuster Member Posts: 24
    Sounds like a blend door problem. If the door is all the way closed you will get no heat .If I were you I would search some more on 1996 Ford Explorer heater problems. On my 2004 the same thing happened, but there was a clicking sound coming from the actuator that opens and closes the blend door.There was a lever that I could move to open the door You might possibly want to drop the glove box door all the way down by releasing the sides and then look for a lever that opens the blend door. Wish I could help more.
  • ang101ang101 Member Posts: 1
    Amazing I have an 04 that I paid 1200 dollars for repair of same issues. Clicking no defrost, etc. replaced an accentuator and it still has bad heating
  • clusterbusterclusterbuster Member Posts: 24
    I just sold a 96 Explorer a few months ago and never had any heater problems with it. It had 129,000 miles on it. My first car back in the 50's was a Ford, and I have owned mostly Fords all my life. This 04 Explorer is by far the biggest piece of junk I have ever owned. All kind of problems with it. Ford should be ashamed of selling something like that for the price they get.
  • taz15taz15 Member Posts: 1
    Any ideas as to what would cause cold air to enter through the glovebox area on a 2004 Ford Explorer. It seems as if a vent is stuck open or something. When directing heat to the dash it is directed to both the floor and the dash. The same goes for when you select floor heat only. Am I looking at one problem or a couple of different problems. Taking it to a garage would cost tons so I'd like to find out if I could fix it myself.

    taz15
  • clusterbusterclusterbuster Member Posts: 24
    Lately had different problem with the heat on my 2004 Explorer, but while working on it, I found something that may help. Open the glove box door and then by pulling the sides very hard inward, drop the door all the way down. Look in toward the top left and you will see a round diaphragm that is vacuum operated. You can manually move the lever on it to change heat direction.You can also disconnect the vacuum line on it for a bit to see what happens. Also look for any other diaphragms that you can operate under the dash manually. Don't remember what directions it changed, but it might give you some leads.Good luck.
  • camandlissacamandlissa Member Posts: 6
    My husband just swapped the motor out of our 1999 ford explorer. He just got it running and it runs GREAT! BUT there is absolutly no heat. He has checked the relays and the fuses. all looks fine.
    things work (rear defrost) that never even worked before but now this is broken. Any ideas what this could be?
  • camandlissacamandlissa Member Posts: 6
    Don't know if you got an answer to this already but it sounds like your water pump. I had the same issue with a sunfire(eww!) that i once had!
  • clusterbusterclusterbuster Member Posts: 24
    First I would check the heater hoses that go through the cowl into the heater core. If one is hot and the other is a bit cooler, the heat would be getting to the core under the dash. If the heat is going thru the core, then the problem would be that the blend door is stuck closed and not allowing heat to enter into the vehicle compartment.. You didn't say whether the fan is working or not. Also check to be sure the heater hoses aren't reversed where they connect to the engine, if it is possible to do that. Also check all vacuum hoses connected to the engine, as vacuum is what opens the heater blend door.
  • tededteded Member Posts: 2
    I have a 97 Ford Explorer that I haven't driven for about 5 weeks. For some reason the AC has stopped working. The compressor doesn't switch on. I've checked the fuse and connections but no luck. Fan and heater work ok.
    Does someone out there have any suggestions?
    Ted :sick:
  • scootter1scootter1 Member Posts: 23
    I am trying to get my daughters 03 Explorer Air Con compressor to work. The clutch does not engage. Checked all the fuses and relay's and wiring. Any idea what it could be?? I am trying to get it to work along with the defroster. I already know the blend door motor gears were stripped since it got it to move into place then pull the wire so it didn't keep making the clicking noise. Could this have something to do with it??

    Thanks Scott

    PS: I did the blend door fix on my other daughters 03 CHerokee, not to big of a deal. I really didn't want to do it to the Explorer after watching the video!!
  • albert911albert911 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 Ford Explorer that had a heat control problem that I was able to fix easily in my garage in about an hour.
    The problem was that I was not getting heat from the defroster when I turned the heater control knob to defrost. Heat only come out of the front vents no matter which position I selected. I removed the glove box so I could inspect under the dash, and noticed in the upper left hand side of the heat box that a control arm was not connected to the blend door that controls heat direction. It appeared that a plastic boss had broken off and a control arm mechanism and the actuator lever was no longer attached.
    The fix:
    •Drill a 1/8 hole through the control arm mechanism where the plastic boss had broken off.
    •Using a self tapping 3/4” long screw to re-attach the control arm to the actuator.
    •Please use extreme caution when hand tapping the screw through the control arm mechanism, it is possible to crack the plastic.
    •Check for proper function of the heater directional control knob.
    Done

    have fun, ;)
    Albert
  • clusterbusterclusterbuster Member Posts: 24
    Thanks for the tip. That hasn't happened to mine yet, but it stopped throwing heat until I was able to open the blend door by going thru the glove box....thanks to a tip on this site.
  • tededteded Member Posts: 2
    Can any one help with this problem please?
  • rabbitt1rabbitt1 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer that we purchased new (as a left over). When you put it on mix (Floor & defrost) it appears OK, but sounds like something is not opening completely. When we put it on defrost, nothing changes & the air levels stay the same. During on recent snow storm, the top 1/2 of the windshield fogged up on the inside & ice built up in the same area on the outside (It never got any better & I had to stop many times scraping the outside & wiping the inside along with some cold air coming in under the glove box). I have complained about this for many years & over these years the Ford dealer has replaced the ductwork & still no positive results(While it was under warranty). A few years ago(during the last attempted fix or repair), I spoke with the factory rep. & was told that Ford was aware of this problem, but that there was nothing that they could do & that it was "just the nature of the vehicle". She also told me that this was a problem on the 2004 & 2005 explorers. I tested a 2005 (that happened to be on the lot) & yes, it was the same. I am concerned that an accident may happen due to this problem that Ford has acknowledged & after all these many years has not found a fix. My feelings are that they really don't care as they have received their money. QUALITY JOB 1????
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