I cannot get the air to blow anywhere but through the vents. It is on my wife's 86 Bronc. My Bronc is doing the same thing, but as usual, hers takes precedence. I am going to post the same thing in the bronc forum for the purpose of more seeing it. I know that the systems are the same in my pickup and in my broncs so I figured I would post in both. I removed the radio panel and the glove box and I can see the vacuum operated "pots" that move the arms to move the doors inside the ductwork, and they are all functioning fine. I seem to be missing something though, because if they are all functioning, then the air should transfer to defrost, floor, etc. Help! I am going back out to tear back into it further, If anyone has any ideas, please reply!

 

Ok- I removed the access panel that exposes to heater core. With that removed, I can reach my arm up into the ductwork to feel the doors. The door that shuts off the vents, making air flow either to the defrost or the floor, or both, kinda flops on the arm that controls it. I wonder does it have a pin of some sort that it pivots on? Does it ride in some sort of track? All of the doors in the ductwork have the foam tape stuff on them from the factory, I'm wondering if mine are missing some somewhere or something? I guess the problem now is that I don't know (or can't see) exactly the problem. I really do not want to disassemble the ductwork from the dash as you all probably know is a real pain in the ***. Anyone reading this been this far in before?

 

Is the blower moving air?
Blades might be disconnected from the shaft?

Are you getting the vents to move to their correct spots?

Just because they move does not mean they are correct?
One is opening but a different one is closing at the same time that is not suppose to for example.

 

Everything blows fine. The problem seems to be the door that separates the vents from the floor/mix/defrost position. All of the vacuum controlled arms work, the shafts move and even the doors move. But the one door moves cockeyed in the vent or something, hence the reason it will not switch off of vent. Does this door pivot on a rod/pin, or does it ride in a track?

 

I have heard that this door has flimsy plastic hinges and its common for them the break. When I pulled my heater box this was not the case in mine, mine used metal pins that sat in divits in the box case. This may just be a difference in years 81 opposed to your 86. The door im talking about however is the temp blend door but this may still apply to the others. The bottom line is get to this door and figure out why its flopping, probably broken hinges

good luck

 

Yes sir that is the problem. I just came in and what I did this time was to get a mirror and a droplight so that I coud see. Apparently it does pivot on a cheap plastic hinge and it is broke. I think what I'll do now is just remove the door and so I'll get heat everywhere, not just the vents. I guess now all that is left is to get the door from somewhere. I hope it is not a stealership item. Thanks to all who tried to help.

 

can you post some pics onf the door and hinge, theres got to be a way to fix it with out replacing the whole thing

 

Common failure - yes the doors are available, as of two years ago, at not a bad price at the local dealership.

Yes, you can subsitute and modify other hinges to work, but for the price, at least as of two years ago, my time to install a new factory part verses making the mods and rounding up those parts to "repair" the old door made it much cheaper to me to install new. A benifit of a new door is also a new foam gasket (comes attatched to the new door) which makes for a much more effective seal.

Of course if the part becomes NLA, then that changes things dramaticly.

This does apply only to the factory A/C trucks as the heater only trucks don't use that style diverter door.

Good luck, David

 

I will go ahead and buy the door since it is going to take about a day to remove it from the dash. I could see where a heater only truck wouldn't have a setup like this, makes sense. I also can only get the pics when it comes out of the truck, which I promise to do when I get the parts. Thanks again to all!

 

It is not that bad of a job, but you are right, it will take a bit. I remove the glove box doox and glove box, heater core cover and the the top dash pad. Seems like a lot, but it takes about 15 mins. This gives you enough clerance to remove enough of the screws holding the two air plenum halves together, this allows enough "flex" to remove the door. No need to take the whole thing apart.

Hint, while the top dash cover is off, now is the time to replace any of those pesky dash lights that might be out. This is how I normaly change those bulbs that go bad, I would take a gander that is why Ford made the top cover so easy to remove. I wish all cars and trucks were built this way, gives good access to some items.

David

 

I didn't know the dash pad came off that easy. How many and where are the screws or bolts that hold it on?

 

12 screws for the dash pad. 3 above the cluster, 2 above the radio, 3 above the glove box, 2 in each of the defrost ducts. I have had the pad and all off about a million times in each of my trucks-not so big of a deal for me anymore. I have not split the plenum before though. I assumed you have to take the whole thing completely out of the dash. I have done that once before in my F250, had it out all the way to the firewall. It's been a few years, and I remember that it was quite time consuming.

 

I could not remember the exact screw count. Great information!!! I was thinking about 10 screws, so I would have been a little short.

Yeah, it would be a pain to remove the whole plenum, I just take enough screws out (there is one that is a pain over by and behind the radio area), but suprisingly there are not that many holding it all together and that allows just enough room to split it far enough to put the door in slightly sideways then rotate it into place.

One good thing about the A/C system, it is eaisier to replace the heater core than in the non ac trucks. Go figure, that is about the reverse of normal.

David

 

Yeah- having 3 now of this series and others in the past, it's less than a 30 minute job for me now! I don't even have to look at it to know beforehand what tools I need to do it.

 

I checked ford. 30 some odd bucks. So neither piece of the plenum has to come out? I was thinking of doing this tomorrow, only problem is that I have to drive quite a ways to get the part.