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so I just bought my wife a 2003 expeditionary has high miles (240k) but runs solid and it was cheap. $1400. Anyway it’s not without it’s issues. So here I am asking questions.
1. The rear heat blows cold I’m assuming it’s a blend door actuator or something but have no idea where to start looking. And with it getting down in the 20’s at night and with 2 babies we need heat. Any help would be appreciated.
2. The overhead DVD player doesn’t play. You load a dvd it growls and makes noise the screen backlights (but stays black) then it tries to kick it out. Not sure if the unit needs replaced or repaired.
3. Finally this vehicle has the factory nav built into the stereo however the PO sprayed cleaner on it while it was on effectively destroying the screen. Does anyone have a factory replacement unit?
so I just bought my wife a 2003 expedition ....1. The rear heat blows cold I’m assuming it’s a blend door actuator or something but have no idea where to start looking. And with it getting down in the 20’s at night and with 2 babies we need heat. Any help would be appreciated. ....
Not sure, but I don't think there is a blend door for the rear heater.
(Statement deleted - got my vehicles confused - Exped has a 2 port valve which controls both heaters' flow.)
I would first check the hose from the heater control valve to the rear system to be sure hot water is going to the rear heater.
Last edited by R&T Babich; 11-20-2018 at 09:03 AM.
Reason: Corrected error.
1. The rear heat blows cold I’m assuming it’s a blend door actuator or something but have no idea where to start looking. And with it getting down in the 20’s at night and with 2 babies we need heat. Any help would be appreciated.
There is a rear blend door actuator that strips out. People tend to switch it to hot or cold, depending on the season, and then unplug it. If it's stripped and left plugged in, it's makes a thumping sound as the gears jump. I've seen some really decent videos on YouTube that show the replacement. There is also a blend door for the floor/ceiling selection.
Originally Posted by landtortise89
2. The overhead DVD player doesn’t play. You load a dvd it growls and makes noise the screen backlights (but stays black) then it tries to kick it out. Not sure if the unit needs replaced or repaired.
If by "tries to kick it out", you mean it struggles to eject the disc, then it sounds the same as mine. There is a small plastic gear that splits and ends up spinning on the shaft that drives the disc in/out. I searched the internet for a replacement and couldn't find anything. I also tried gluing it, that was a temporary fix. I ended up getting a portable dual screen DVD unit that straps to the driver's seat headrests for cheap. It actually worked great with 3 kids because they could watch 2 different movies and I could connect the factory DVD screen to one of the portable players so they all had their own screen to watch. No matter what's broken on yours, the portable dual screen DVD is probably the easiest and cheapest fix.
....1st where is the valve for the hot water( coolant)?
2nd where is the blend door actuator located I can’t here mine making any noise?
The heater shutoff valve is in the coolant hose line above the passenger valve cover.
Ours has a tee fitting right after the valve to route coolant down to tubing which follows the frame rail to the rear heater.
Just feel the hose to see if it's getting hot or use an infrared temp gun.
The rear heater door actuator is under the right rear panel.
I replaced the actuator in ours because it had stripped and was thumping.
Here's a video on the repair -
On the little valve under the hood I found the vacuum line was unhooked probably by P.O. when he changed plugs. Anyway I hooked it up and it did nothing is it supposed to pull that arm back to move water to the rear heater core?
On the little valve under the hood I found the vacuum line was unhooked probably by P.O. when he changed plugs. Anyway I hooked it up and it did nothing is it supposed to pull that arm back to move water to the rear heater core?
When you select Max AC the arm will close the valve to stop the flow of coolant to the heater cores so there will not be any heat near the AC evaporators.
A spring should keep it open.
Is the coolant line after the valve hot?
The valve may be stuck.
Well it was held in the open position by the spring I’m trying to Diagnose a no rear heat condition but everything seems to be working the blend doors I can hear them change position the valve was open unless it is broke internally
Well it was held in the open position by the spring I’m trying to Diagnose a no rear heat condition but everything seems to be working the blend doors I can hear them change position the valve was open unless it is broke internally
Are the lines under the truck there at the right rear that feed the rear HVAC unit getting hot ? Look up underneath and use your hand or an IR temp gun to see if you're getting hot water to the rear. The actuator on the side of the unit controls the temp door. A very common failure item...
Are the lines under the truck there at the right rear that feed the rear HVAC unit getting hot ? Look up underneath and use your hand or an IR temp gun to see if you're getting hot water to the rear. The actuator on the side of the unit controls the temp door. A very common failure item...
-Mike
The actuators sounds like they are working but I can double check. Which one is for the temp? Green or red? I’ll have to check the line
So I checked the lines under the car while running errands today one line is at like 120 degrees while the other is at 60 degrees doesn’t seem nomal to me. Any input?
Looking up from the tail pipe area, the two forward lines are the heater lines. I'm in Florida, but with the engine just idling in the driveway my two lines are at 160 degrees. I don't use the rear heat at all so I replaced my actuators and unplugged them years ago. I'm the original owner. Do you have an infra red temp gun ? What temps are you getting up on the lines under the hood ? Specifically the hot water valve line, before and after the valve. Are you getting good heat from the front vents ?
The hot water valve is circled in the picture above. The line Tee-ing off just before the valve is the rear hot water line.... check those lines with an IR gun.
Does the motor seem to warm up correctly ? I'm just wondering if it might be the engine thermostat or something, if none of your lines are getting hot.
The front lines seem to be fine my front heat works great. The rear just blows cold air plugged rear heater core? Is what I’m thinking cuz it’s not circulating? Engine temp seems normal just below half way
Yeah. Since you don't know how it was maintained by the previous owner(s) that's a good bet. You could try a reverse flush of the rear core if you feel like cuttin and splicin the hoses back there under the truck. Just get some 5/8" brass fittings from Home Cheapo and hose clamps. You can make up something to flush with the garden hose. There's YouTube videos on it. If you just want to replace the heater core you can pick one up for about $30. You have to take the rear HVAC body apart to get to it. There's videos on that too.
11-19-2018, 09:39 PM
