My 96 Ranger's climate control only sends in hot air even though the dial is turned all the way into the blue. I had it checked, and the shop said it was a defective actuator, a repair running several hundred dollars. Is this something I could find at JC Whitney, or a junkyard? Is there an exploded diagram I can download to see how this thing is put together? It seems like a little thing, but summer is coming.

 

Welcome to FTE!!!

That should be pretty easy to do, check out the link in the tech info post on fixing the blend door, you'll find information on the accuator. BTW, a broken blend door is a very common cause of this problem.

 

Ken-

Thanks for the reply.

The only article I found in the tech section (Ford Explorer Blend Door Fix), is this also applicable to the Ranger?

 

If it is a broken actuator, let me know. If you have the same actuator as in my '98, I'll send you the old one off my old plenum if you need it. The replacement plenum I bought came with one. The old one works fine, just has a few drill holes through the pin where I tried the blend door fix. It's an easy pop off, pop on installation through the glove box hole in the '98.

-Jim

 

Yep, the Explorer applies to the Ranger.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I did the operation in about an hour yesterday. It was easy, and I know nothing about automotive repair.

mm

 

Glad to hear the patent is better now.

 

I may have spoken too soon.

INstalled the fix on Sunday and everything was fine thru going home last night. Of course, when my wife used it last night it wouldn't work for her and won't work for me now. In fact it only sends in cold air. Not good, since we won't get out of the 30s till the weekend.

What does the original part look like? Is there a flange or something which breaks off the pin?

I dunno. Now my wife is doing "I told you". I can live with the cold air until fall. Anybody got ideas?

 

The pin on the actuator isn't usually the problem. It is the blend door itself that usually breaks, where the actuator pin plugs in.

Unfortunately, if the cheap fix doesn't work for you and it is indeed the blend door that is broken, the other option is replacing the plenum. To my knowledge, I haven't seen a blend door repair since it is integrated into the heater plenum. I replaced the plenum, and it isn't too bad of a job (effectively what you would need to do to change the heater core), but it is time consuming (~6-10 hours) and also therefore expensive to have it done at a shop or dealer (~$600 in labor + a $400 part). I bought the part from a salvage place for about a quarter the price and did the job myself.

-Jim

 

A few more opinions from some explorer guys:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...636#post845636

They either replaced the plenum assembly entirely, cut a hole and replaced the door, or tried the fix that is detailed here on FTE.

One of them also mentioned that Ford used to sell just the door as a replacement part. I don't see how that is exactly possible. I know you could access it from the engine side, but I don't see how you'd get a new door into the plenum. I'll have to take another look on my old plenum.

I also have a pdf file from the "Automotive Air Group" that details a similar procedure. They bought the whole plenum for just the door though, then modified the door to fit. There is a small diagram with it that I couldn't copy paste.

1996-98 Ford Ranger, Explorer and Mercury
Mountaineer

We had a 97 Ford Ranger in the shop today with a
broken blend door, which causes heat in all modes
except max A/C. As you all probably know, you
have to purchase the entire heater plenum to get
this door. So we did just that and set out to repair
this vehicle. I did not want to remove the dash in
this vehicle because I remembered reading a post
on IATN about a shortcut. The shortcut proved to
be just what we were hoping for.

You start by removing the evaporator from the
outside, of course. Stop. Let me digress. First you
remove the refrigerant and then the evaporator.
This has never happened in my shop. I promise!!
Now you can see the blend door through the
opening in the heater case. Next, remove the blend
door motor from inside behind the glove box by
unsnapping from the case. Using a small prybar,
gently pry down on the top of the blend door from
the outside and it should pop right out as top of the
door is already broken. With some twisting and a
few of John Silvestri’s favorite words
$@$#@$#@^%%^^$$, and door will slide out.
Remove the new door in the same manner from the
new plenum, but before attempting to install, take
it over to the bench grinder and modify by shaving
of the lower portion of the door (see lousy
illustration below). If you do not do this, it will not
go back in. If done, it slips right back into place
with little difficulty. We performed this procedure
in less than two hours (Mitchell time for heater
core is about five hours).

This problem exists on 96-98 Rangers and
Explorers and Mercury Mountaineers and maybe
some I am unaware of, so you might just see one
or two in your shop. The primary symptom is that
it will cool great in max A/C mode but only hot air
in all other modes. The reason it cools in Max
mode is because the heater control valve shuts off
water flow to heater core. I think the Ford
engineers are getting smarter by the day. I have
heard that Ford will cover this repair up to 100,000
miles or reimburse for repairs already performed, but
I have yet to find one who will admit this. I will
continue this pattern until I learn more.

-Jim

 

Swell. I'm at 102, 000

 

I haven't personally heard of Ford replacing it up to that point, I can't verify his claim.

-Jim