Blend Door Fix.
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New User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Lynden, WA
Well, I finally did it. Holy Shnikes!!!! That had to have been the hardest thing I've ever done. I wouldn't say hard but, it was very time consuming. It was also a pain in that I had to work in a tight area with little to no movement involved. All the work is done below the glove box and one of the hard parts was getting the old blend door out. I'm just glad that is done. I went and to the website, for anyone else that's interested, www.heartertreater.net. and they send you everything you need with instructions. The website says that it should only take an hour. Right! It took me close to 4 hours.
Again, the hard part was the working space and the fact that your torso is hanging out of the passenger side. Damn, my back is killing me.
I'm glad it's done and over with, now on to the other problems. Thanks to everyone on this board. If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me.
Laters.
Again, the hard part was the working space and the fact that your torso is hanging out of the passenger side. Damn, my back is killing me.
I'm glad it's done and over with, now on to the other problems. Thanks to everyone on this board. If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me.
Laters.
Freshman User
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
I bought the kit off of eBay and it works great!! Only issue I had was getting the actuator into the door assembly after it was put in. I had to round the end of the actuator to make it easier to put into the top of the door pin.
New User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Arctic
No heat 1995 Ford Explorer
I took mine apart and it is broken in the same place as the picture here. I found the other broken part in the bottom of the heater. I am going to try and glue them back together with JB-Weld. The dremel tool with a small cutter 1"diameter had the heater open in a few minutes. In hind site I wouldn't have had to cut out the bottom of the heater if I had cut the side low enough.
I have pictures but not sure how to get them on here.
Peter
I ordered a kit a couple of days ago from our Ford Dealer. It is from Dorman #902-202 (Blend Door Repair). Looks like it should work great. $27 for the kit
I have pictures but not sure how to get them on here.
Peter
I ordered a kit a couple of days ago from our Ford Dealer. It is from Dorman #902-202 (Blend Door Repair). Looks like it should work great. $27 for the kit
Last edited by Peterand; Oct 17, 2010 at 03:34 PM. Reason: Just found more info.
New User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Arctic
Hm-mm we got it all in and working OK. I fix a lot of stuff. I have my Journeyman's in Electronic repair.
I believe the problem with this door is that the stepper motor is swinging the door too far. It is then twisting the top bending it, eventually breaking it off. You can tell this by leaving the screws out and making the door go back and forth. It twists the motor quite far at the ends. I am sure it wouldn't have to be this tight.
I am amazed that Ford has not recognized this and reprogrammed either the computer that runs the stepper motor or the motor itself.
I believe the problem with this door is that the stepper motor is swinging the door too far. It is then twisting the top bending it, eventually breaking it off. You can tell this by leaving the screws out and making the door go back and forth. It twists the motor quite far at the ends. I am sure it wouldn't have to be this tight.
I am amazed that Ford has not recognized this and reprogrammed either the computer that runs the stepper motor or the motor itself.
Freshman User
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
I don't understand why you would JB weld it together if you had it apart. Seems to me that it will break again soon because the motor turns it too far. I had mine fixed with a metal door, buy the kit on ebay.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 819
Likes: 2
From: Northern Maine
I repaired my 98 Ranger in the spring of 2004 using the "finish nail" method that I found on this site. It has worked great ever since. It took me about an hour, more or less and the cost was the price of one small finish nail, a small tube of super glue and a few skinned knuckles (from putting my hands where they didn't fit). I also had to invent a tool that would fit in the tight spot by welding a cheap socket to a short piece of 1/2" x 1/8" flat stock. The actuator originally had three screws but I only put two of them back.
New User
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 17
Likes: 1
From: central VA
After putting it off for years, I just repaired the blend door actuator on my 99 Ranger - and to my surprise it was a "relatively" easy and inexpensive fix. Repaired it now so I could sell the truck. I expected to have to saw huge chunks in the plenum (this is prob the main reason I didn't do the project earlier) but I was fortunate that the actuator/motor was the only thing broke. The door moved easily and the lever felt intact when I stuffed my chubby finger in the hole.
My suggestion to anyone experiencing this problem is check out the motor (mine moved only when tapped, which is what I did each season to go from cold to hot or vice versa) and next insert your finger in the blend door hole BEFORE cutting a big hole in the plenum.
Compliments to the folks on this and other blogs who helped me get this done without spending a dime at Ford, whose engineers should get busy and make this right. This is from someone who paid big bucks to repair two other poorly engineered Ford vehicles: an unreliable axod trans and stalling fuel system on an 86 Taurus and leaky intake seals on a 04 F150.
My suggestion to anyone experiencing this problem is check out the motor (mine moved only when tapped, which is what I did each season to go from cold to hot or vice versa) and next insert your finger in the blend door hole BEFORE cutting a big hole in the plenum.
Compliments to the folks on this and other blogs who helped me get this done without spending a dime at Ford, whose engineers should get busy and make this right. This is from someone who paid big bucks to repair two other poorly engineered Ford vehicles: an unreliable axod trans and stalling fuel system on an 86 Taurus and leaky intake seals on a 04 F150.
New User
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Blend door fix needs A/C discharge?
My A/C system is only two years old and has worked like a champ. In January my blend door stuck in HOT mode so I took my 98 Ranger XLT in to get the blend door fixed/replace.
When I got it back, they had charged me to discharge and refill the A/C.
When asked why they were messing with the A/C inside the engine area when they were supposed to be pulling/re-installing the dash to replace the blend door, all I got was "they had to".
Now, a couple weeks later, the A/C is dead (go figure...)
Is there ANY reason they should have been messing with the A/C to replace the blend door or is this as I suspect, just cranking up the bill and sabotage of my A/C?
PS: They "refused" to replace just the door and actuator for a about $50 in parts and instead replaced the entire housing unit, blend door, actuator, etc. ($250.00 for the assembly!)
When I got it back, they had charged me to discharge and refill the A/C.
When asked why they were messing with the A/C inside the engine area when they were supposed to be pulling/re-installing the dash to replace the blend door, all I got was "they had to".
Now, a couple weeks later, the A/C is dead (go figure...)
Is there ANY reason they should have been messing with the A/C to replace the blend door or is this as I suspect, just cranking up the bill and sabotage of my A/C?
PS: They "refused" to replace just the door and actuator for a about $50 in parts and instead replaced the entire housing unit, blend door, actuator, etc. ($250.00 for the assembly!)
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,748
Likes: 16
From: Connecticut
My A/C system is only two years old and has worked like a champ. In January my blend door stuck in HOT mode so I took my 98 Ranger XLT in to get the blend door fixed/replace.
When I got it back, they had charged me to discharge and refill the A/C.
When asked why they were messing with the A/C inside the engine area when they were supposed to be pulling/re-installing the dash to replace the blend door, all I got was "they had to".
Now, a couple weeks later, the A/C is dead (go figure...)
Is there ANY reason they should have been messing with the A/C to replace the blend door or is this as I suspect, just cranking up the bill and sabotage of my A/C?
PS: They "refused" to replace just the door and actuator for a about $50 in parts and instead replaced the entire housing unit, blend door, actuator, etc. ($250.00 for the assembly!)
When I got it back, they had charged me to discharge and refill the A/C.
When asked why they were messing with the A/C inside the engine area when they were supposed to be pulling/re-installing the dash to replace the blend door, all I got was "they had to".
Now, a couple weeks later, the A/C is dead (go figure...)
Is there ANY reason they should have been messing with the A/C to replace the blend door or is this as I suspect, just cranking up the bill and sabotage of my A/C?
PS: They "refused" to replace just the door and actuator for a about $50 in parts and instead replaced the entire housing unit, blend door, actuator, etc. ($250.00 for the assembly!)
In order to replace the entire plenum chamber, one of the many things that needs to be done is removal of the evaporator core housing, which in turn, requires that the A/C system be discharged.
Most dealers frown upon "workaround" types of repairs and will insist on doing things by the book. Not only does it allow them to charge more for a particular repair, it's also a CYA thing.
New User
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
If you have a 4 cylinder Ranger you can replace the plenum without discharging the A/C. so it only took my about four hours to install a new plenum in my 1997 Ranger. On V6 Rangers you will have the discharge the A/C because the evaporator case won't get past the engine.
Tuned
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 399
Likes: 3
From: Grand Rapids, MI
If you have a 4 cylinder Ranger you can replace the plenum without discharging the A/C. so it only took my about four hours to install a new plenum in my 1997 Ranger. On V6 Rangers you will have the discharge the A/C because the evaporator case won't get past the engine.
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