2002
Windstar
Manual AC/Heater system

Customer’s complaint is that there’s no heat in the van and when they turn the heater on they hear a thumping noise from under the dash.

What I found is that the actuator will lift the blend door about an inch and then the door drops back down to the cold air position; causing the thumping noise.

The actuator itself is fine but the boss on the blend door has cracked where the actuator engages the door.

Have any of you found an easier way of replacing the temperature blend door on these things?
I’ve never done one yet but I was told that the complete plenum assembly has to be removed to gain access to the door?

Yes I’m looking for the easy way out on this one because I don’t do any AC work if I have to deal with the refrigerant.

Dan.

Canadian "EH"


(This post was edited by DanD on May 13, 2008, 6:29 AM)

Hi!

Look for a PM,

Tom
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
_________________________________________

http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/

  

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Re: 2002 Windstar blend door drop?
by Nacho on Tue May 13, 2008 10:36 pm A very common problem with 2003-1999 Ford Windstars is the blend door actuator. To get to it, you have to remove the radio and is right there, white color orange tag. Price sholuld be around $ 60. The only difficult part is getting the radio out. Special Ford tool required (two C shaped wires) THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE
Nacho Posts: 1276 Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 10:41 pm Location: Hermosillo, Sonora, MEXICO

Buddy at ACSource knows of this problem common to Winstars. Hope that's it and that simple with a dang special tool of course!

Tom and the guys at ACSource
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
_________________________________________

http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/

Thank for looking into this for me Tom.
Your buddy must have misunderstood the question; it’s not the actuator that’s the problem, it’s the actual door that’s broken. Once the actuator is removed, you can see the crack in the door’s drive boss. As the actuator begins to lift the door, the crack opens up and allows the door to fall; making the clunk.
With what I’ve found around here is that the door is not available on its own; you have to buy the complete evaporator housing; to the tune of about $700.00. Then there’s (according to Mitchell flat rate labour time) about 8 hours labour to replace the housing. Not including evacuating & recharging the AC system. The quotes I’ve been given from some of the AC shops are from 12- $1500.00 for the job.
There’s a company called Dorman that makes a replacement door assembly; complete with a template, outlining where to cut the housing to gain access to the door. But unfortunately they are only for Taurus/Sable, some of the SUV and E vans; nothing for the Windstars.
You still would have to remove the housing from the vehicle but the replacement door is less then a hundred bucks.

Like one of my trade-school teaches always said “I didn’t design it, I didn’t break it, I’m just here to fix it; sorry for your luck”.
But it is sad that it’s going to take a Grand plus to get some heat back into this van; Henry you should be ashamed.

Dan.

Canadian "EH"

Ok: This door is like some shape like a side view mirror with rubber ends - right? Pivots, and actuated by what you call a "boss" ---- is that a gear, custom clip or what in there? Is there no way to fix it from broken parts or is this too specific for the operation?

Serously - if I could just see just what this broken thing looks like I'd go get one used if need be as you seem to know new is only as a complete unit.

I'll wait a bit to hear back and relay info back to MX (Nacho) if need be. Also - are you stuck with this job and is this tieing up the shop over this? That crap happens at my buddy's at a nearby shop - I take all the broken junk and fix it on the kitchen counter - takes ages sometimes waiting for glues and making up metal supports for cheap plastic junk that breaks.

Locally a "go get your own" junkyard would let me have at it but only if the car was really wrecked with stuff that new with few good anythings left in them. 10 years and older is open to pick.

Let me know what I can do to help. Hey - no heat about means no car, the A/C if just inoperable many can live without and do when things get expensive,

Tom
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
_________________________________________

http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/

Yes this door is like what you describe but this door is positioned horizontally, laying flat, not on its edge, inside the evaporator housing. At the one end (corner) of the door there is a square boss where the actuator drive is connected to the door.
Picture how a ½ inch drive socket attaches to the ratchet; that’s what I mean by square boss.
The door itself is cracked from the strain of being lifted from one corner of the door. I don’t think glue would hold up to the constant extremes in temperature; that’s probably what has made the plastic of the door so brittle in the first place.

A used housing is going to be the customer’s call; who is to say that the first time the programmer learns door position; it won’t break the used, probably weakened plastic door? I’m not getting in the middle of that unless the customer brings me the used unit and tells me to install it. As much as he doesn’t want too pay the labour the first time, is the same for me, if it had to come apart a second. Like I said his call his dime.

No the vans not stuck here at the shop; the customer isn’t in a panic to get this fixed right now; he’s got all summer to figure out what he wants to do; he doesn’t really need heat this time of year.

Again thanks for all the help Tom; I know what has to be done; I was just looking for an easy fix that someone may have come up with.

Dan.

Canadian "EH"

Ok: If I run across the door itself in perfect shape I'll let you know. Something tells me the whole she-bang has to come out for this and will mean discharging refrigerant which you mentioned you don't ordinarily do.

I'll see what out there in bone yards to at least scope this out,

Tom
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
_________________________________________

http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/

Dan - Nacho instists this is way common and just the plastic gear right next to primary gear that moves the door causing this?? I don't know if his reply to me will show below - it does for me? I do have to remove parts of that post that may show moderator controls and don't want those to somehow work here - if the reply from Nacho doesn't show please let me know, Tom ________________________

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Re: 2002 Windstar blend door drop?
by Nacho on Wed May 14, 2008 9:22 pm Tom:

There is nothing between the actuator and the blender door. The problem is due to a stripped plastic gear right next to the primary gear that moves the door. It is very common. Just checked sales record and this year alone we've replaced 17 of them. THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE
Nacho Posts: 1277 Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 10:41 pm Location: Hermosillo, Sonora, MEXICO

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Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
_________________________________________

http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/

Tom
I think we should let this thread die because your Nacho friend is wrong this time. Yes the actuators are well known for failing, I’ve replaced a number of them myself but this time; it’s the frigging door that’s broken; I can see the thing is cracked.
If I get this van back here I’ll try and get a picture of it to post; that’s if I can get the camera down there.

Dan.

Canadian "EH"

Cool. YOU are looking right at it and who can argue with that? Would like it if you could get a pic of even the broken part out of the car if you even think of it then.

For archives it would be interesting to know how it can break. Debris fallen down there, lousy design, perhaps ice somehow??

Case closed for now,

T
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
_________________________________________

http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/