2003-2006 Ford Expedition Front Temperature Blend Door Actuator Clicking Repair 

Hands down...the best mechanical and instructional videos on the internet. Period!

Ive never heard of a flex head. Ive always called it a swivel. No offense intended. I watched another guy do a similar video. He repeatedly put down Ford products. I like Fords. You, on the other hand, produced an educational video on R&R of the actuator. It was a pleasure watching your video. Plain and simple, easy to understand. No opinions, just good, straight forward, instructions. Keep up the good work. It was a big help dude.

Very helpful video, thanks! My repair was complicated by the fact that I have a manual climate control and I didn't know whether I could disconnect the vacuum lines... I just let the dash panel lay in the passenger seat during the job. The third screw was a real bastard and did NOT go back in when the new actuator was installed. A longer wrench would have helped to remove it, but I eventually got it. Definitely pack your patience for this repair; it took me the better part of a weekend. Big props to James Marshall for his tip to rotate the actuator shaft using the heat control. I used the technique to clock the new actuator so it matched the old actuator and it dropped in right away. I fought it for quite a while before reading his tip. Thanks again FordTechMakuloco! I wouldn't have attempted this job before watching this video.

This is one of the best car repair videos I have seen. There is no way I would have looked at any of that and thought it was possible, or even something I would want to attempt (and I have been working on my own cars my whole life). It went great. Thanks a million!

06 Expedition XLT 2WD Thanks to your excellent instructional video, I just did my main blend-door actuator! Admittedly, I wanted to quit several times. Reading comments helped my case. I carefully cut ¼" off of the T, had difficulty still, opened the unit and removed the gear against the shaft gear. Got everything in, snapped the cover back onto the actuator, and tested. Except for my fan switch likely needing to be replaced, everything works now, for the 1st time since I bought my Expy...4yrs ago.

This is great! Thank you - saved me $700. *Tip for future folks: If you're having trouble getting the cross-shaft to fall into the slot (I wrestled with mine for quite a while), plug the new actuator motor into the electric and slowing change the heat control. You will feel the cross-shaft pivot into the right position and catch. Then just drop it in.

I must say you make the best automotive "how to" videos, hands down! Thank you!

Thank you for making this video! Saved me a bunch of money. Great camera angles and video editing! Very clear guidance. Was able to get it done in under an hour thanks to your vid!

Okay, I've watched several videos on the subject of replacing the blend-air damper motor assembly on Expeditions (mine is a 2005) and at first, I felt confident about doing the project. I'm mechanically inclined and have worked on cars for years. So I thought this would be a piece of cake. I bought the motor assembly on Amazon about a year ago and after it arrived, I started in on the project. After removing the dash escutcheon, I reached in with my hands and after feeling around and looking through the glove box opening, I decided to button it up and rethink the whole idea. Recently, the clicking problem got a lot worse, so searched RU-vid again and found your video. Great video and great help. However, your estimate of 30 minutes to an hour is way low for someone who has never performed this repair. I actually taught myself a bunch of new swear words during the 3 plus hours it actually took. That said, your video was truly the inspiration I needed to complete the repair and i'm happy to say, it's now working perfectly. And I keep reminding myself I saved somewhere around $500 in the process.

This video was a huge help! Got the job done in a couple hours. You're right, the 8mm gear wrench is am absolute must. Made it way easier. Thanks again!

Man you are the best!!!!!! It was hot the other day and I put on the air... yesterday it was freezing again and I put on heat, but no dice. I have to drive hours today so I watched this and bought the part. Bingo it WORKS!! You are a life saver!!!!

Heat!! Thank you so much for the education. After viewing the trouble shooting video you also have, I ordered the correct part from Amazon. With the help of my wife's small hands this was fixed in 1 hour. Really straight forward and easy to do. Again, thank you for posting.

Your video is spot on. Thank you. I was having an issue where the front ac in my 2004 expedition would start blowing hot if I turned the fan any higher than 1. I pulled out the actuator and cracked it upen. Sure enough, gear teeth were chewed up. I used a normal 8mm wrench to get it out and it was a huge pain. When I went to autozone for the actuator I picked up some gear wrenches which made reinstallation a bit easier. Russell here in the comments mentioned trimming the actuator rod a bit to help get it in easier and it worked for me so thank you too Russell!

that was the cleanest, clearest, most complete how-to I have seen. Thank You!

Very detailed instructions rarely found on RU-vid. Thank you Brian.

Just wanted to say THANK YOU! Was able to take care of this problem. Took me a little longer then you. But your directions & video was clear. The racketing wrench was essential. Also it cracks me up that the actuator itself is under-engineered by putting plastic gears whose teeth break off. But the mounting is over-engineered by putting in four screws (in mine) and a support post.

Thank you for making this a little less pain in the butt. There were a few times I thought I wasn't going to be able to do it. After a little over an hour I got it done and yelled F@#$ YEAH after I finished and actually felt heat again. James Marshalls comment helped tremendously. Thanks again.

I love all your videos. Have seen many. As a 18 year Gm dealership tech, i know how to spot another great tech/ mechanic. I can trust in your diagnosis and repair. Your videos are awesome. Thank you for taking the time to show us your knowledge and how to diagnose and repair our problems the correct way. Not the backyard way. Please keep the videos coming. I am retired and work for myself so i do a lot of research and always look for your videos when working on a ford i need information on. Thank you thank you.

this video was so helpful! we ended up trimming a 1/4” off the new actuator tip to make it easier

That's awesome man. Keep up the great work. Thanks for the clear views and voice sound.

Thank you for the great easy to follow video!!! I am so happy I could do this to my truck, however, the regular ac just still blows hot, while the max ac is cold. Thank you for the work you do to help us out!!

I am not a mechanic even a little bit but this video was so easy and explained it so well. A few notes. I know why mechanics are paid so well. If you have fat sausage fingers like me, take it slow and don’t become frustrated. The spaces are so tight. Working like a charm and took me just a bit over 1 1/2 hrs. Thanks for the video.

Man!!!!! You just saved me quite a bit of money. Thank you, especially your QUALITY. It's IMPECCABLE.

Thank you very much for your video. It helped me understand the location and what the actuator looked like. There was less than a human hair of clearance in order to slide the door blend actuator out and the replacement was even tighter. Your video and how detail you narrate it is suuuuper helpful. I appreciate you Mr. FordTechMakucrazy.

I love your how to videos like this one. I find this infinitely better than Mitchell or Alldata. Thanks and keep them coming!

You are a life saver! My front one was way more difficult than yours, I did not have as much clearance above so my hands are all tore up but we got r done! Thank you so much for your video the mechanic wanted so much to fix it so you saved us $$!

Thank you for posting this video. I don’t do a lot of work on cars but your video gave me the confidence to take this on. Like others I had a little less room to work with but finally managed to get it done. Good tip on not really needing to place that back 3rd screw as that was not going to happen.

It's amazing how easy you make it look

Very calm and confidently teaching those to do it themselves. 👍

Thanks for the video. I started getting that clicking noise and lost heat. Wasnt sure what the problem other then there was an issue with the door. You saved me the learning curve time. Ive watch some of your other videos that speeded up the repair process on my Expedition.

Really great video. Thanks for taking the time to record this and publish it.

Excellent video and great help! I had an actuator that had snapped off at the stem leaving the broken shaft piece inside the blower box. After several attempts i was able to use a long lag screw and thread a few turns into the hole of the broken stem. I pulled up on it and it finally came out. I took the new actuator apart to be able to slide it in easier. I was then able to slide the new shaft in easily and assemble the actuator in place. This is cumbersome but well worth the savings! Thanks a lot MakuLoco!

Your video is excellent... I'm so proud we found it before we spent a lot more money than needed...We thank you so very much!!! This guy is incredible..

i just followed these instructions to replace my blend door actuator--outside in winter. it was a really tight squeeze and i scraped my hands pretty good, but got the job done. thanks!

Awesome video. Very clear and excellent info. Gave me peace of mind how easy it was done. Thank you for taking the time and educating the rest of us.

Great video. Great camera work. Thanks for taking the time to show how to do the job the right way.

I just completed this job in 1:15 minutes. My shaft was actually broken off from the actuator, so I hade to use a pick to dig it out. Also it's currently 30 degrees outside and I don't have a warm garage to work in. With a flexible head speed wrench I would have easily gotten my time down well under an hour! Just saved myself HUNDREDS!!! My mechanic of 10 years quoted me 10 hours for the job... then told me to do it myself. A trustworthy mechanic is a man's best friend!

Just about to buy a 2004 EB Expedition and wanted to drop you a quick thank you. It's got clicking front and rear and now I am not nearly as nervous (plus might help explain the not so optimal AC temps). Last year I did a heater core on my 01 GT and was dreading doing this actuator but thanks to you, not anymore. Great Ford Videos, subed.

Excellent, very informative video! Thanks for taking the time to do this.

That was awesome! Thank you! I don't think I can actually do it myself but it is good to know what is involved so when they quote me some ridiculous price I know what is really going on.

Thank you for helping so many ppl as for myself to save money when it's hard to find great mechanics like you

Thank You for the help, I've changed the rear 2 Actuator It was FUN

yep. watched this video a couple of times and finally tried. I was able to actually remove the original actuator without doing the entire dash. BIG help. Thank you

Well with the help of this video I saved $1000. It took about two hours, with plenty of breaks, but i got it. I only put two of the screws back in because I couldn't get to the right rear screw but oh well. Thanks man, you're the best!!!!!

It was a little harder than the video made it look, but it was much easier than I thought it would be. The key to pulling this off was buying an 8mm flexhead ratchet. Don't try this without it. You saved me a ton of money! Thanks.

thanks for the video. I would add that my 2003 Expi used the cross stem. there is another stem that is the shape of a D but that one is for dual temperature control models. Also, if you don't have a ratchet 8mm go and get one, as this is impossible without. Lastly, you should be able to rotate the stem of the new actuator to match the position of the one you have taken out by opening the actuator and then moving the gear. This made an easier instal for me.

Thank you so much for this - the clicking noise had been driving my wife nuts for about a year. Your video was a tremendous help and saved me $$$Mine is a 2004 Ford Expedition XLT and the wiring harness was in the way and not held by a clip but a couple of white plastic push things - i cut them off with wire cutters and after reattached with zip ties. Also my actuator was cream plastic, not black, maybe as mine has the manual a/c controls ? It is a very tight fit to get it in and out and has to be at the correct angle but it is doable - getting the new actuator in took me about 20 minutes and the whole job about 3 hours. I could not get that back 3rd screw in but it does not seem to make a difference. I got the actuator from autozone (Dorman version) as i did not want to wait for Amazon.Thanks again

Thanks again, just changed the one your talking about here, took little longer, 1 3/4 of an hour tight fight but did it and nor SHE has Heat. THANK YOU AGAIN

I haven't done a blend door motor in years and I'm about to do my 2006 F150. Think you just saved me some time for sure.

Seriously... you are awesome. I so appreciate this video!!!!! Very well done. Now to talk the husband into trying this out or do it myself!

I appreciate this video! I was getting ready to tackle the thermostat and then possibly the heater core when I decided to google the issue. Your video popped up. The HVAC door sticking fit the possible criteria of the issue I was experiencing. I decided to start here and then move to the others. The job took me about an hour AND solved the problem. Super thankful I came across this before I replaced a bunch of unnecessary parts and drove myself crazy lol keep up the good work 👍🏻

You saved us $$$$, thank you so much! Love you video, how you articulate and encourage! Much appreciated 🙏

I thought I was going to have to replace the actuator in my '03 because I was only getting air through the floor ducts. Turned out to be a bad vacuum hose back behind the battery. What a relief that was. Easy fix. Well, not counting pulling the battery out, LOL. Anyway, I'm book marking this video for when the day comes to replace the actuator. BTW, I enjoy your videos. Clear and concise DIY info.

Great video that I followed in order to replace my actuator. I have a 2003 Expedition, and your video seems to show a bit more openness in the working area. I experienced a much tighter fit, especially getting the left screw out. Anyway, I couldn't have completed the job without your video. Thanks for posting!

Great video,I put a actuator in just fine by following your demonstration. The only thing I did different was take the radio out to have more hand positions to help insert the new part! Thanks!!!!!!

Is it as easy as he makes it look? No. Does he give you every detail you need to do it yourself? Absolutely. Thanks for saving me money!

Thank you for all your repair videos! They are some of the most helpful on RU-vid! Seriously your a life saver. I've watched so many!

Ok great video as always, took me about 3-4 hrs but looking at the comments really helped, I cut about 1/4 off shaft before reading comments & still couldn't get it but plugging blend door in & adjusting temp to move that shaft got it in also because I didn't remove entire trim bezel, just lifted it up because first connector I touched the tabs broke, worked on my 2004 Expedition

Thank you for your knowledge and videos. I just completed this job on an 05 Expedition XLT. NOT fun and it is different that the set up you worked on. After trying for an hour to get the new actuator in, we realized no matter how we turned it, it would not fall into place. We took the new part apart, slipped in just the bottom half, inserted the shaft, then the gear beside it, put the top part on and snapped it in. We were all set 30 min later. Not sure why my truck looked different under there. Thanks!

Hi, I can't say enough "Thank You" for creating this youtube channel on these Ford Expedition. You saved me a lots of money. Plus it's fun working on the issues and knowing you're a click away on my phone (RU-vid).

Great video. Helped me fix the problem of heat always on. 2004 ford expedition.

Great camera work and audio levels are among the best.

Just finished this replacement on my 2005 Expedition. Took me 2.5 hours from start to finish. I was able to remove the screws using a flex head 8mm wrench. It was still hard. I only replaced two screws. It’s all you need. For me, the most challenging part was fitting the new blend door white male piece into the hole. You have to line up the cross into the hole. I tried and tried and tried and then all of a sudden it fell in no problem. No idea why. I also replaced the blend door in the rear of my vehicle (there are at least two). It was way easier. He has a video on that as well. Good luck all 👍

Thanks for the great video! Like someone else before me, I had so little clearance above the unit that I could not put the new actuator in no matter what. In the end I took the actuator apart, removed the top cover and the large cog wheel inside, inserted the bottom with the shaft into the blender unit, popped the large wheel back in and pressed the cover back on. Bingo! The actuator was hard to take out, but impossible to put back it in, and I don't think I could have done it at all without taking the radio out first. Cheers. (Btw, only just bought the 2005 Expy as a re-import from Japan, with only 80,000 miles on it. Looks like new.)

Thank you very much. Each step is explained in detail. The adjustable 8 mm did the trick for me. Thanks again.

Thank you for a concise video. My 2005 Expedition has this issue from the click click clicking to the need for replacing of the the blend actuator. Your a Godsend! I do have one more issue with my vehicle and I'm hoping to find one of your videos to take care of this problem. It's a po453 code fuel tank pressure sensor issue. Thanks again!

YOU ARE AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGG! Thank you so much for sharing this information.

Thanks for sharing this excellent instructional video. Today this video enabled me to replace the front temperature blend door actuator of my 2004 Expedition and saved me $645.00 of labor charges by doing it myself. Like the saying goes, "knowledge is power", so more power to you Bryan for sharing with us, your subscribers, some very good videos to help us save money.

I'm embarrassed to say how long the front actuator on my 2004 expedition has been acting up. I recently replaced the two in the back near the right rear wheel well. That wasn't too bad..... I just ordered the part from the link you provided, this one is a little more invasive but I think I can do it after watching your great tutorial. Thanks big time.

Excellent strategy and very informative

Finally done. This was not a pleasant experience. My hands are all bruised from fitting them into a tight space. I was not able to remove all the clips from the connectors. I tried but couldn’t get them all. So basically the panel was partially in place while I did the work. The third screw was the hardest. Putting the actuator in was a not hard but did take some work, about 5 minutes of maneuvering and another 10 minutes screwing them in. Putting everything back was about 45 minutes total. I want to thank FordTechMakuloco for the how to video. Couldn’t have done it without him. I said a little prayer and the actuator worked. My original problem was that I could hear a clicking when I moved the hot/cold dial. I could still get A/C at the Max setting but at no other setting. Now I think I need to recharge my A/C since it feels somewhat cool, but at least its not blowing hot air. Thanks Again. Saved me a ton of money.

Back several years later, in a search to figure out how to change out the 4 wheel selectors light. OMgoodness , such a helpful Vid. Thanks again...

Brian to start this project there was no key in the lock cylinder to put the shifter in L1. But at the end you needed the key to shift the shifter into L1. Sort of confused if we need to use the key or not.Excellent videos! Thanks for all you doing for us. You rock man!

Thanks for the video. Just changed my blend actuator thanks to this video. Keep it up '

You are awesome. Thanks to this video; I feel confident in accomplishing this repair.

Great camera work, as well as a great repair video.

THANKS! '06 done... no it's not easy because it is so tight! Had the wrench, bought the part... extraction wasn't too bad, putting the new one in sucked! Read many previous comments, found one from 5 years ago by James Marshall - couldn't get the shaft to line up... plug in new motor and your temp adjust temporarily to "move" the shaft... adjusted it to the same angle as the one I removed, cut off about an 1/8 inch and it went in no problem... even got the back (3rd screw) in most of the way! works great, took me about 2+ hours with all the reading and smashing fingers (removed radio too - better vision and hand position)... bet I could do it again in under an hour!

AWESOME! Now I can work on my dad's Expedition. You took the mystery out of it.

Thanks for the great video! I'm a novice so it took me about 3 hours. I had an issue with the orange wire to the stereo impeding clearance when extracting the old actuator and installing the new one. I didn't have a flex-head but my 8 mm stubby ratcheting wrench worked just fine. Once I inserted the shaft, I was concerned the amount of torque required too align it with the alignment tab might damage the shaft but it didn't and no more clicking.

I was just quoted $800. That's not in my budget, so I'm going to order the parts and take care of it myself. Thank you!

Absolutely great video..saved so much money on labor...

Took me one hour, and had to rewatching the video twice, thanks very much sir

You're an excellent instructor thank you 👍

Great video, just replaced mine on wife's Expedition and saved $$$.

I did the F150 and I didn’t have to remove the dash, but hey great video! It helped me out a lot

Excellent demo. Big help, thankyou.

This is a GREAT VIDEO MAN I really wish this was for a 1998 Lincoln Navigator as my ac seems to have a mind of its own right now

Great, informative and clear. Very nice video

You are a very good presenter!

You explained this so well. Best I have seen. Keep up the great videos.

When I am working with screws in tight areas, I use a small magnet on a flexible stalk to work it into the hole, and press it in with a flat screw driver, then use wrenches like yours to turn it in. I sometimes tie a thread to the screw so if I drop it I can find it very easily.

Thank you for this awesome video. Do you know if there’s a cabin air filter for the 05 expedition?

Great video no BS explaining just right to the point.

What a great video! You have the gift of teaching!

Excellent video. Good job.

I just did this saw this video thanks still helps people till this day

Holy shit, you saved me. Thanks for this video and god bless!

Another great video.

great video really complete THANKS ALOT

Thank you for the nice video, in 2021 it help me out a lot 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽