2013 F-150 AC Recirculation Door “Fix” 

Definitely, the fresh air doesn’t help at all in the summer in Arizona either! My AC has been nice and cold ever since I did this though. Hope yours works just as well!

Nice! Mine is still working just fine, so hopefully yours does as well!

Is your truck getting cold now ?

@@tinopina0106 mine gets nice and cold now here in Arizona. Have to turn the fan down every now and then. Haha I also installed OEM remote start which was super simple, and the truck gets cold within those 10 minutes of run time if I start it up before I’m leaving.

I just put up almost same post I'm in south east Texas as well we always want max ac all the time haha

Do you notice it sounds like the recirc motor is constantly running now? Sounds like it’s cycling because it thinks it’s stuck closed…?

Actually it cycles for a few mins then stops. I have a raptor and couldn’t tell while it’s running from the noise but seems to do it on every key on and off. Might try and just disconnect the motor

@@xschm1dx yes I can hear it but I just ignore it doesn’t really bother me but you should be able to disconnect it the only reason I didn’t it’s because I didn’t want the system to give me any errors or disable the recirculation button

Thanks!

I didn’t have anything rattling around in the blower either. I actually thought it was the motor since there was no noise. It’s a simple fix and I haven’t had any problems since I did this, but unfortunately I don’t remember the socket sizes. I should have added those to the video.

@@bombsuitstobreadboards6279 No worries, I think I used 8mm when I did this on Sunday. It was a son of a gun but I was able to jam a couple of wedges of swimming pool noodle foam in the smallest frame spots to (hopefully) keep the door in place. Once I put everything back on - A/C was ice cold again and not sucking the hot-as-hell humidity in with it.

I live in Arizona so I wouldn’t be the best person to ask about this, however, I just spent a few days up north in the cold and snow and didn’t have any issues with it. When it’s cold, I typically remote-start my truck and let the heater warm up though, so it might be different if you just get in and try to drive right away.

@@bombsuitstobreadboards6279 Thank you!

It could be from the actuator motor, but it could also be from one of the other two actuators. The one that is right above the gas pedal, which changes which vents the air comes out of, went out on my truck and caused some loud clicking noises when I turned the truck on. I did a video on changing that out as well. Next time you start the truck, see if you can determine where in the dash that noise is coming from. And to answer your question, yes, if that motor is your problem, you can reach up in there and unplug it.

​@@bombsuitstobreadboards6279 I figured it out. The buzzing noise was the recirculation door actuator that was continuing to turn. I was able to unplug it by just reaching up from the bottom (next to the blower motor) with my left arm. To unplug it, you have to first pull out the red tang, then depress the flange on the connector with one finger, then pull out the connector. After unplugging, no more buzzing sounds! Note, I also took off the small side panel between the glove box/air bag and the passenger door so I could see what I was doing back there. Hope this helps someone.

I just used some random foam I had laying around that I removed from an old military shipping containing similar to a pelican case. But really any medium or high density foam would work. I’m sure Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, or Joann’s would have a few different options. The door is very light and moves easily, so the foam doesn’t have to be super strong to hold it.

Thanks

Replacing the door requires removing the dash and evacuating the A/C. It’s estimated to be like a 10 hr job for a professional mechanic. However, there is a RU-vid video about replacing it without removing the dash, that you may be able to do. Not sure what the part number is because you buy the entire setup and then just remove the door flap and swap it out.

Mine is a 2013, it’s on the passenger side under the dash, back in the corner.

I might say it is ABOVE the blower motor. Rmv the blwr mtr & it is above...in the next "chamber", beyond the black plastic grid. I think.

It’s not, this is for air recirculation. I can’t help what RU-vid videos RU-vid shows you when you input search terms. If you don’t have much air coming through your vents when you put your fan setting on “high”, a very likely culprit is the blower motor resistor. If it’s not that, it could be the motor itself or it could be a blend door issue where it’s not routing the air where you want.

@Bombsuits to Breadboards oh ok I got it now thanks.

It’s pretty tight because the foam expanded again once I pressed it in there. There’s no noticeable movement or sounds coming from the dash after doing it.

Man that is funny, I was trying to find a way to do the same. GREAT VIDEO.. Again thank you 👍👍

Ya, it would definitely be nice to be able to replace that door a lot easier! I watched that video as well and I may attempt that in the future, but I’m also fine with not being able to switch to external air, so I’m not too worried about it right now.

How’d you get the screw in? Any videos on that?

Ya I’m a tech, but only part time now. Haha traded in the suit for an air conditioned office and engineering software. My only symptoms for this was that when I thought it was on re-circ, I could still smell everything outside the truck, and then when I pushed the button nothing changed. No noise or sound whatsoever. Yours sounds like the actuator under the dash near the gas pedal. I actually just changed mine out because it was failing and it started clicking every time I turned the truck on and it tried to function. I have some videos on that one too that I need to compile and post, and it has the part number in it. I’ll get that posted in a couple hours if you wanna check back! Gotta wax my snowboard first! Haha

Just uploaded that other video.

@@bombsuitstobreadboards6279 I’ll check it out! Quote for 3600 from Firestone just to fix where my air goes.. no thanks!