Dude, the fact that you immediately said 97-03 are all the same just made you leap frog every other chanel in knowledge. Everyone goes on and on and might mention a vital piece of info like 15 min in. That info has a broski searching all around for a specific video when you just hit the nail on the head. I haven't event watched the whole video yet, but now I can't wait. Thx braw!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼
I doubt anyone will read this comment but another common issue is the vacuum lines that you can see running from the passenger side near the firewall in the engine compartment, I know in my case those lines were crumbling to pieces on a 2000 Ford F-150 and this was in combination with the actuator door issue so hopefully if anybody reads this they can also check those vacuum lines.
I’ve been watching several videos on fixing this issue as well so I’m hoping to be able to inspect my truck in the morning. If it is the hoses by the firewall what hose would I order to replace it? I saw a different video where they use a T of some sort to fix if but didn’t give a name or link to finding a part. Thanks in advance
Dude, your comment got me to relook at my 2002 Ford F150 and I found a small broken vacuum tube and repaired it and voila, AC blower air is coming thru the front vents again. This is after I had a number of mechanics tell me it was an actuator problem and hundreds of dollars to repair. So thanks for your comment!
@@faniaandaya5571 the vacuum lines or the tubing is definitely not a hard to get item and any of the auto parts stores near you will definitely have what you would need to replace any lines that may have broken with age like mine did. The plastic T that you may have seen I think is a piece that splits the line off to another area and seems to only be on the F150s that have 4 wheel drive. I would definitely recommend to go down and talk to someone at o'reilly's or any auto parts store and they will be able to not only gets you the vacuum line tubing and connectors but they should be able to show you exactly where the vacuum lines go through the firewall right near the battery
The blend door that you want is Dorman part# 902-220. It has the metal base that sits on the actuator and is considered the permanent fix. I like what you did only making two cuts. Glad I caught your video, Thanks!
Solid video. Nice to see younger men actually fixing shit not just complaining or making stupid tic toc videos. Keep up the good work great vid once again !
I tried this today and it worked 100%. My truck was stuck throwing either or but today I followed your steps and by the end I had my AC working like brand new. Thank you for your in depth videos not just in this repair but in electrical applications as well. Best of wishes and keep up the good work
Awesome advice man. I tapped on the outer black housing down low that covers that motor and heard the motor kick in and operate the door. Maybe faulty connector or linkage in that area is dirty. Thanks again!!
thanks, thought it was heater core, but discovered heat will blow as hot as it's suppose to if put on 4 upper(ac) vents, you saved me tons of time, cash, and cussing and throwing tools.
In trucks that age and model, issues can also stem from a bad head unit, which would not let my air change from defrost to vent 100$ from Amazon, it can also be a heater core blockage which was my case the second time I had issues, which was a costly fix because it couldnt be blown out, and now this issue which is an awesome find to be able to get to it without the dash removal! Good job!
I have a 2002 F150 XL, V6. My heat has not worked for two years. I followed your very helpful video on inspecting my blend door. My door also worked properly, ruling this out as being my problem. The next thing I did was disconnect my heater hoses from the engine, I hooked a water hose up to one hose and ran water through the heater core discharging the water on the ground. I then hooked the water hose to the other heater hose and ran water through in the other direction, alternated this process a couple of times, reconnected heater hoses, topped off coolant level, started truck, turned heat on, when engine warmed up I had nice hot air blowing out of the vents. I hope this helps someone stay warm.
My Son's 2002 f150 5.4, we made the cut, inspected blend door all good there,new blend door actuator, new thermostat and coolant flush, heater core flushed, proper coolant level, burped in case of air in the system, flow restrictor removed from inlet heater hose, both heater hoses hot and near the same temp where going into the firewall. Heat is medium warm when set all the way on hot, it used to get hot but doesn't now but it will get warmer with higher engine RPM, could it be that the water pump impeller is worn down and not circulating the coolant like it should? anyone? Thanks
@@dddddd2100 hey dude that flow restrictor slows that water down so it stays warmer when it's in the system put that back in there or just deal with the cooler air
@@dddddd2100 Heater cores are the cooling system filter. If car manufacturers were serious about reliability, they would install filters or at least screens before the heater core and before the radiator. But as designed, every particle of rust or RTV or gasket fragments that can get into the cooling system will plug the heater core and the radiator. Backflush the heater core - coolant goes in from the water pump side and out the intake manifold side. Disconnect the heater hoses from the engine and using a water hose, run water in a reverse flow to force out the particles plugging your core. Alternate flow direction a few times to loosen the particles that are have been stuck hard in the core for years.
@bheckart We have the exact same truck. I have 199k on her. Same issue. No heat for 3 yrs bc I didn't wanna deal with dash. I'm trying his fix and yours. I'll keep it posted and would love to discuss other repairs you may have done. I just did a head gasket... Whew!
@@cking4giveness337 yes. Unfortunately for a lot of these people they won’t understand that even if you wanted to cut through there, it likely won’t come out. You will need to pull the dash away for it to come completely out just like the heater core. The way the blend door and the backing piece to the blend door are seated against the heater core, it just doesn’t allow for them to come out so easily. You have to remove the top of that black box for it to come freely
Awesome video man glad I found it. Having issues with my heat where I'm getting none but ac is doing great. Are you able to check the core from there as well?
I have been avoiding fixing my heat because I don't want to take my dash apart. I'm glad I came across your video and will be attempting this. But I'm going to check that motor first! I will give an update after I have finished my repair.
BEN LIKE YOU THANKS FOR SHARING YOU-were helpful { an aspect i wasn't thinking about} was doing a traditional heater rpl though i did connect some to watch the blend door move thanks
looked a t a bunch of different vids about this this is by far the most sensible, best explained and filmed version. Great lighting and explanation. Going to go work on this now. Excellent job buddy
Thanks. My last resort as winter kicks in is getting in there and manually moving the blend door before I wedge it with something. Your video helped me know exactly where to cut and kudos on the idea of using an oscillating saw instead of a dremel. I have both. I have a 01 Expedition and this fall I pulled the amazingly loaded center console to try and replace the blend door motor. Once I got in I realized I will have to remove the entire dash to do that so I put everything back together and have been relying on the rear heat and heated seats and I tell you what... that is shit. Going to manually get me some heat until warmer days come and I can take a few days off work to guarantee I have enough time to pull the dash. Thanks again.
Thanks buddy, 👍friend of mine has a problem with his 2001 f150. And it sounds pretty much that kind of problem, because it gets heat normally in front. Radiator has been cleaned up thermostat works well, and the blows a lot cold air, but non heat...I believe its going to be very helpful 👍 thanks for the video 👍
Did this on my 98 f150. Works great. If u ever did a heater core in one of these u will appreciate this hack whether u took apart the whole dash or u pulled the dash back as a unit.
Great Idea--I thought of doing what you did but did know exactly where to make the cut on the ventilation box. this was a great help. I do have a question. with respect to the heater core---which line in the engine compartment is the water flow in and which is the flow out. Is the passenger side heater core pipe the flow-in or flow -out? Keep making the video's.
If your standing at the front of the truck looking at the heater hose on the right side under hood is input . obviously left is output.so best way to flush out heatercore is torun water thru output draining out input hose (back flushing)
Most generally heater cores have two size hoses, the smaller diameter one should be the out flow... it's been a general design like that for many vehicles.
Saved me some money. Found that my blend door and actuator work and I was gonna change the door. Turns out it’s my heater core. Atleast I found The problem first instead of dumping unnecessary money into it
Thanks for the video !!! I just change my blend actuator switch and is the same they mix tha air hot and cold so I working on it but thanks again I think I got it
You're my hero ha ha, I just replaced my heater core and I wasn't getting the heat I used to. Thanks for the informative video, now I can inspect that blend door better. Thanks
@@casebarreoltt5990 I don't think so amigo. The hole method is good for cleaning what you can, but it wouldn't give you the room to remove heater core. Its not too bad of a job to remove it, just take your time and keep track of the fastners.
Nice! I changed my heater core a couple years ago, and my heat just quit working and again. I'll get it semi warm when I'm moving, but it'll slowly turn cold. Temp guage is solid, so I'm thinking this door is my issue
@@BenjaminSahlstrom Has your cooling system been opened? If there is air in the system, weak heat is usually the first suspect. To bleed air air out, turn the heat on full hot, then warm the truck up with the pressure cap off. squeeze the upper radiator hose and you'll see air bubbles come out. give it a few more squeezes and more comes out. Repeat till no more air comes out. Now add more coolant untill it's at the correct level. Heat should be nice and toasty now.
Very helpful video.. I have had NO heat because everyone wanted $1,200 and up for repair. I have been using a small heater that plugs into the cig lighter outlet.
After cutting the door where I could see everything was working great I decided to ordered a heater core it has not arrived. I will post the results this week.
Hi Ben, Very well done instructional video; easy to follow and understand! I have a slightly different issue: My heat and air work but hardly come out of the vents. I had this issue when the truck was a little over 1 year old. Dealership said the 'vent door was rusted & stuck closed'. If it's the same issue again, how do I un-stick vent door? Thanks Ben, looking forward to your instructions.
its a completely plastic door it can't rust closed unless the motor goes bad, more then likely the cheap plastic tab on the bottom of the door that goes into the motor broke off, its a bad design they never recalled and made a fix for so we have to deal with fixing it.
Its amazing how the designers make these things so mechs have to do so much work just to get at things for bigger profits. Its like buying cheap printers but they bend you over when it runs out of ink!
I couldn't find the link anywhere for the tool you used for cutting on this page can you post the link you referred to in this video on this comment please and thank you btw great video!
Mines not producing Cold air. Compressor is always cycling, no AC leaks, has freon, and even on 60, the air is always burning hot. Has to be this. Thanks for the video
before doing this, makes sure both sides of the hoses going to the heater core are both hot. This would mean no blockage and is easy to test. They are above the #4 cylinder going into the firewall
Would I be able to completely remove the blend door using this method and be able to get to the heater core without removing the dashboard I've got a 97 and the heater core recently went out and I really don't feel like taking the dashboard off.
Im to late to help this poster. But once you had the core exposed, using a digital laser thermometer makes it easier to identify plugged areas of any radiator type core. Just find the cold spots on the core. Where there's no coolant flowing through its not as hot. You can use the palm of your hand in a pinch.
Hi hardhead, maybe you can help steer me.. My 2004 Ford Van just sat for 2 weeks while on vaca. Before blend worked np. Got back, it started right up, but no blend or AC at all. Only Defrost heat works fine (at idle and under load, any situation really), just won't blend. Thought maybe blew the blend/AC fuse (15amp #13 on the panel) but nope.. not sure where to start. Thinking something is just sticking.. any help or point in the right direction greatly appreciated.. Thanks
check the vacuum lines under the hood near the firewall where it goes into the cab. The A/C is designed to default to defrost mode whenever you have a vacuum leak. (especially when the throttle is applied/hill etc.) It may also be a cracked vacuum canister located behind the battery. There is a good video on YT about the very same vacuum lines I speak about. I know that the "non-electrical" mode selector works the HVAC on these trucks. @@127Lasher
What was your issue if you don’t mind me asking. I have almost no heat in the winter and it’s getting ready to be winter again so I’d like to have an idea of what to look at next. Any help would be appreciated.
Great instructions and got to the door, but the door wasn't broken. The actuator didn't budge either. My best guess is the door was stuck, or could be a faulty actuator. I will replace the actuator just because. Anyway, great video and AC is blowing cold again!
What do you think could be the issue for my truck, I have heat I hear heat, but it’s not blowing out threw the vents. I feel the heat radiating out of the vents and dash. Then randomly I’ll get a rush of heat blowing into my face then you can’t feel it again.
First 30° morning of the year, have been switching from heat in morning and ac in evenings for the last month. Today everything frosted over I go out start truck adjust to heat, floor & defrost. Click pop click pop click pop sound in the cab. Switching to off position didn’t stop it! Is this the blend door? My truck is very low mileage and in fairly great condition I hate like hell to cut into the heater box if it’s the motor actuator part? Any thoughts?
