In this video, I show you how to manually change the HVAC air flow direction in my 2005 Ford Focus ZX4. Very helpful if you have an issue with your control panel or cables and cannot adjust the air flow direction.
100k views ladies and gentlemen. Wow. Greatly humbled and appreciative of you guys all watching and commenting! Please like and share this video if you find it helpful and be sure to subscribe for more upcoming automotive videos! :D
Good info to know is that now that you have shown what switch needs to be manipulated, you do not have to remove the dash part in order to do this. Just reach your hand under and feel it. It is right there within reach under the right dash section. Thanks for showing me this. I need to get that switch replaced, but REALLY needed my AC to blow out of the vents now that it is getting hot. It got stuck on Defrost on mine! You saved me from a life of hell this summer :)
I can’t believe I’ve gone 6 months+ with my vents stuck on the defrost only setting, thinking this was gonna be a difficult/expensive fix! My selector assembly is screwed but at least now I can manually adjust it! Thank you for posting this!
You are most welcome Karii! I know this isn't the "correct" fix for that issue but this does give you an option in the interim until you can save money to actually have the part replaced! Thank you very much for the kind comment and also for watching :]
Seeing where the cable goes to be able to manually select a setting was so helpful that I opened up a second device to view the video so they could get extra $$$
I'm glad you showed how to unstick that, saved me a lot of worry. Now mine works OK unless I leave it on vent or defrost when I turn the car off and let it sit for a long time. Then it usually sticks and I get to open up the dash and unstick it again. If I remember to turn it to Floor before I shut the car off, it doesn't stick. I am bad at remembering, though. REALLY mad that they didn't make the actual selector easier to get to for replacement.
Thank you so much for this video! My airflow direction switch started becoming stiff and about 6 weeks ago I forced it one way and it snapped so no longer worked. 2 bad things in that: 1 the airflow was pointing at my feet and 2 I live in the UK. Fortunately it hasn't rained much lately but just watched your vid went out to the car and went upside down under the steering wheel and found it straight away - no need to remove covers etc. Thank you so much again!
Very cool tinpot1978! I am glad I was able to help you out and give you the info you needed to solve your issue. I'm shocked you were able to do it by not removing the foot panel though! I don't think I could have done mine without removing them lol
Thanks found lots of places selling the cables but not one explained which cable was the airflow direction cable and which was the heat. Thanks to you I now know the Grey cable is the air direction and the black is hot and cold. Thank you again from the United Kingdom
Lee thank you so much! I did not know my little cameraphone video would make it to my neighbors across the pond! Awesome! I'm glad the video was a benefit to you, thank you for your comment!
This helped me move airflow from floor to vent effortlessly on my '05 Focus ZX4 ST. I had tilt so I didn't have to take off my panel, just reached around and moved the selector. :)
woww!! soo easy thank you soo much for the quick fixx,my daughter needed her defrost on asap in dec here in Canada,that is a very cold month for us,and her windows were frosted up. now she is GOLDEN once again thnks for the VIDEO" 9kk. you ROCK!!!!
I sincerely appreciate your kind sentiments! I am very happy this video helped you guys out of a jam, especially in Canada! It's been cold here in CT the past few weeks so I totally understand what you guys must have been going through. Thank you very much for watching and for the kind comments! :D
thank you again and another helpful tip is that these cables are exactly the same as on a Ford transit connect van as is the engine. the connect van has the same engine as the Ford focus or at least the tdci is. so these cables shown in your video are the same for a focus and connect van
That is all I want to do! Be a positive influence and genuinely help people! Money, fame... it's nice sure. But it's only objective. Helping someone and being positive is not. Thank you for the kind words and for watching! Without people like you, videos like this from me wouldn't go anywhere :]
Just wanted to leave you a comment and tell you thank you. Just got a 2005 ford focus ZX3 and this will really help me out when replacing the cable unit!
Great video ! I'm replacing those cable units soon and my vents are stuck on windshield and my temperature is stuck on heat. We're having a blistering summer and teh A/C is very important. Thank you so much for posting. Amazing !
I am super glad my video helped you out Martin! Glad it bailed you out for the time being! The best kind of comment I want to hear! Please be sure to like and subscribe for more great automotive stuff! Thank you! :D
WOW! 50k views? I am beyond humbled guys and girls, really appreciate you checking this video out! Glad this video is making the rounds and helping people out! Thank you so much!
This is a big problem with these cars, the root issue is that the blender door for the hvac systems gasket gets old and broken down turning into a sticky glue like residue. Then the blender selector cant be moved easily because its glued one way or another. Like if you put it all the way to defrost itll be sticky, if you put it all the way to face vents itll get stuck. Then people work the selector knob and stretch out the cable or break it. There are videos showing how you can open up, you have to cut, to get the hvac blender to clean off the gasket or replace the blender door. Only then would i replace the selector cable, because it will continue to be a problem. This is a quick fix to just get the air where you need it, great video!
I am deeply humbled at your kind remarks! I do apologize for not having replied sooner. A temporary "quick and dirty" fix to get you where you need to go for the time being until you get the time and money to do the proper fix! I thank you for the great comment and for watching! :D
Appreciate the hell out of this video, they want $700 plus to fix this problem with my car. Now i can just adjust twice a year for the seasons :) Rock on man.
AND I am a 65 yr old woman...so even tho I am mechanically inclined, that is how good your instructions were and how easy it was after seeing the video! Now I have defrost for the oncoming winter months!!
Look at you go! 65 years old, not mechanically inclined at all. That is EXACTLY what I go for in my videos! I always want to come across as clear as possible, almost as if I am explaining to my 82 year old grandmother who doesn't know anything about cars, on what to do! Much respect to you! As far as the fuel filler tube leak, I don;t have the Focus anymore unfortunately. But a tip: I had the same issue on my old 96 Chevy Corsica. You can always replace the fuel filler tube (which can be a chore) or if the leak is pretty accessible and isn't too big, just sand the area down around it, get it smooth and shiny and use some good strong epoxy to seal up the hole!
When the cable broke on my blend door selector switch I had to get another switch. My son installed it. The trick to these selectors is to lube up the actual blend door gear itself...do NOT lube the switch OR the cable pulley end. The blend door needs to be unstuck first by taking off the shroud under the steering wheel or you won't be able to reach it properly. Then work the blend door up and down after you use some Blaster silicone lube. Be sure to not leave the blend door switch in the full vent position or the full defrost position....use the 12 o'clock position to keep the tension off the wires or they will break again or the door gets stuck again. Try manually freeing the blend door again before you break your cable.
Hey man thank you for the comment! I'm glad it helped you out! That's the best thing I can hear from people when I make these videos. Makes it all worthwhile :]
Okay, First off, thank-you for the instructional, Many for this particular problem on this particular vehicle. One guy took the driver seat out to gain more work space, important if your 6'6'! I too have a 2007 Ford Focus and it's HVAC damper control is just beginning to jamb up,not entirely yet so I was hoping there was some pre-emptive lubrication of certain key area's that would buy me some time before having to replace this unit altogether.
Russo I greatly appreciate the comments! I thank you for watching the video and commenting! I was in Bristol TN last August for the NASCAR race, I know very well from first hand experience how hot it can get down there!
Thanks, I too have a problem with the switch and probably managed to break the cable and the knob is now rotating loose. Opening the control panel would probably be some work, as it requires taking off the radio with a special tool. I followed your tip and got it working for now. I attached a piece of cord in the both ends of the rotating thing, the cord hangs down near the pedals and I can now reach and pull it to change the position.
That is freakn genius! I'm putting a new actuator in my sons car this weekend and now I'm going to attach a cord to it as well. It seems to be a known problem for Fords to have the blend door bind up. I have no interest in tearing the dash out to fix that if replacing the blend door actuator doesn't work. Thanks so much for the great idea!
Wow! A grand just to do the controls? I would consider finding a new place! If you can have someone do the replacement for you, the cables themselves right from Ford's website only costs around 50 dollars. I HIGHLY recommend going with the Ford (Motorcraft) OEM replacement part and save the headache of going with something from an AutoZone which is cheaper quality and often times won't work correctly. But I'm really glad this helped you out! Thank you for the comment!
Thanks , I attached a flexible tube to the vent unite it self were it turns with apoxie and brought it out from under the dash were I can turn it works just fine !
sometimes the selector that controls defrost foot hands selector gets stuck to a whole new level of stuck. This video shows what to do very well, grab the acuator arm in the dash like he does and brake it lose that way- dont try to use the cables to pop it lose because it could brake the cables. These cables are the same for all focus models through all years to 2007 as far as I can tell, so I went to a bone yard pulled about 4 sets of cables out of 4 different year cars for about ten dollars all together- so if you bust your cable just go buy a few at a bone yard there super easy to change out. Good video too, mine gets stuck every month or so and i just do this and it works really good.
Try taking that white assembly all the way off to clean and lubricate all the moving parts in that track. If you can get it moving more smoothly with some grease you won't have to keep going back to un-stick it.
Well first off, thank you for your comment! Sorry it took so long to respond to you, but yes. The control that I show that's right below the wheel I was showing you, that is the cold/hot level. I'd say it's very possible you moved that switch and caused it to blow cold. The puddle under the car is totally normal; That is just water condensation from the ac system dripping onto the ground. It's actually a good thing that it's dripping water. It means the AC system is doing it's job and removing
Thank you very much for your kind words, and also for your comment! There's a chance that possibly something was sticking and either dad or the persons that previously owned the car) got frustrated and just forced the cable and it broke. My dad was stubborn, and it wouldnt surprise me that when he went to remove the radio, he just cut the damn things out haha. Did you have the shop install a new Ford OEM cable? I am dead set against any 3rd party manufacters for replacement parts, especially for
Thank-you. Great video. I'm sending it to my mechanic. Thought this problem was going to force me to buy a new car. Can't live without a defroster in snow country. Now I'll have it fixed.
Thanks Dale Just need a UK fiesta mk7 version now! Can't figure out why in the last 8 years no one has ever posted a solution for this common problem (blend door actuator getting stuck) 🤔 Looks like it's up to me - 2017 project
the moisture and humidity from the cabin. Also just so you know, the AC system is very cold (the refrigerant inside it boils at somewhere around -20 or 30 degrees fahrenheit) and when you turn the car off, just like if you had a cold soda sit on a hot day, the lines and parts all get regular condensation and drip on the ground. No worries at all! Again thank you for your comment and I do apologize it took me so long to reply to you.
How do you think those cables got cut/broken? I had this same problem repaired at a local shop about 6 months ago and now its broken again where I can't control the air flow. Great video and although you complain about the lighting for moving that black piece, it was clear enough in the video for me to see. Thanks man! Sorry about your old man. He'd be proud of you fixing and sharing videos like this. I think he'd also like the new radio upgraded.
this car because I have gone with 3rd party parts (like things you buy at a local parts store) for this car before and they have often broke quickly or never worked correctly to begin with. If so, definitely replace it with the new Ford quality part and save yourself the headache. I think the part is on their website for around 50 bucks. I'd recommend just buying the original Ford part and be done with it! Thank you for your comment! Sorry it took so long to reply to you
After 50k in views, somebody probably mentioned it by now... but IF NOT: 1) The OBDII thing comes out easy -with a pry with a small flathead. 2) The hood release comes out easy if ya just loosen up that nut on the backside (it'll slide out) And I wanna ask one last thing... (you got this far, even making the video) Why didnt ya just change the control cable? (the one thats cut) and made the video for "that" at the same time. either way... Thanks for posting!
And sometimes those things I guess either crack or break and there is a loss of internal vaccuum. Now I don't know for sure if that's the issue so please forgive me, but it is what I have heard from a few different sources. However I'm more inclined to believe that it's probably a renegade acorn or something that snuck its way into the controls and is preventing the doors from changing. Tip: When doing diagnosis, always start simple. Check for that first before you condemn then vaccuum line
Hey dale, nice video My ac and heater button is not working. It’s just got stuck in winter. You showed it was moving freely in your case but I do not understand why mine is stuck in heater position. Please show me how to solve that issue
Hello Zafar I do apologize for the late reply. Unfortunately I no longer have this Ford in my possession. But what I do know is that sometimes the cable and/or the mechanism itself can bind up and lock up unexpectedly, especially if the part is old and hasnt gotten lubricated in some time. I do thank you for watching and for commenting!
I have 05 it's been In the family for about 5 or 6 years I got it about 2 years ago, the defrost has always been on and no air from vents I'm going to do this hopefully it works I wish I would've tried this sooner I've been driving like this the whole time lol also my climate control just broke I'm gonna fix that was my original reason for looking this up
Excellent video! My problem is that someone removed all the parts mounted to the side of the hvac center, AND the fact that I can manually dial up 'vent' and 'floor' but it will not let me go to defrost (which is a must in ohio). I may have to cut out part of the section behind the radio to visually see the 'flapper'
Hey there sorry for the late reply! Yeah definitely living in Ohio you need that pesky little defrost option lol. There's a good chance that there MIGHT be something inside that HVAC assembly that is preventing the blend door from moving and switching positions as needed. You can disassemble the other side of the unit and see through the other side if there is anything there like a pen, pencil, or even a rogue acorn that snuck in there and is physically causing the blend door to not work. That is where I would go next if all else comes back inconclusive. I do appreciate the comment and for you watching the video! :D
Didn’t see the rocker for the defrost until I went to ‘upullit’ and found focus with all good parts including working cables! LOL I ended up using a cutoff tool and just cut the entire side panel of the HVAC box of donor car, that way I could see how all the parts worked laying on work bench! Have all heat and temp functions now!
My housing is completely busted. The hot/cold control (the black cable) looks like it's working with the black peg towards the bottom. Is that the peg that's actually adjusting the hot and cold air? Because if so, mine doesn't exist on my housing. And the hole that peg fits in is chewed up.
Hi! So I tried adjusting that and mine won't move what's so ever. I also noticed that the plastic piece on mine is full of grease which makes me think that the previous owner ... or garage had issues with it before selling it to me. The issue seems to come from the top left where that bolt is which I think is what the mechanism make move. If I try to move it it appears jammed. Any ideas how to fix that?
Hello! So you are saying that the "wheel" that spins isn't spinning? There is a good chance that something physically has lodged itself inside the blend doors making it jam up and not move at all. It's a worse situation than a broken bowden cable, but it is a fairly common issue. What you will need to do is go through the passenger side and remove the glove box, get in somehow to see/remove any debris in there. It seems like whomever owned the car before you tried to just grease up the mechanism hoping it would yield a solution but if something is stuck and jammed in there, no amount of grease will do anything. I would try getting into the blend door box as said above and seeing if there is any debris. Hope that tip helps! Thank you for watching and commenting!
I just adjusted mine to front vents and that position is all the way down. Middle-ways is floor, and all the way up is defrost. I did not have to take anything apart to do this. I simply used a flashlight, got down on the floor and maneuvered the piece with my hand. No tools required.
hello. this is a great video. I do have a question. the cables connect into a white box, which is geared to move the vent and the heat control. the white box gear is stripped. do you have any idea the part name for the white box? I can not seem to find out the part name. I thought it was the air flow actuator, but I guess its not. any ideas?
I unfortunately do not know. I apologize for not having replied to you earlier. I'd be willing to bet that you would have to buy the whole assembly (with the white gearbox) as one unit from Ford unless you can find something online elsewise
I can't really say what the issue might be for that particular instance. I think there's probably something physical (like an acorn or something stupid) that finds it's way into the HVAC system and maybe that's causing your black rotator (or even the vent door itself) to be stuck. However though I have heard from a few different sources that often times there is a small vaccuum line that actually assists with something in that mechanism (I dont know for absolute sure) that comes from the engine
So I have a problem with this and my heat. My air is working but when I put it in the heat it still blows out cold air. Nothing is leaking or anything I just need some solutions or what the problem might be. Thank you in advance
The knob underneath the black blend control plastic part won't turn, and when i can somehow miraculously get it to turn, the blend resets itself to cold. I need heat for winter right now, and defrost. But it won't move and i can't find the answer
Having the same problem, I manually changed mine to vent to to fix it. However I noticed now my air seems like its even more colder then normal and now causes a big puddle under the car from the air. Was those black and grey knobs something that controls how cold it gets? I am hoping I didn't bump something else. I guess its not really a problem, just didn't happen before.
Hey man, my replacement cable came in yesterday so I've spent all morning getting it hooked up and it didn't help at all. The black disc that is supposed to be turning is just stuck. I took the cable and the white gear box off and lubed everything up again, but it's just stationary and I can't fix it. I actually broke the knob on the dash trying to turn it. I'm assuming it's more internal than I thought it was going to be. If you have any solutions for THAT issue, that would be awesome!
I was able to reach right under the dash without removing anything and move the plate to right setting. my control broke and it's winter, it was on foot heat and I needed defrost.
Just replace mine today. Still stiff when turning, guessing the problem is in the vent housing. The resulting stiffness is what broken my selector switch
hi............. i had same problem with my vw touran......tried to solve problem by changing whole unit but still air was coming out only at feet and was having problem in morning as air was not directed at screen...........so I did same thing by manually directing air at demister setting.............thanks for that
Hey Dale! Thanks for the Vid, I have a question though. The thing that you move manually, that black piece, it seems to be completely stuck for me. It moves a little bit, but then it won't move anymore. Do you have any idea what that piece is called, or what could be holding it in? Everyone seems to just have a problem with the Cable, but eeeverrrything is stuck for me :/ Thanks!
+Hayley Rowan From what you described to me, it sounds like that there might be something jamming up the internals of that vent door (that's what is inside that housing that turns). I have heard it's a fairly common issue, especially if your Focus does not have a cabin air filter installed. A lot of times, small pieces of leaves, sticks, acorns, etc. will fall into the blower motor, get chopped up, find their way into that housing and jam up the vent door itself. Before you immediately condemn the assembly itself, I would try cleaning out any debris first. Have someone mechanically-inclined (or yourself if you are) go on the passenger side, remove the blower motor and reach inside the well as far as you can to see if there is any debris inside and/or see if something is broken. Clean out any debris and try moving the black wheel again. Hope this helps Hayley! Thank you for watching the video!
If you are having this issue, what will eventually happen is that the doors will get completely stuck. You won't even be able to manually adjust. The seals degrade and stick. Anyone researching this problem here have a more complete solution? (a professional estimate is 1600 dollars, almost 900 in parts to replace the who flawed system)
Hello Louis! As far as I understand, you won't be able to get that separate from the cables (I don't think) because the cables and that white piece is one whole assembly and are not separate. Plus the whole assembly itself is cheap enough as it is (somewhere around 40 bucks I believe) so you honestly won't be saving much (if any) money just buying the white piece. Thank you for the question, for watching and commenting! :D
Sorry to hear about that man :[. Usually it;s either because the cable has bound up or because there is some kind of obstruction within the blend door thats preventing it from moving. May need to take the blend door and hvac housing apart to see if there is any kind of obstruction. But for a cheap, alternative method try doing this first. If you cant move the blend door as sen here in the video, then it's something internal thats preventing it from changing modes. Hope this helps! Thank you for watching and for commenting, hope your issue gets fixed! :]
same here. last week 1,3,4 was working then yesterday all quit working unless I purshed on the knob? now nothing? irritated and pissed? ugh! any help would be appreciated. ps. tried replacing heater resistor behind glove box and still nothing?
+2010 - 2012 - 2014 GIANTS Because it is not considered a safety issue or an emissions issue. Also, it doesn't typically happen in the first few years, these cars are 10 years old now. Agree, they could have been made better or lubricated better, but it is not worthy of a recall. Might have gotten a TSB if it commonly happened within warranty period. By the same token, Toyota piston rings typically wear significantly by 250,000 miles and they start burning a lot of oil, but they don't issue recalls for this either.
