Does this sound like blend door problem, or actuator?

[bbb0777]

1996 Ford Ranger w/ 130,000 miles.

Generally stuck on full-hot. However if one turns the temperature knob, there's sound like something is moving, but it doesn't usually work. Once when trying it about 15x in a row, I got it to full-cold. Then I put it back to full-hot. Then tried full-cold again - sound, but same, no workie.

Does that sound like the door, or the actuator to you?

 

[adsm08]

Sounds like the actuator. If it's making a thunk noise it is the actuator.

 

[bbb0777]

Sounds like the actuator. If it's making a thunk noise it is the actuator.

OK cool, thanks! Intuitively it sounded like that to me as well, but then the door seemed so much more common of a problem...

 

[bbb0777]

Pulled actuator out - it turns 90 degrees, and with a lot of torque.

So... Could it be the connection between the actuator & the blend door? So maybe that *one* time it caught properly and got it to go to cold, but in general won't...?

 

[XLTsplash]

It sounds like you need to replace your blend door, the plastic breaks were the actuator goes into it. The best way is to buy the new housing/door from Ford. That's what I did for my 97 Ranger. There is a aftermarket blend door repair kit that you can get from Doorman. With the aftermarket kit you don't have the pull the instrument panel. You have to cut up the heater box to get the door out so that you can install the repair kit. That's why I don't like the repair kit. I may try the repair kit on our 99 Explorer when it's blend door breaks. I wouldn't cut up the heater box to get the door out. I will remove the box to get the door out. Then use the repair kit.

 

[bbb0777]

It sounds like you need to replace your blend door, the plastic breaks were the actuator goes into it. The best way is to buy the new housing/door from Ford. That's what I did for my 97 Ranger. There is a aftermarket blend door repair kit that you can get from Doorman. With the aftermarket kit you don't have the pull the instrument panel. You have to cut up the heater box to get the door out so that you can install the repair kit. That's why I don't like the repair kit. I may try the repair kit on our 99 Explorer when it's blend door breaks. I wouldn't cut up the heater box to get the door out. I will remove the box to get the door out. Then use the repair kit.

I'm familiar (well, have read about) two ways to replace the door: The proper one, which involves pulling the dash, and the more ghetto/practical way of cutting into the heater box.

When you say remove the box - do you mean after pulling the dash, or is that a third method I wasn't familiar with? Thanks,

 

[XLTsplash]

You would still have to pull the dash if you don't want to cut up the heater box. The repair kit would just save you money over buy a new blend door/heater box.
The Ranger dash is very well put together and is one of the easier to remove and install.