wierd electrical issues after replacing blend door actuator
#1
02-09-2014, 02:14 PM
wierd electrical issues after replacing blend door actuator
Last week when temps dipped our 2010 F150 decided not to give up any heat. After troubleshooting I determined it was either a bad blend door actuator or a broken blend door. Not wanting to shell out a fortune to the dealer I did the repair myself. Many components in the dash had to be removed to gain access to this area including the passenger air bag, the center console with all the stereo and hvac control, as well as a bunch of trim pieces.
Initially I left the battery connected and removed the center console with just the radio and hvac controls then plugged up the hvac portion and turned the key on to see if the blend door actuator was working. After that the battery was disconnected and the passenger side airbag was removed to gain access to the rear screw on the blend door actuator. Once I got the actuator removed from the plenum I again plugged in the hvac controls to the center console and connected the battery to check operation before purchasing a new one. I confirmed this was the issue and disconnected the battery and hvac connections and installed the new actuator. I then made same connections as before and started the vehicle to let it warm up so I could test the blend door operation and be sure I was getting heat when the control **** was on heat and so forth. All worked great. I shut it down, disconnected the battery and began putting it all back together. After finishing the job and starting the truck up is when I found I had two issues.
The radio came on in the AM mode and nothing I did on the center console made any change; no volume control, couldn't change to FM or Serius or Cd, won't even tune to another station. However, all my controls on the steering wheel work; I'm able to tune, adjust volume, change band, etc. I also noticed while checking all this out my passenger "airbag off" was illuminated on the dash. I disconnected the battery again for 15 minutes and crossed my fingers. Nothing, still the same problem. Tried disconnecting the battery for approximately 30 minutes and still no luck. I've read many posts on here regarding the airbag light issue but haven't seen any with stereo control function issues like this. Talked to the dealer yesterday and they said they may be able to do a hard reset through the computer if that's all it is for about $115-$130. Anybody else ever have an issue like this and what was the fix?
Initially I left the battery connected and removed the center console with just the radio and hvac controls then plugged up the hvac portion and turned the key on to see if the blend door actuator was working. After that the battery was disconnected and the passenger side airbag was removed to gain access to the rear screw on the blend door actuator. Once I got the actuator removed from the plenum I again plugged in the hvac controls to the center console and connected the battery to check operation before purchasing a new one. I confirmed this was the issue and disconnected the battery and hvac connections and installed the new actuator. I then made same connections as before and started the vehicle to let it warm up so I could test the blend door operation and be sure I was getting heat when the control **** was on heat and so forth. All worked great. I shut it down, disconnected the battery and began putting it all back together. After finishing the job and starting the truck up is when I found I had two issues.
The radio came on in the AM mode and nothing I did on the center console made any change; no volume control, couldn't change to FM or Serius or Cd, won't even tune to another station. However, all my controls on the steering wheel work; I'm able to tune, adjust volume, change band, etc. I also noticed while checking all this out my passenger "airbag off" was illuminated on the dash. I disconnected the battery again for 15 minutes and crossed my fingers. Nothing, still the same problem. Tried disconnecting the battery for approximately 30 minutes and still no luck. I've read many posts on here regarding the airbag light issue but haven't seen any with stereo control function issues like this. Talked to the dealer yesterday and they said they may be able to do a hard reset through the computer if that's all it is for about $115-$130. Anybody else ever have an issue like this and what was the fix?
#2
02-10-2014, 12:10 PM
Yesterday after 24 hrs after having disconnected the battery for the last time I checked the truck again and the airbag light was off... At this point I decided to go back inside the dash and double check all my connections to the stereo before shelling out money to the stealer. I disconnected the battery and went to work. I have now become very proficient at this and had it opened up in less than 15 minutes. Yep, I missed the one electrical connection that links the stereo controls on the console. I made the connection and put everything back together and reconnected the battery. All is working great and no airbag light. Still not sure why the airbag light took so long to reset though.