Please help me with my problem. My truck is a '97 F150 S/C Lariat 4.6l. I am getting hot air through my a/c vents when I try to use the a/c. Every now and then the air will be cool like it should, however it will go back to blowing hot air in a short while. I am pretty sure that it has something to do with the damper door for mixing fresh air or running air through the heater core. My compressor is working fine and is not low on refrigerant. The air coming out is definately coming off of the heater core.
How do I check for this problem? Where is the damper door located and how do I get to it?

 

Okay, I found where the actuator is. It is located behind the glove box. I can hear the actuator motor running when I alter the temperature control, but no change in the temp occurs.
How do I get to the actuator door? Do I remove all of the glove box and housing?


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1997 F150 S/C Lariat
White/Beige
K&N Air Filter, Bosch +4
Pendaliner, Luverne grill guard
4.L , Flowmaster 40 S/O S/O

 

I have the same problem on my '99. Adjusting the temp. control **** does not vary the temp. from full blown hot, even if you have it on a.c. I just posted a question on the forum (4/22/01). I,m sorry I don't have a solution for you but thought you might have figured it out and could possibly help me. I figure it must be the actuator motor that isn't working but have no idea where it is or how to get to it. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

 

Longbox, I have not gotten into where the actuator is but have found a temporary solution. I have discovered that if I turn the selection dial to the "off" position and then turn the temp control to the cool position I get cold air from the vents. It will not let me go from hot to cold with the switch in any other position than "off." It must have something to do with the air pressure provided by the blower but I'm not for sure.
Let me know if you find a complete solution.

 

Has anyone ever found a solution to this problem, I also have the same thing...AC is running, Freon levels good, etc...sometimes playing with the controls you can get it to flip the other way...it is either full hot or full cold. I replaced the potentiometer in the dash that did not fix it. I am convinced that it is some problem with the damper door control. I have had it into 2 mechanics that I do trust but they both scrathed their head and said that straight time would have to be charged and start taking the whole dash apart to find the problem.

Oh by the way, I have a 1997 F150, 4.6L, ext cab, XLT.

 

First thing to check is that ****!!
Pull it off and check to see if there is a small crack where the D shaped plastic goes around the switch.
If that ain't it, then it is a good possibility that the blend door actuator is bad or the blend door is broken.
Some of the blend door actuators on the F150's are a pain to get to, but sometimes they can be checked for proper operation.
If you can locate what looks like the input to a socket (hand tool)
then rest your finger on it while turning from hot to cold, if it doesn't move at all, then it is either the temp select switch or the actuator itself. However, it it turns back/forth then you got a blend door broken.
And for those you got to pull the dash!!

Good Luck !!

FordMasterTech

 

I am having this same problem. I am not so much worried about the AC but the heat. My system is blowing hot air all the time, in all positions but off and it is about 90 degrees here today.

Is the air that is being blown being heated like the heat in the winter or is it being blown straight in from the outside?

I ask this because soon I will be going to school and when I get there I will not have the tools or time to attempt a fix myself. Paying for 6-8 hours of service to get the dash out just to have cold air blowing in my face isnt worth it to me, I can roll the windows down for that. I will, however, need a heater in the winter.

So if I dont do anything to it in the winter when I put the settings on HI, RED, and FLOOR, will it blow hot air like it is doing now even though it is 30 degrees out? (with the engine warm of course)

Thanks

 

Mine does the same. It started when I tow the boat upon accleration. I'm pretty sure it's a vacume hose leaking. At first my truck would devert the air to the windshield like it was in the defrost mode. Now it blows hot and cool. Is the temp control vacuum (line ) controlled?

 

Just got my truck back from the dealer for this problem. They told me that the actuator and heat box (where blend doors are) have to both be replaced...now get this....

Parts and labour!! = $1583.00

MUHHH HHAAA HHAAA HAAAA
Go to hell Ford!! Not likely I will be paying that, I will trade the truck in before paying that!!

God I hate the dealerships!! This kind of thing should not happen....

I am pretty pissed at the moment!

 

I sort of have a similar problem. If I just try and rotate the temp **** it is very easy to turn but it wont change the temp. If I push in on the **** real hard and turn it sloooowly to either cold or hot it works just fine. So I do believe it it the switch.

If your truck is stuck on heat it is from the heater not the outside so you will be fine in the winter. In the old days when you selected heat you would actually open a valve that let hot coolant into the heater core then you would have heat. Boy did they break a lot!! Now the heater core is always on and the blend door does all the work. it is a much more reliable set up.

 

I have this same problem. You can tell the switch isn't doing anything because it has no resistance. On mine I can rotate it back and forth for a while and then it will work somewhat. It is getting worse though. This is my second rotary switch though and both did it after a while. Second switch didn't last long at all. Has anyone found a solution to this problem?

 

Just made a post on this before I saw this one.
Add me to the list of people with this same problem. Had the switch replaced 2 months ago and that fixed it but already started happening again today.

RogerLariat thanks much for the tip on turning off the AC then changing the temp then turning back on. Got it back to cold at least. Immediately told my wife not to move the **** off max cold till October or a fix is found.

Anyone have an idea why turning off the AC allows the temp change to work? Seems like that should help isolate the cause pretty easily for someone who knows how these things really work?

 

The blender door breaks on one of the hinges causing the door to flap to the hot side. The hinge is plastic and probably cracks in extreme cold we get. It is a very common problem with the 97/98 Ford trucks.

I played the game of setting to switch to panel, slowly moving temp control, listening to all the actuators working and all that until one day it hit 98 deg in Iowa with full humidity and the door stuck on heat there is no option for just getting outside air in, just hot. So, I took to mechanic I trust.

The link below is a kit my mechanic used which costs about $50 and about 2 hours of install time. It requires removing glovebox only and cutting a specific hole in the duct system to get to the door. The instructions are supplied. Total cost of repair: $241 . The other option costs about $750 in labor and requires removing the entire dash. Ford would want well over $1200 to do that. This Dorman option is quick and cheap and solves the problem. The hinge is metal on the replacement part.

http://www.dormanproducts.com/p-5327...origin=keyword

Note: I not absolutely 100% certain this is the part number they used but it is most likely the kit and they bought from Dorman.

 

HCMQ, you have a broken ****. If you pull it off, you'll notice the "d" shaped hole is cracked or broken. I had the same problem with my 4x4 ****, the local wrecking yard sold me one for cheap.

 

I'm sure the guy who started this post 15 years ago appreciates your answers today