I have a '97. So far the blend door is hanging in there; but lot's of complaints. So with this gentleman's vid and assistance I'll be ready. One of the best parts of the vid is the technical terms for the related parts: "Remove this crap; the air something or other round thing; vacuum thing; chunks of broken-ness. Terms we do-it-yourselfers can relate to. Thank you for taking the time to post this saving US hundreds!!
I've seen a lot of videos on this process and yours is absolutely the best. The diagnostic on watching the actuator move is really helpful. Gluing the cut airbox door back on and covering with thermal tape is super professional.
I just finished replacing the blend door via this video. I am an avid DIYer but this process seemed a little beyond what I normally would attempt. My 1998 F 150 has 314,000+ miles but was blowing out hot air only. The biggest trouble spots for me were locating the back screw on the air duct and getting the new door lined up. Taking the vacuum part loose helped to locate the back screw. I purchased the new Dorman blend door from Amazon at half the price the auto store was asking and it came with the foil tape. I did check the gears in the actuator and it was functioning properly. When I took the actuator off, I could feel pieces of broken plastic in the hole. I cut the glove box backing and the heater box with a Dremel. Just like the video says, it took a little coaxing to get the old door our. The most difficult part of the job was lining up the new door post to the upper hole and the getting the lower hole to line up. Don't worry about indexing as the parts can only go in one way. I wound up taking the new metal piece out of the new door (being very careful not to move the door), inserting it into the actuator and then inserting it back into the new door. It takes some patiences and did walk away a few times to regain my cool. Greg - thanks for taking the time to make this video almost 7 years ago - it is still helping people like me!
@@mgomez5606 If you are referring to he top bolt on the floor vent, yes, it is a real pain to find and even harder to get back in during the reassembly process. I used a 1/4" socket with a 4 inch extension. But the biggest part is finding the bolt in the first place. Good lighting is key. Sorry I could be more help.
Thanks for going slow and doing great camera work. Mine box is cut now and door is out. Waiting on the door and should be here tomorrow morning. The replacement door is not $25 anymore, its $66. Thanks for the video 😊
Answering my own question. The round thing is attached and moves just enough to access plenum's rear screw. Took me less then 2 hours to watch video and get all steps complete up to the reinstall of the new door. This video rocks, thank you, you saved me over $500...
Did mine today, it went perfectly. Before you start, put your thermostat in the full COLD position. This will allow you to put the door in and close it tight against the heater core opening and the actuator will slide right into the new insert that comes with the door. If it doesn't, just remove the insert, rotate it 180 degrees and re-insert it and try again. The motor spline and the insert are keyed. Make your cuts exactly where they are shown and you will be fine. The vent at the bottom that covers the actuator motor is a pain to get out, just remove it enough to allow the actuator motor to be removed. You will have to pull the carpet back some to get room for the vent to be moved out of the way. It goes right back into place no problem. It seems ridiculous to remove the entire dash on a 17 year old truck to replace a 25 dollar part that is prone to failure in its stock form. The plenum comes apart right there if the dash was out, all you are doing is adding a removable cover in a strategic spot to allow for a quick repair and Dorman has designed an excellent part for just this method.
This video was very helpful. My issue is hot air constantly blows out the vent. That does not work when you live in the desert. If I was way up north, then it would probably be stuck on cold. Lol. Anyways, very clear instructions and video. If our paths ever cross, I'll buy you a drink since you saved me the money.
hell yea! I didn't know they made a part like that......when mine first went bad it was cold and I didn't have time to work on it so I used a hole saw and cut hole through both pieces and just used a screw driver to flip back and forth. Tore into mine last night and was going to fabricate a screw with a lever onto the one I had so I could manually switch back and forth from the bottom of the blend door by removing the motor. I already cut into my box last night just like you did, but you just made my life easier with that part number Thanks man!!!!
I do not have this problem was just looking thru the net and found you.. I think it is very nice when someone like you takes the time to show other people that has this kind of problems.. WE can all learn for other people no matter who they are. Its a damn shame company's build automobiles like that ,stack it on top of everything. Thanks my friend, I subscribed,See Ya
just finished 20 minutes ago. 98 f150. today is the first really bitter cold day of the year. i had no heat, now i do. thanks too tall. thank you thank you thank you! imo, if you can change your own oil, you can manage this fix, in case some folks were wondering... btw- dorman and the "help" products at auto stores have saved my ass more than once, this is yet another example. the older i get the less shiny stuff has to be. it just needs to work.
My 97 f-150 just turned 28 this coming month and blend door gave up ghost your descriptions and procedures are awsome i noticed you didnt cut apart duct work it came out with bolts , perfect ❤
Greg, awesome video. Thanks for showing me how to save $1000. If I had to do this myself it would be a disaster. You are making the world a better place, my friend!
Just got done installing this door on my son's 1999 f150. It's a bit of a pain, but much better than $1000.00 to the dealer. Took me a few hours, but was well worth it! Thanks for a good video.
Dude! You were right on the money. My mechanic thought it was the thermostat, I didn't know, then unheard the rumbling like the for was was just spinning on actuator. Cut it out with Dremel and viola, broken door. Your the man. But my local advance auto didn't have part in stock. 70 bucks and it'll be here Wednesday. All good though, least I know it was that! Thanks man!
Thanks for making the video. Just replaced mine using your video as a guide. Hardest part for me was getting the floor vent unit out of the way. Once that was done, the rest was easy. Used a Dremel and small cutting wheel attachment and it cut through the plastic like butter. Used jb weld to seal up the cut and everything is working again. 5 minute Jb weld is pretty thick and was able to fill 1/8" gaps easily. As stated in the video, be sure to get the door with the removable peg that attaches to the motor. I had to return the door I bought to get the correct one with the removable part.
WARNINGS AND TIPS Did this yesterday and it was a PAIN. Take my advice and it should go much more smoothly for you. At the end of the day - still well worth it. Electronic module with the green screws comes out first, then vent, then actuator The vacuum cylinder above the vent makes a hissing sound when you start to pull off the connectors. This scared me so I tried to do the job leaving it connected and it made life miserable. Go ahead and unplug it and remove it (It's easy to put back later) I didn't take the vent completely out, I slid it about halfway out and then turned it enough to get access to the actuator. It helped to remove the little crossbar going between the bottom left corner of the glovebox panel and the floor of the truck. I found it easiest to position the door in the compartment, then put the silver shaft on the actuator, and then push the actuator up into the door that is already in place. Use your finger from underneath to make sure that the door and the hole are aligned. Warning - the new door simply has a post at the top that slides into the PLASTIC retaining ring, but the old door has a tab at the top of that post to keep it from sliding out. I broke the retaining ring with not much force, just jiggling the door trying to get it out. So just reach in there with some needle nose pliers and break off that tab on the old door, and it should come right out. I do think my repair will be fine because of the solid construction of the new door, and the fact that the shaft below is tight enough to handle most of the stress, but I thought I'd share since nobody likes breaking things unnecessarily. Good luck!
Word for word this is exactly what I did. I wish I read your comment earlier. I spent probably 90 minutes figuring this out for the floor vents and how to twist them out of the way. Once that was done the entire remainder of the job took maybe 20 minutes.
Thanks Adam these steps were perfect! The hard part for me was finding the bolts that hold in the vent (one on either side and the third in the back in a column piece hanging down in my 98 f250). Also the vacuum piece is held in by a metal hook in the tube above it). Good luck everyone!
I just drill a hole angled directly at the closed damper large enough for a welding rod to pass through then slid the rod up against the damper and bent the exterior part of the rod to where it's under tension positioned behind the aesthetic plastic behind the glove box. When I want heat I just slide the rod out. Took five minutes.
Fantastic video, and thanks for posting it. I'm in the middle of this now. I had a hard time getting that floor duct out but then realized that you have to pull the carpet & pad out from under it just for that bit of vertical clearance, and remove the tubular brace attached to the floor on the right side (10mm) so that the duct can move forward (well, toward the back of the truck). Mine was still a PITA to get out and I'm worried about getting it back in. Also people, be sure to read the notes before diving into this - you have to have the Dorman 902-220! Dorman makes it specifically for this through-the-glovebox replacement. Update - finally got mine done. It took the better part of 2 days, the hardest job I've done in some time. There are a few things that can complicate this job, for example the outer ring from the base of the old door was still attached to the pedestal on mine. I wound up having to lay a flashlight in the bottom of the plenum box, hold a mechanic's mirror in one hand, and manipulate a pair of side cutters (in reverse of course!) with the other to cut that ring loose. That alone took a good two hours. I also was not able to get the ductwork back in until I used a hacksaw to cut the top 1/4" or so off the top of the threaded stud that comes up out of the transmission tunnel toward the right side (which is the mount point for that short tubular brace). Finally - although my actuator was still working fine, I replaced it anyway. I don't ever want to have to take all that crap apart again. Thanks again for a great video!
Thank you very much. Local shop wanted $850 to fix this. I am mechanically inclined but I had no time to take my work truck completely apart. Thank you very much for showing how to do this with light. Not knocking other videos but you can’t see anything. Thank you again
Buddy just did this to my 1998 f150 and Boom saved me a lot of money I used a Dremal to cut open the Hole .. but since I live in lower Texas and never get Cold Weather I just glued the Door and used some gorilla tape for door problem , solved worked perfectly oh and did it in like 20 minutes
Man what a life saver. Watched a video where expert showed how to remove dash to get to heater core.blend door. No way I'd try that. Yours was way to go. My blend door was OK but AC coil full of dust/dirt restricting air flow & cooling. Just cut opening in heat/AC box a little larger & took coil cleaner, water, & air to it. All kinks of dirt came out. Works great now.
i cant pay the 800 for the repair! but i can do the work, soooo happy you made this video! my truck is the same year, make and model. so i should not have any surprises! this saved my butt! i can do this, i thought it was going to be a nightmare, but i can do it. thanks again,
I recently removed the blend door actuator to see if it was functional. It was unfortunately, I didn’t see any chunks of plastic falling out of the black box. I’m going to have to revisit it. Thanks for sharing.
thank you sir, I have a 98f150 and don't what I would do with wonderful people like you. i'm not much of a mechanic and don't have a lot of money so its people like on that keep me on the road. Bless you all.
Great fix- I ordered the Dorman part from Amazon, delivered to the door for $30.They even included the metal tape for the air box repair in the kit!Thanks for posting this, and great job filming the repair.
This is an easier repair. I have the 2001 f150 lariat and there's more vents attached on the flooring that feed the rear seats. I had to cut some of the vents to access it and epoxy them back. good video!
Hello from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada just wanted to say thanks for the awesome video because my door broke the same as your did. So I ordered the same door followed your video and voila now I have heat thanks for saving me a lot of money 😊
This was a great help.Now I have heat for winter. To keep the blend door open. I took a small piece of metal with a bend in it which I slid over the blend door and the other end was bent and slipped over the edge of the cut in the box. I then squeezed it tight and pushed the plastic opening closed. Like a big paper clip. I then put heating tape around the cuts
Thank you so much for the video! Save me a bundle of money. Went ahead and replaced the motor while everything was torn apart. My motor still worked, but it was on its last leg.
good god! thank you for posting this. i just purchased a 97 f150 that has this problem was about to have it fixed at the dealer till i found your video! thanks for saving me a ton of$$$$$$ bless you my friend.
Wow, ten years ago. Just getting to mine, 2024 . My 2002 F-150 at 265,000. Not sure yet if its the blend door or actuator. Guess i better look soon to see if i need to order one. Good video, thanks sir. Much appreciated.
Excellent tutorial. I have the problem of too much heat and had to install a valve under the hood and it is a pain. Too much heat, too little heat. Not enough AC in the summer. Now I know what to do. Thank you.
Thank you so much. My 98 expedition has been at the shop for 3 days and they couldn't fix it. I know that one of these 2 issues is my problem and I am ready for my hubby to get home from a trip so he can follow your steps. Thanks again.
Thank You! I've spent HOURS looking for someone who can show how to diagnose this without first tearing into it! From a guy who could be called "TooTallSteve". Here's to our knots and dings on top of our heads.
Thank You. I just performed this myself...What a chore...Once I learned how to do it I could do it again, but the first time is very lengthy. The fancy gear to give heat in the truck isnt really an improvement....more things to go wrong. The old way with cables and vales were less trouble. Good advice and you helped a lot.
Thanks for sharing install video for blend door replacement on my 98 Ford F-150. A few glitches but got er done. Nice cool air out of AC vents now. Paid about $80 for the replacement kit at Oreillys! Then after the fact found it online for around $30! Oreillys wouldn't price match on any online quote has to be a store.
Great video and thanks for sharing! Hey everyone, before you start taking everything apart, be sure it's just not a stripped knob! That's what it was for me. I pulled the control knob off and used pliers to shift from hot to cold and that did the trick. Might add a dab of super glue and place the knob back on there.
Thank you.your way is the best.i had plenty of heat but with the door broken I could not get the air conditioning to blow in my face just at the top in the defrost area.
Same thing just happen to my 1998 ford f150,the local shop told me they would have to remove the whole dash in order to fix it.Thanks for the info.i know what I will be doing tomorrow.
I just got done putting in my new heater core. Wasnt as bad as I thought. Took me over 3 days to do it cause I took my time. And I also cleaned everything i removed really good and also behind the dash had like a inch of dust on everything. Lol. But i have good heat now. I am happy!
great video saved me a bunch of dollars,,,i checked mine and the bottom hinge was broke ,, no missing parts ,, i went a step farther ,, just above and little of the motor that moves it , i cut a 2x3 piece out and could see the bottom of the door it was broke just above the pivot pin,,got some epoxy with the 3 inch extension tube from o'rileys held the door in place from the opening in glove box ,, and through the bottom hole ,put the epoxy on the break ,let it set for a few minutes , then cut a small piece of plastic and epoxyed it along side the break,, .used the rest of the epoxy to replace the cut outs , spent about 6 bucks and 1 1/2 hours ,works like new ,, hope this helps someone
Hi Mr. Adkins, Didn't quite understand what you did exactly. Are you referring to the step where you glue the cutouts back into place? My apologies and thanks, Charles
Mr. Adkins I had one more question. My heating and air issue was that when I had my AC on max the drivers side vent was relatively cool and the passengers side was warm. That's what made me think it was the blend door. But now I wonder if it could be the temperature switch itself? (The part that has the red/blue knob). I can't hear any noise or popping. Just curious what your symptoms were. Thanks again for everything. Charles
Thank you..your video was very informative and cost effective for me..I to am a hands on guy and would rather fix things myself. Keep up the good videoing.
Wow.... you are the best step by step explainer. .. In the world... lol i had like 10 question that you answer because you take time to explain every set..... and my hat goes off to you.... Thanks so so much
Great tip! Although, I've put 3 heater cores and a blend door in my '99 F150 (Same setup). It's really not too bad to loosen the dash and pull it away far enough to get to the box. I never pull it completely out, just loosen it and pull it back just enough to access the heater core box. Yes, it is time consuming (Can have it done in 4-5 hrs), but it isn't very labor intensive and it's honestly fun taking things apart lol these trucks are notorious for heater core failures, which sucks because I love mine.
Not a Ford guy, but these are great trucks. 270k and counting. Did a heater core and like you said, not that bad to remove the dash on these trucks. But for a blend door, may try this
I was able to do it with the one piece blend door it just takes a little finesse and a medium size pry bar :) just take your time and you can wiggle it in. Or you can just pre order the correct door and have an easier install. Just saying anything that "impossible" can be done. Good luck!
wow finally a video for this fix that you didnt use tape or a t shirt and have to remove the t shirt and tape to change from heat to ac...they are crazy to make you spend the time and cash for this issue...ford if you know this an ongoing issue fix the crap damn...good job man...nice n clean...not rigged completely !
Oh No! Don't cut up your truck? There's a right way and a wrong way to do repairs. The right way would be for the manufacturer to provide a way to get to the heater core to quickly replace it as has been the way for many years. I did my Firebird heater core in about 30 minutes. Then after seeing that it will take about 8 hours to do my F150 decided to buy a bigger jacket. I've been thinking about how to cut into this little black box for a few years now. I think your video is going to be a great help when I make this heater core replacement as easy as it should have been.
Took actuator off and nothing was broken. I jumpers the low pressure switch and clutch engaged. Will have to replace it. I connected it back and clutch momentarily engaged and stopped.
Is there a way to take the ac evaporator out by cutting more of that plastic housing. I did it on my tahoe by another video and I'm trying to do the same on my sister's 01 f150.
Is it possible to just cut your way to the blend door and install the new blend door through the back of the glove box without having do the steps to remove the blower motor. I have a 1998 expedition and it would take even longer to get to that area. Thanks
@TooTallGreg So it looks like the Cut on the Air Plenum needs to be just to the left of the peg sticking up and just to the right of the screw holding it down and of course across the top. what tool did you use to cut yours? I saw one video where the guy said he almost cut too far to the left where the outside edge of the blend door is located when it is fully open. I also like the comment about setting the thermostat knob to full cold and placing the new blend door against the heater core during installation and that the metal peg is indexed to fit the actuator and the blend door in this position...any tips on this? will be doing this soon. Thanks.
great video: in my case I was not getting heat but AC worked fine-had coolant flushed, thermostat changed, still no heat so I checked blend door via your method and blend door works so does that mean I need new heater core and if so do you think its possible to change it with your method of getting into the air box or do I need to take dash apart ?
I know this is an old video but it is helpful. Has anyone found a video on how to get the actuator out from behind/above the floor ductwork? This video kinda skips all of that. Thanks.
In the time it took you to do this hack job, you could’ve done it the right way. Those 97-03 f150 dashes are the easiest to pull back. 20 minutes to pull it, 10 minutes to open the hvac case and 20 minutes to put the dash back.
I have a '97. So far the blend door is hanging in there; but lot's of complaints. So with this gentleman's vid and assistance I'll be ready. One of the best parts of the vid is the technical terms for the related parts: "Remove this crap; the air something or other round thing; vacuum thing; chunks of broken-ness. Terms we do-it-yourselfers can relate to. Thank you for taking the time to post this saving US hundreds!!
I've seen a lot of videos on this process and yours is absolutely the best. The diagnostic on watching the actuator move is really helpful. Gluing the cut airbox door back on and covering with thermal tape is super professional.
I just finished replacing the blend door via this video. I am an avid DIYer but this process seemed a little beyond what I normally would attempt. My 1998 F 150 has 314,000+ miles but was blowing out hot air only. The biggest trouble spots for me were locating the back screw on the air duct and getting the new door lined up. Taking the vacuum part loose helped to locate the back screw. I purchased the new Dorman blend door from Amazon at half the price the auto store was asking and it came with the foil tape. I did check the gears in the actuator and it was functioning properly. When I took the actuator off, I could feel pieces of broken plastic in the hole. I cut the glove box backing and the heater box with a Dremel. Just like the video says, it took a little coaxing to get the old door our. The most difficult part of the job was lining up the new door post to the upper hole and the getting the lower hole to line up. Don't worry about indexing as the parts can only go in one way. I wound up taking the new metal piece out of the new door (being very careful not to move the door), inserting it into the actuator and then inserting it back into the new door. It takes some patiences and did walk away a few times to regain my cool. Greg - thanks for taking the time to make this video almost 7 years ago - it is still helping people like me!
@@BruceWayne426 I spent a hour trying yo find that back bolt. How did you put it back on? I will not put it together until I fix my ac.
@@mgomez5606 If you are referring to he top bolt on the floor vent, yes, it is a real pain to find and even harder to get back in during the reassembly process. I used a 1/4" socket with a 4 inch extension. But the biggest part is finding the bolt in the first place. Good lighting is key. Sorry I could be more help.
@@BruceWayne426 Bruce, I dropped it and fell under the vinyl. I left if like that. Shoved a piece of cardboard to lift up vent.
Thanks for going slow and doing great camera work. Mine box is cut now and door is out. Waiting on the door and should be here tomorrow morning. The replacement door is not $25 anymore, its $66. Thanks for the video 😊
Answering my own question. The round thing is attached and moves just enough to access plenum's rear screw. Took me less then 2 hours to watch video and get all steps complete up to the reinstall of the new door. This video rocks, thank you, you saved me over $500...
What round thing?
Did mine today, it went perfectly. Before you start, put your thermostat in the full COLD position. This will allow you to put the door in and close it tight against the heater core opening and the actuator will slide right into the new insert that comes with the door. If it doesn't, just remove the insert, rotate it 180 degrees and re-insert it and try again. The motor spline and the insert are keyed. Make your cuts exactly where they are shown and you will be fine. The vent at the bottom that covers the actuator motor is a pain to get out, just remove it enough to allow the actuator motor to be removed. You will have to pull the carpet back some to get room for the vent to be moved out of the way. It goes right back into place no problem.
It seems ridiculous to remove the entire dash on a 17 year old truck to replace a 25 dollar part that is prone to failure in its stock form. The plenum comes apart right there if the dash was out, all you are doing is adding a removable cover in a strategic spot to allow for a quick repair and Dorman has designed an excellent part for just this method.
can you do the heater core the same way
Best comment, 👍
gorflunk Thanks for all the good information that you posted here
@@dddddd2100 No prob. 6 years on and that fix hasn't given me any trouble.
Thanks for this additional info
This video was very helpful. My issue is hot air constantly blows out the vent. That does not work when you live in the desert. If I was way up north, then it would probably be stuck on cold. Lol. Anyways, very clear instructions and video. If our paths ever cross, I'll buy you a drink since you saved me the money.
This is my life
hell yea! I didn't know they made a part like that......when mine first went bad it was cold and I didn't have time to work on it so I used a hole saw and cut hole through both pieces and just used a screw driver to flip back and forth. Tore into mine last night and was going to fabricate a screw with a lever onto the one I had so I could manually switch back and forth from the bottom of the blend door by removing the motor. I already cut into my box last night just like you did, but you just made my life easier with that part number Thanks man!!!!
I do not have this problem was just looking thru the net and found you.. I think it is very nice when someone like you takes the time to show other people that has this kind of problems.. WE can all learn for other people no matter who they are. Its a damn shame company's build automobiles like that ,stack it on top of everything. Thanks my friend, I subscribed,See Ya
just finished 20 minutes ago. 98 f150. today is the first really bitter cold day of the year. i had no heat, now i do. thanks too tall. thank you thank you thank you! imo, if you can change your own oil, you can manage this fix, in case some folks were wondering...
btw- dorman and the "help" products at auto stores have saved my ass more than once, this is yet another example. the older i get the less shiny stuff has to be. it just needs to work.
My 97 f-150 just turned 28 this coming month and blend door gave up ghost your descriptions and procedures are awsome i noticed you didnt cut apart duct work it came out with bolts , perfect ❤
Greg, awesome video. Thanks for showing me how to save $1000. If I had to do this myself it would be a disaster. You are making the world a better place, my friend!
Just got done installing this door on my son's 1999 f150. It's a bit of a pain, but much better than $1000.00 to the dealer. Took me a few hours, but was well worth it! Thanks for a good video.
it would be cool if Dorman would manufacture a piece of plastic that can replace the airbox and be tight and removable in the future
Dude! You were right on the money. My mechanic thought it was the thermostat, I didn't know, then unheard the rumbling like the for was was just spinning on actuator. Cut it out with Dremel and viola, broken door. Your the man. But my local advance auto didn't have part in stock. 70 bucks and it'll be here Wednesday. All good though, least I know it was that! Thanks man!
The price is now $90. Regards. But that's still cheaper than a $1000 bill.
Thanks for making the video. Just replaced mine using your video as a guide. Hardest part for me was getting the floor vent unit out of the way. Once that was done, the rest was easy. Used a Dremel and small cutting wheel attachment and it cut through the plastic like butter. Used jb weld to seal up the cut and everything is working again. 5 minute Jb weld is pretty thick and was able to fill 1/8" gaps easily. As stated in the video, be sure to get the door with the removable peg that attaches to the motor. I had to return the door I bought to get the correct one with the removable part.
Another video I saw just used tape with aluminum foil backing, but I like your fix.
Just did this over the weekend. Took some time but with a little patience I was able to get it all done! Thanks for the video!!
WARNINGS AND TIPS
Did this yesterday and it was a PAIN. Take my advice and it should go much more smoothly for you. At the end of the day - still well worth it.
Electronic module with the green screws comes out first, then vent, then actuator
The vacuum cylinder above the vent makes a hissing sound when you start to pull off the connectors. This scared me so I tried to do the job leaving it connected and it made life miserable. Go ahead and unplug it and remove it (It's easy to put back later)
I didn't take the vent completely out, I slid it about halfway out and then turned it enough to get access to the actuator. It helped to remove the little crossbar going between the bottom left corner of the glovebox panel and the floor of the truck.
I found it easiest to position the door in the compartment, then put the silver shaft on the actuator, and then push the actuator up into the door that is already in place. Use your finger from underneath to make sure that the door and the hole are aligned.
Warning - the new door simply has a post at the top that slides into the PLASTIC retaining ring, but the old door has a tab at the top of that post to keep it from sliding out. I broke the retaining ring with not much force, just jiggling the door trying to get it out. So just reach in there with some needle nose pliers and break off that tab on the old door, and it should come right out.
I do think my repair will be fine because of the solid construction of the new door, and the fact that the shaft below is tight enough to handle most of the stress, but I thought I'd share since nobody likes breaking things unnecessarily.
Good luck!
Word for word this is exactly what I did. I wish I read your comment earlier. I spent probably 90 minutes figuring this out for the floor vents and how to twist them out of the way. Once that was done the entire remainder of the job took maybe 20 minutes.
Thanks Adam these steps were perfect! The hard part for me was finding the bolts that hold in the vent (one on either side and the third in the back in a column piece hanging down in my 98 f250). Also the vacuum piece is held in by a metal hook in the tube above it). Good luck everyone!
If you broke the retaining ring then how does the new door stay in place at the top?
Glad I found you're comment before I started!
I just did this job today, it took me about five hours.
Big hands in tight places .
I was successful though!
Thank you.
There's people for those types of jobs where small hands are needed, they're called little kids.. 👍
Completely understand I have that problem sometimes..
I just drill a hole angled directly at the closed damper large enough for a welding rod to pass through then slid the rod up against the damper and bent the exterior part of the rod to where it's under tension positioned behind the aesthetic plastic behind the glove box. When I want heat I just slide the rod out. Took five minutes.
Paul Simmons yup
Fantastic video, and thanks for posting it. I'm in the middle of this now. I had a hard time getting that floor duct out but then realized that you have to pull the carpet & pad out from under it just for that bit of vertical clearance, and remove the tubular brace attached to the floor on the right side (10mm) so that the duct can move forward (well, toward the back of the truck). Mine was still a PITA to get out and I'm worried about getting it back in.
Also people, be sure to read the notes before diving into this - you have to have the Dorman 902-220! Dorman makes it specifically for this through-the-glovebox replacement.
Update - finally got mine done. It took the better part of 2 days, the hardest job I've done in some time. There are a few things that can complicate this job, for example the outer ring from the base of the old door was still attached to the pedestal on mine. I wound up having to lay a flashlight in the bottom of the plenum box, hold a mechanic's mirror in one hand, and manipulate a pair of side cutters (in reverse of course!) with the other to cut that ring loose. That alone took a good two hours.
I also was not able to get the ductwork back in until I used a hacksaw to cut the top 1/4" or so off the top of the threaded stud that comes up out of the transmission tunnel toward the right side (which is the mount point for that short tubular brace).
Finally - although my actuator was still working fine, I replaced it anyway. I don't ever want to have to take all that crap apart again.
Thanks again for a great video!
I used a $5 30W SOLDERING IRON to cut into my box. It works well if you can stand the smell. Didn't take long at all.
Thank you very much. Local shop wanted $850 to fix this. I am mechanically inclined but I had no time to take my work truck completely apart. Thank you very much for showing how to do this with light. Not knocking other videos but you can’t see anything. Thank you again
Buddy just did this to my 1998 f150 and Boom saved me a lot of money I used a Dremal to cut open the Hole .. but since I live in lower Texas and never get Cold Weather I just glued the Door and used some gorilla tape for door problem , solved worked perfectly oh and did it in like 20 minutes
Man what a life saver. Watched a video where expert showed how to remove dash to get to heater core.blend door. No way I'd try that. Yours was way to go. My blend door was OK but AC coil full of dust/dirt restricting air flow & cooling. Just cut opening in heat/AC box a little larger & took coil cleaner, water, & air to it. All kinks of dirt came out. Works great now.
Excellent video tutorial. Best cutting tool for that is an oscillating multi-tool...cuts like butter!
i cant pay the 800 for the repair! but i can do the work, soooo happy you made this video! my truck is the same year, make and model. so i should not have any surprises! this saved my butt! i can do this, i thought it was going to be a nightmare, but i can do it. thanks again,
I recently removed the blend door actuator to see if it was functional. It was unfortunately, I didn’t see any chunks of plastic falling out of the black box. I’m going to have to revisit it. Thanks for sharing.
thank you sir, I have a 98f150 and don't what I would do with wonderful people like you. i'm not much of a mechanic and don't have a lot of money so its people like on that keep me on the road. Bless you all.
Great fix- I ordered the Dorman part from Amazon, delivered to the door for $30.They even included the metal tape for the air box repair in the kit!Thanks for posting this, and great job filming the repair.
What was the part number?
Dude, you are the man. I couldn't find this info on any of the ford forums and happend to stumble across your video. Thanks for sharing it.
This is an easier repair. I have the 2001 f150 lariat and there's more vents attached on the flooring that feed the rear seats. I had to cut some of the vents to access it and epoxy them back. good video!
Hello from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada just wanted to say thanks for the awesome video because my door broke the same as your did. So I ordered the same door followed your video and voila now I have heat thanks for saving me a lot of money 😊
This was a great help.Now I have heat for winter. To keep the blend door open. I took a small piece of metal with a bend in it which I slid over the blend door and the other end was bent and slipped over the edge of the cut in the box. I then squeezed it tight and pushed the plastic opening closed. Like a big paper clip. I then put heating tape around the cuts
Thank you so much for the video! Save me a bundle of money. Went ahead and replaced the motor while everything was torn apart. My motor still worked, but it was on its last leg.
good god! thank you for posting this. i just purchased a 97 f150 that has this problem was about to have it fixed at the dealer till i found your video! thanks for saving me a ton of$$$$$$ bless you my friend.
Wow, ten years ago. Just getting to mine, 2024 . My 2002 F-150 at 265,000.
Not sure yet if its the blend door or actuator. Guess i better look soon to see if i need to order one.
Good video, thanks sir. Much appreciated.
Excellent tutorial. I have the problem of too much heat and had to install a valve under the hood and it is a pain. Too much heat, too little heat. Not enough AC in the summer. Now I know what to do. Thank you.
Thank you so much. My 98 expedition has been at the shop for 3 days and they couldn't fix it. I know that one of these 2 issues is my problem and I am ready for my hubby to get home from a trip so he can follow your steps. Thanks again.
Ours did the same...just changed the heater core 4 times and said I don't know...lazy...they just want your money
Ours did the same...just changed the heater core 4 times and said I don't know...lazy...they just want your money
Thank You! I've spent HOURS looking for someone who can show how to diagnose this without first tearing into it! From a guy who could be called "TooTallSteve". Here's to our knots and dings on top of our heads.
Thank You. I just performed this myself...What a chore...Once I learned how to do it I could do it again, but the first time is very lengthy. The fancy gear to give heat in the truck isnt really an improvement....more things to go wrong. The old way with cables and vales were less trouble. Good advice and you helped a lot.
Thanks for the video- did it today in about an hour!
Great shortcut and it’s nice to have air conditioning in my truck again
You are the man you saved me $500 took 2 hours video was extremely helpful
Thanks for sharing install video for blend door replacement on my 98 Ford F-150. A few glitches but got er done. Nice cool air out of AC vents now. Paid about $80 for the replacement kit at Oreillys! Then after the fact found it online for around $30! Oreillys wouldn't price match on any online quote has to be a store.
Great video and thanks for sharing! Hey everyone, before you start taking everything apart, be sure it's just not a stripped knob! That's what it was for me. I pulled the control knob off and used pliers to shift from hot to cold and that did the trick. Might add a dab of super glue and place the knob back on there.
Did the stripped knob turn past where it should stop, is that how you know it was stripped? Thanks
@@dddddd2100 Because the temperature wasn’t changing I pulled it off and use needle nose pliers and was able to turn it properly
Thank you.your way is the best.i had plenty of heat but with the door broken I could not get the air conditioning to blow in my face just at the top in the defrost area.
You are the man! This is the best DIY video for us poor folks 🤷♂️
Same thing just happen to my 1998 ford f150,the local shop told me they would have to remove the whole dash in order to fix it.Thanks for the info.i know what I will be doing tomorrow.
THANK YOU!! my heater core took 12hrs over two days. Great video!
I just got done putting in my new heater core. Wasnt as bad as I thought. Took me over 3 days to do it cause I took my time. And I also cleaned everything i removed really good and also behind the dash had like a inch of dust on everything. Lol. But i have good heat now. I am happy!
This also works for late 90's Expedition, same style console.
You mean all first gen expeditions
Best video yet just what I needed to see thank you very much
Good job Greg and Thank You for sharing your info to fellow F150 owners
great video saved me a bunch of dollars,,,i checked mine and the bottom hinge was broke ,, no missing parts ,, i went a step
farther ,, just above and little of the motor that moves it , i cut a 2x3 piece out and could see the bottom of the door it was broke just above the pivot pin,,got some epoxy with the 3 inch extension tube from o'rileys held the door in place from the opening in glove box ,, and through the bottom hole ,put the epoxy on the break ,let it set for a few minutes , then cut a small piece of plastic and epoxyed it along side the break,, .used the rest of the epoxy to replace the cut outs , spent about 6 bucks and 1 1/2 hours ,works like new ,, hope this helps someone
Hi Mr. Adkins,
Didn't quite understand what you did exactly. Are you referring to the step where you glue the cutouts back into place?
My apologies and thanks,
Charles
ceabbott2 yes, i used the the remainder of the epoxy to reglue the pieces back in place
Denver Adkins
Thank you sir.
Mr. Adkins I had one more question. My heating and air issue was that when I had my AC on max the drivers side vent was relatively cool and the passengers side was warm. That's what made me think it was the blend door. But now I wonder if it could be the temperature switch itself? (The part that has the red/blue knob). I can't hear any noise or popping. Just curious what your symptoms were.
Thanks again for everything.
Charles
Thank you..your video was very informative and cost effective for me..I to am a hands on guy and would rather fix things myself.
Keep up the good videoing.
Wow.... you are the best step by step explainer. .. In the world... lol i had like 10 question that you answer because you take time to explain every set..... and my hat goes off to you....
Thanks so so much
You just saved me $1100.00 had same problem did what you did works great than you sir!
Great tip! Although, I've put 3 heater cores and a blend door in my '99 F150 (Same setup). It's really not too bad to loosen the dash and pull it away far enough to get to the box. I never pull it completely out, just loosen it and pull it back just enough to access the heater core box. Yes, it is time consuming (Can have it done in 4-5 hrs), but it isn't very labor intensive and it's honestly fun taking things apart lol these trucks are notorious for heater core failures, which sucks because I love mine.
How do you get the venting loose?
It unbolts behind the dash. One of the bolts is located under the "Dash Cover" where the auto headlamp sensor is.
Do you think you can remove the heater core just by cutting behind the glove box?
Not a Ford guy, but these are great trucks. 270k and counting. Did a heater core and like you said, not that bad to remove the dash on these trucks. But for a blend door, may try this
Well done. My blender door works fine so I'm not there yet. But was thinking about using this procedure to clean the A/C Evaporator. Thanks!
I was able to do it with the one piece blend door it just takes a little finesse and a medium size pry bar :) just take your time and you can wiggle it in. Or you can just pre order the correct door and have an easier install. Just saying anything that "impossible" can be done. Good luck!
Dude that's awesome!!!!
Dreaded having to remove my entire dash. This way is much simpler. Thanks
Greg, what did you use to cut the plastic?
wow finally a video for this fix that you didnt use tape or a t shirt and have to remove the t shirt and tape to change from heat to ac...they are crazy to make you spend the time and cash for this issue...ford if you know this an ongoing issue fix the crap damn...good job man...nice n clean...not rigged completely !
Oh No! Don't cut up your truck? There's a right way and a wrong way to do repairs. The right way would be for the manufacturer to provide a way to get to the heater core to quickly replace it as has been the way for many years. I did my Firebird heater core in about 30 minutes. Then after seeing that it will take about 8 hours to do my F150 decided to buy a bigger jacket. I've been thinking about how to cut into this little black box for a few years now. I think your video is going to be a great help when I make this heater core replacement as easy as it should have been.
yodaddydawg1 Yea, old GM cars were so easy. Just a few small bolts under the glove box.
good video. thanx for the info, i did'nt know where the blend door was. i'am going to try this this week.hopefully i'll have good luck
To TheMisterP... Replacing a $35 part and charging $500 for labor is not a good deal for most of us. I will stick with this method.
the
jorge40512 y
Autozone caught on, and that part is now $90 lol.
Amazon is selling this part kit for about 20 bucks. Dorman 902-220. Comes with foil tape.
1700$ job now thanks economy
Best video ever for this. Great job! Great video!
Great job. Since the 2004 Expedition is much different, sure wish someone had experience with a similar repair. My door must be shot too.
Great video it helped me a lot. It saved me a lot of money and time.
Im gonna check to see if actuator moves. TY for video. I have a 02. Bought it new. Only have 68 k on it.
The actuator moves? Is there a way to verify if door is bad before tearing it apart?
Greg, the actuator moves. Guess I have to take actuator down and see if any pieces fall out?
Took actuator off and nothing was broken. I jumpers the low pressure switch and clutch engaged. Will have to replace it. I connected it back and clutch momentarily engaged and stopped.
The back bolt for duct was a mf. If I can't get it started in 30 minutes, it's not going back on. No room.
You covered everything very well. Really excellent video for when i have a day to do this. Thank you.
Thanks for the video 📹
I have a 98 Ford Expedition
With the same problem
Now I know how to fix it
Does cutting out the black plastic like this give you enough room to clean the ac evaporator? Or can you cut it out bigger, more to the right? Thanks
Thanks, I'm hoping this matches my 99 Expedition.
Excelente video. Thanks for share all those details about this saving money trick.👍👍👍
Thanks soooo much for your help!!!!!!!!! Works great 😁👍
there is actually a test you can do on the control unit that will tell you the error code. That's what I did and it gave the blend door error code.
What's the test?
same happened to my truck 99 f150 thx , im going try fix it myself
Is there a way to take the ac evaporator out by cutting more of that plastic housing. I did it on my tahoe by another video and I'm trying to do the same on my sister's 01 f150.
Thank you a thousand times over. Great video!
This happens do much on Ford's. I think they keep it weak on purpose for that $1000. Great video by the way!
if there's a problem,there's always a solution tnx Bro....
Best modification ever. Whoever engineered this should be fired.
You don't know anything about cars do you.....
they would all be gone just like our politicians should be
What if the actuator and the blend door are both working? What could be the next issue?
Why not do the Heater core at the same time? Or is this not recommended? Great video and thanks for posting.
Is it possible to just cut your way to the blend door and install the new blend door through the back of the glove box without having do the steps to remove the blower motor. I have a 1998 expedition and it would take even longer to get to that area. Thanks
@TooTallGreg So it looks like the Cut on the Air Plenum needs to be just to the left of the peg sticking up and just to the right of the screw holding it down and of course across the top. what tool did you use to cut yours? I saw one video where the guy said he almost cut too far to the left where the outside edge of the blend door is located when it is fully open. I also like the comment about setting the thermostat knob to full cold and placing the new blend door against the heater core during installation and that the metal peg is indexed to fit the actuator and the blend door in this position...any tips on this? will be doing this soon. Thanks.
Super helpful video. THANK YOU!!!
You save me a lot of money thanks so much!!!
Think that would be good enough to remove heater core through that opening?
Nope gotta pull the dash I did it earlier this year but me being a cheapskate didn’t buy the blend door welp time to pull it off again
ua-cam.com/video/0Dp_woGpRwE/v-deo.html Here’s the video I used
Awesome! Thanks for the post!
great video: in my case I was not getting heat but AC worked fine-had coolant flushed, thermostat changed, still no heat so I checked blend door via your method and blend door works so does that mean I need new heater core and if so do you think its possible to change it with your method of getting into the air box or do I need to take dash apart ?
I don’t understand how to remove the parts that are there because there’s no bolts to remove
I know this is an old video but it is helpful. Has anyone found a video on how to get the actuator out from behind/above the floor ductwork? This video kinda skips all of that. Thanks.
Do you think I could remove the Heater Core from that same area you removed the Blind Door
Doubtful. Heater hoses and clamps to consider also
In the time it took you to do this hack job, you could’ve done it the right way. Those 97-03 f150 dashes are the easiest to pull back. 20 minutes to pull it, 10 minutes to open the hvac case and 20 minutes to put the dash back.
You Tube is for entertainment purposes........
Thanks Dude it worked saved me lots $$$
Can this be done to replace heater core.. And not have to take whole dash out?
Could you get the heater core out this way to?
Unfortunately not unless you cut a really large hole
My Dorman blend door does not have removable pin. I am returning it do you remember the part number?