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Blend Door Actuator Issue Thread
- Thread starter backofthenet
- Start date
Well, I’m expecting actuator failure #4 soon, the one that controls the floor vents is clicking. ‘15 ST. It sounds like it’s on the driver’s side...does anyone know if this is a dash-off repair or one any handy person can do themselves? Does Dorman make a replacement (better) part for this one?
EDIT: Just called the ford dealership for advice, this is the "Mode" actuator and shouldn't be a dash-off experience. They still charge over four hundred dollars total for the repair so I'd like to see if I can do it myself first.
EDIT: Just called the ford dealership for advice, this is the "Mode" actuator and shouldn't be a dash-off experience. They still charge over four hundred dollars total for the repair so I'd like to see if I can do it myself first.
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You can do it without pulling the dash. You have to take the steering column cover off. There's a youtube tutorial that I highly recommend watching 10 times before you go do it yourself. I've done mine twice now and I have it down to about 25 min, start to finish. The clearance is tight, but if you have a ratcheting t25, you'll be just fine.
I used this video and it's pretty good:
View: https://youtu.be/BBs6CJoZmJk
There's another one:
View: https://youtu.be/uuENktnNelc
that's also pretty good.
The little thumb ratchet and/or a swivel extension for the T25 would be perfect for this and really help reduce some of the frustration. The first time I did it, I just used a regular Torx key and had to do the quarter turn, line up the hole, quarter turn, line up the hole, quarter turn... and it was a pain.
There's another one:
that's also pretty good.
The little thumb ratchet and/or a swivel extension for the T25 would be perfect for this and really help reduce some of the frustration. The first time I did it, I just used a regular Torx key and had to do the quarter turn, line up the hole, quarter turn, line up the hole, quarter turn... and it was a pain.
Wow, 26 pages of comments on the this topic...
I bought my first ST in 2015. The blend door actuator was replaced under warranty.. My oldest son has the car now and the click is back (110,000 miles)
I bought a 2016 ST and the actuator was replaced under warranty. My youngest son has that one now.
I bought a 2019 about a month ago. I anticipate it will need a new actuator, too.
I bought the 2019 anticipating that this was the last year the ST would be offered in the US. Maybe I'll buy some spare actuators for the future. My middle son does not drive a manual transmission so hopefully I will get to keep this ST for myself.
By the way, I am old and have done all my own car repairs for the last 50 years. If I have to work under the dash, I remove the seat. Two or four bolt and a couple of wiring connectors and it's out of the way. Totally changes the job.
I bought my first ST in 2015. The blend door actuator was replaced under warranty.. My oldest son has the car now and the click is back (110,000 miles)
I bought a 2016 ST and the actuator was replaced under warranty. My youngest son has that one now.
I bought a 2019 about a month ago. I anticipate it will need a new actuator, too.
I bought the 2019 anticipating that this was the last year the ST would be offered in the US. Maybe I'll buy some spare actuators for the future. My middle son does not drive a manual transmission so hopefully I will get to keep this ST for myself.
By the way, I am old and have done all my own car repairs for the last 50 years. If I have to work under the dash, I remove the seat. Two or four bolt and a couple of wiring connectors and it's out of the way. Totally changes the job.
So I just completed this project after watching these videos a few times (thanks so much for posting them) and it wasn't nearly as annoying as I thought it would be. 20 minutes and I had been putting this off almost 3 years (ordered the actuator from RockAuto 11/2016 and I wish I would have just done it. Here are my tips/tricks:
1) Take your time removing the steering column cover. If you brute force it you will break something. Wiggle the pieces after they are unscrewed and separated from each other, see where they are hanging up, and move on after you free it.
2) Tape your T20 bit to a 1/4in drive socket and use your fingers rather than a socket wrench. It was a tight space and the wrench didn't have much room to ratchet. The screws holding the motor in aren't very tight so you can do it using a socket as leverage.
3) Don't loosen the screws holding the actuator on all the way with the T20. Finish it by hand and hold onto those screws really firmly once they are free. I'd hate to try to track them down if I dropped one.
4) Be prepared to have to finagle the new actuator in. I swear the gears didn't initially line up with the new actuator so I had to gently rotate things until the screw holes all lined up. I went slow, said a soft prayer because I was worried I'd chip a gear, and in time it all lined up.
5) Make sure everything works before you put everything back together.
That's all. If you are putting this project off like I was I swear it wasn't bad. Watch the videos a few times and take your time and it'll be fine. Do it now while the weather is still nice.
William
1) Take your time removing the steering column cover. If you brute force it you will break something. Wiggle the pieces after they are unscrewed and separated from each other, see where they are hanging up, and move on after you free it.
2) Tape your T20 bit to a 1/4in drive socket and use your fingers rather than a socket wrench. It was a tight space and the wrench didn't have much room to ratchet. The screws holding the motor in aren't very tight so you can do it using a socket as leverage.
3) Don't loosen the screws holding the actuator on all the way with the T20. Finish it by hand and hold onto those screws really firmly once they are free. I'd hate to try to track them down if I dropped one.
4) Be prepared to have to finagle the new actuator in. I swear the gears didn't initially line up with the new actuator so I had to gently rotate things until the screw holes all lined up. I went slow, said a soft prayer because I was worried I'd chip a gear, and in time it all lined up.
5) Make sure everything works before you put everything back together.
That's all. If you are putting this project off like I was I swear it wasn't bad. Watch the videos a few times and take your time and it'll be fine. Do it now while the weather is still nice.
William
Glad to hear that you were able to do it. It's really not that bad and after you've done it once or twice, it's pretty straight forward although it's still a pain to reach.
For #4, I just rotated the new actuator until it fit into the slot and then, holding it so it stayed connected, rotated it all back into place and put the bolts back in.
For #4, I just rotated the new actuator until it fit into the slot and then, holding it so it stayed connected, rotated it all back into place and put the bolts back in.
An actuator started clicking under the dash of my 2017 FiST with only 3,200 miles on the clock. After reading up on the problem here on the forum, I drove to the closest Ford dealer to schedule an appointment and also to inquire whether they stocked the part (hoping to save downtime). I drove up to the service intake bay about 10:00am on a weekday, hopped out and waited for a service advisor. There were three I could see, all looking down at computer screens. I stood there about 1-2 minutes, seemed like longer, until the closest guy asked "Do you have an appointment?" Nice. I feel so welcome.
Note to service writers: Even if you're in the middle of something it is good business to acknowledge people quickly and explain you'll be right with them. I explained the noise the car was making and he replied "I've never heard of that but if you want to drop your car off, 31 people are ahead of you".
I'm not leaving any chit-chat out. I didn't tell him I read up on it. I never had the chance to ask if he stocked the part. How the guy got a job with exposure to other people, much less customers, is a mystery to me. But what I said was "That was not the answer I hoped for" and I asked him for his card. He began to backpedal and said "Even if you go to another dealer, they are all backed up right now". But you know what? Life is too short. I went to the next closest Ford dealer and that guy provided a totally different experience. They replaced the obviously defective part - that Ford long ago should have recalled - and they did it under warranty in just over 24 hours.
Note to service writers: Even if you're in the middle of something it is good business to acknowledge people quickly and explain you'll be right with them. I explained the noise the car was making and he replied "I've never heard of that but if you want to drop your car off, 31 people are ahead of you".
I'm not leaving any chit-chat out. I didn't tell him I read up on it. I never had the chance to ask if he stocked the part. How the guy got a job with exposure to other people, much less customers, is a mystery to me. But what I said was "That was not the answer I hoped for" and I asked him for his card. He began to backpedal and said "Even if you go to another dealer, they are all backed up right now". But you know what? Life is too short. I went to the next closest Ford dealer and that guy provided a totally different experience. They replaced the obviously defective part - that Ford long ago should have recalled - and they did it under warranty in just over 24 hours.
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