Blend Door Actuator Issue Thread

[The Cuzi]

It may be mentioned somewhere in these 30 pages of posts, but I cannot find it;

Is there an HVAC setting which prevents the actuators from moving AT ALL during start up, or is that hard programmed into the BCM as a must happen event, even with the system FULLY OFF??

I do not instantly turn on either the heat, or the AC when I start the car, nor do I switch off the car with the HVAC system on, EVER, but the actuators MUST engage/move anyway, thereby wearing, and eventually chipping teeth off of their gears?

I don't think so. I left mine on a single setting of defrost, low fab, and temp of 75 for a year (out of laziness) and it still broke.

 

[FiST to death]

It may be mentioned somewhere in these 30 pages of posts, but I cannot find it;

Is there an HVAC setting which prevents the actuators from moving AT ALL during start up, or is that hard programmed into the BCM as a must happen event, even with the system FULLY OFF??

I do not instantly turn on either the heat, or the AC when I start the car, nor do I switch off the car with the HVAC system on, EVER, but the actuators MUST still engage/move anyway, by design, thereby wearing, and eventually chipping teeth off of their gears?

I know in GM cars with automatic climate control, the system moves the actuators from one extreme to the other to make sure they are calibrated at startup and then goes back to the setting selected, so I imagine that's the same here.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I know in GM cars with automatic climate control, the system moves the actuators from one extreme to the other to make sure they are calibrated at startup and then goes back to the setting selected, so I imagine that's the same here.

Yeah, I figured it was something like that for ours, so there is no way to 'save' the gears/motors with any setting, as they are forced to move at EVERY startup.

 

[Intuit]

@M-Sport fan - Moving those doors around I assume is part of the P.O.S.T. and power-down routines. I can hear the doors move even with HVAC turned off.

Thought I'd share this here, someone from the forum is claiming this, my highlighting for emphasis:


"The issue is not a gear, the issue is shitty traces on a circuit board. The design of the part drags metal across a thin trace on a board to get a resistive reading. This reading tells the chip how far it turned. The traces get worn down or dirty and the reading gets worse, so the chip turns too far and the gear starts skipping because it doesn't know where it is. The best corrective action is to get one with a stepper motor and predetermined distances without the stupid dragging design. The Dorman replacement makes this correction.


Wish I knew which brands did this or not, or if just Dorman... I believe the Dorman part # is 604322


OK, so as far as the Dorman part#, I cross referenced the Motorcraft YH1896 to Dorman 604-400 and that's what a web search shows is what people are recommending to use on this board and elsewhere... Good luck, hopefully you will be good for a while!


Edit: Great thread on Reddit HERE confirms the Dorman is MUCH better quality!

Mine started doing the clicking last week. Based on my usage, have no reason to expect that any gear would be worn out. It merely behaves as though it's out-of-calibration. Similar designs incorporate "limiter switches" which allow for on-the-fly recalibration and error-detection. It's just a flawed design.

What he has to say, makes perfect sense. I think the high humidity inside my (often sitting) car contributed to the issue. I think what happens is, people procrastinate on it long enough for it to chew the teeth up. So they remove it, see the teeth and think that was the cause, when it wasn't.



Rehash of the useful posts following the above...

Why does every youtube video call the mode door actuator the "blend door". There is one blend door actuator not 3. 1 blend door, 1 mode door, and 1 inlet actuator.

Solomon from Advance Auto Parts said:

This Dorman Air Door Actuator - Part # 604-400 is behind the driver knee air bag. The air inlet actuator - part # 604-251 would be located behind the glove box."

Rocky, I don't know if the passenger side actuator is much different from the 2011 Fiestas, but if it is, it's a lot easier than the one below the steering column. The part looks the same, but the passenger side only has 2 prongs in the connector instead of 5 (I think).


You first remove the glove box by opening it and pressing both sides in, letting it drop down (remove everything first). You'll then see the actuator on the left side, and it has the same 3 Torx screws. Attached is a picture of the ST after getting the glove box, the actuator is the is next to the fuses.


As an added note (don't know if it has been mentioned before): The steering column actuator (5 connectors) will work on the passenger side if you open it and rotate the gear so that the notch aligns and fits correctly. The passenger side will NOT fit the driver's side actuator (learned this the hard way at the same time that I learned that there are 2 actuators, after 4 times of replacing the same one, it gets easier ha!).

Hey folks. I just processed this thread and condensed it all here into one post to help avoid confusion. I'd suggest to a moderator that this information be put in post #1 along with today's date so people in the future won't have to spend 2 hours reading through this confusing thread. I am only reporting information I carefully collected and cross-referenced on this thread so if it's wrong I am not responsible. Here goes:


* There are a number of decent DIY videos on YouTube, it can be done without removing the seat/airbag, with the right tools it's not bad at all.


DRIVER SIDE

"Defrost mode door actuator"

Has 5 prongs

Motorcraft YH-1896 is the part you want, it is the updated one, made in China

Dorman 604-400 is the Dorman version

Motorcraft YH-1935 is the old part number, made in France...the YH-1896 above is the replacement part for it, updated (in theory)

Ford AV1Z-19E616K is Ford's number for the YH-1896, they are the same thing

Ford AV1Z-19E616A is Ford's number for the YH-1935, this is the old part number before update

Click this link for more info

BE8Z19E616B is another part number for this one I found floating around, which only lends to further confusion...


PASSENGER SIDE

"Heater recirculation door actuator"

Has 2 prongs

Motorcraft YH-1895 is the part you want

Dorman 604-251 is the Dorman version

Ford BE8Z-19E616A is Ford's number for the YH-1895, they are the same thing

Click this link for more info


* The Dorman versions are reported to be more sturdy, but if you look at Amazon reviews they break often as well

* Dorman gives you one year warranty, Motorcraft gives you two year warranty, from my reading

* Cost for various versions is similar if you shop around; Motorcraft tends to be a bit more but not much

* Knockoff unbranded parts can be had very cheap ($12) but I'd steer clear of those

* Part descriptions show that all of these may cause cancer or reproductive harm


My driver's side broke a few years ago at 6k miles, the passenger side broke today at 35k miles, I will be replacing soon once I get the part.

I used this video and it's pretty good:

View:

View: https://youtu.be/BBs6CJoZmJk




There's another one:

View:

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.

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

None of that was necessary for me, just left it off, no issues, in and out, here’s a helpful video I made recently:

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eAu9J2zFuz0

 

[Business6]

Finally purchased the driver's side actuator after three or so years.

 

[fun with fisting]

2019 model here just got major clicking noises the other day.

Only 10,200 miles on the clock... I knew this would happen eventually but this seems ridiculously early.

Anyone have ford replace under warranty? Worth pursuing? Waiting for a callback from the dealership.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I had a dealer (NOT the one I bought the car from!) do this under warranty, and it has been fine for almost 2 years now and almost 13K miles.
Mine started the clacking @~14.5K miles.

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

2019 model here just got major clicking noises the other day.

Only 10,200 miles on the clock... I knew this would happen eventually but this seems ridiculously early.

Anyone have ford replace under warranty? Worth pursuing? Waiting for a callback from the dealership.

PEOPLE LIKE THIS ARE THE JOY IN MY LIFE AT WORK

PLEASE DO NOT GO SEE A DEALER, DO IT YOURSELF SINCE YOU CAN'T BELIEVE A PLASTIC PART BROKE. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T BE THAT GUY WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH

 

[jarrettmcb]

One of the blend doors just went out today and I just want to check and see if the used FiST I got from a Toyota dealer sitting at around 21k miles is still going to be covered under Fords warranty? thanks

 

[TyphoonFiST]

One of the blend doors just went out today and I just want to check and see if the used FiST I got from a Toyota dealer sitting at around 21k miles is still going to be covered under Fords warranty? thanks

What year?

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk

 

[jarrettmcb]

What year?

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk

2019

 

[fun with fisting]

PEOPLE LIKE THIS ARE THE JOY IN MY LIFE AT WORK

PLEASE DO NOT GO SEE A DEALER, DO IT YOURSELF SINCE YOU CAN'T BELIEVE A PLASTIC PART BROKE. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T BE THAT GUY WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH

WELP sorry to disappoint but I did take it in for warranty replacement, why not right?

Came out of the dealer with no clicking noises so that's good, but suddenly inoperable cruise control, as well as a wrench light on. Told to come back for replacement "cruise control switch" when the part is in. Cleared the wrench light should just be an untimely oil reminder. I suspect I just need to fiddle with the clutch switch to get cruise back, we'll see.

 

[Liza]

This is the second time I have had my blend door actuator replaced on my 2014 Fiesta. I hope there will be a fix or a recall on these things because my warranty expires soon.

 

[jarrettmcb]

PEOPLE LIKE THIS ARE THE JOY IN MY LIFE AT WORK

PLEASE DO NOT GO SEE A DEALER, DO IT YOURSELF SINCE YOU CAN'T BELIEVE A PLASTIC PART BROKE. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T BE THAT GUY WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH

Why spend the $25+ dollars to fix something when Ford will do it for free under warranty? Doesn't make sense for the owner to have to fork out (even a little) money t fix something ford poorly designed.

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

EXITS CHAT................

 

[fun with fisting]

EXITS CHAT................

WELP sorry to disappoint but I did take it in for warranty replacement, why not right?

Came out of the dealer with no clicking noises so that's good, but suddenly inoperable cruise control, as well as a wrench light on. Told to come back for replacement "cruise control switch" when the part is in. Cleared the wrench light should just be an untimely oil reminder. I suspect I just need to fiddle with the clutch switch to get cruise back, we'll see.

Why spend the $25+ dollars to fix something when Ford will do it for free under warranty? Doesn't make sense for the owner to have to fork out (even a little) money t fix something ford poorly designed.

Update for anyone interested - so when I picked up my car from the dealership after having them replace the drivers side blend door actuator they said: (slight paraphrasing) "we noticed your cruise control isn't working, just a sensor so we ordered it, will let you know when it's in and we'll replace it under warranty"

Upon further investigation of the pedal area, it's obvious their technician didn't know that the brake light/cruise disengagement sensor is removed by twisting counterclockwise out of its bracket. Instead, he just ripped it out, apparently with some pliers or something, and severely damaged it in the process. The spring loaded plunger is totally jammed in and the outside of the sensor housing is badly gouged, retaining clips are broken off completely.

Needless to say my trust issues with dealerships has been exacerbated.

 

[faust]

Had the THUNK-THUNK-THUNK start happening a few months ago on my '15, ~46k. Thanks to the resources in this thread, got it replaced today, and so far so good. Glad I got the ratchet recommended in the video. Still took quite a bit of squeezing my hand into the right positions (I wear a size L glove), was probably an hour's work start to finish.

 

[Petunia_the_Feeble]

Just adding a +1 to this thread. I've had my new-to-me '14 FiST for a whole 24 hours and mine started. Didn't do it at the dealership and I ran the climate control through it's paces on the test drive. Just unlucky timing I guess.

I'm not terribly upset though. These little actuators seem to be universally crap. I've replaced several on several different vehicles. Looks like I know what I'm doing Saturday morning.

 

[Snakey.Steven]

I wrote on here about the beginning of the year and haven’t had a chance to come back and say anything. The doorman part is far worse than motorcraft in my experience . Spent time replacing 2-3 of them with issues finally just decided to stop using the warranty for the doorman part. Back to motorcraft as last one last 60k miles 2014 fiesta

 

[STbro]

Passenger side motorcraft YH1895 from rockauto is only $0.35 right now and wanted to share the insanely low price. Just ordered it after hearing the dreaded clicking coming from my glove box.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/motorcraft,YH1895,heater+blend+door+actuator,10721