Blend Door Actuator Issue Thread

[DFWFiST]

Reviving this one. I will take any broken actuators anyone may have laying around. I am trying to test prototype replacement gears with a friend that has a CNC mill. This would be a permanent solution for many Ford vehicles, as I see they are the same parts across many models. We are going to be testing delrin and possibly aluminum stock here in North Texas. The factory units use cheap and brittle molded plastic which is why they repeatedly fail. Please PM me if you would like to send some broken actuators. I just replaced two of mine and so far so good. The more failures we can assess and gears we can inspect failures from, the better. Thank you for your time.

- Brandon

 

[slowcord]

Id send mine if i still had it. Just threw it away this past weekend.
If you do design a better, longer lasting part please update us.

 

[DFWFiST]

Will definitely update. I’m thinking a simple DIY gear change with the main gear. It’s an extremely easy swap once you get the actuators out of the car. The housings snap together and can be undone without breaking tabs with some patience and care.

 

[Muldoon]

I trashed mine, but I do have some pictures. Hopefully this is of some use to you.

I took it apart and thought “Are you the little guy making all that big noise?!”

 

[M-Sport fan]

Reviving this one. I will take any broken actuators anyone may have laying around. I am trying to test prototype replacement gears with a friend that has a CNC mill. This would be a permanent solution for many Ford vehicles, as I see they are the same parts across many models. We are going to be testing delrin and possibly aluminum stock here in North Texas. The factory units use cheap and brittle molded plastic which is why they repeatedly fail. Please PM me if you would like to send some broken actuators. I just replaced two of mine and so far so good. The more failures we can assess and gears we can inspect failures from, the better. Thank you for your time.

- Brandon

The dealer had to keep mine to send back to Ford HQ for warranty payment, or whatever.

IF I replace the next one myself, I will send the replaced one your way.

 

[DFWFiST]

I trashed mine, but I do have some pictures. Hopefully this is of some use to you.

I took it apart and thought “Are you the little guy making all that big noise?!”

Yessir. That is yet another confirmation on the main gear failure. Cheap junk. I imagine this gear machined from solid stock higher quality will have a 100% success rate vs the factory cast cheap plastic Ford and other aftermarket manufacturers use.

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

126K FRESH AIR ACTUATOR WENT CLICK CLICK CLICK. TWO OF THREE HAVE BEEN REPLACED SO FAR

MINE IS A LATER MODEL AT 2017 SO DON'T THINK THEY USED ANY BETTER PARTS LOL

 

[benvid]

Another blend door replaced today, 2 teeth broken on mine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DFWFiST]

Another blend door replaced today, 2 teeth broken on mine. View attachment 31158


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Another one bites the dust. Would you be willing to send it my way?

 

[benvid]

Another one bites the dust. Would you be willing to send it my way?

Possibly I need to see how much postage I have laying around.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AnArmyOfJuan]

So, my blend door actuator has been giving me issues for a while, and I was planning on tackling it soon. But today, *another* actuator that seems to be located in the passenger footwell started knocking. Any ideas on what that one would be? Also, is there an official service manual that I can buy to show me how to just take out the entire dash and replace them both once and for all? I can only seem to find Windows CDs and online guides, but I have a MacBook Pro.

 

[Capri to ST]

Also, is there an official service manual that I can buy to show me how to just take out the entire dash and replace them both once and for all? I can only seem to find Windows CDs and online guides, but I have a MacBook Pro.

Here is a link to an online service manual. This is the only one that I know about that's online, and I have asked if anyone knows of a link to another one, and no one has had another source. This seems to be the one that most people are using-

http://www.nicksmustangranch.com/Service_Manuals/2014/2014_Fiesta/Service Manual.htm

 

[AnArmyOfJuan]

Just ordered both Dorman actuators from Advance Auto. I'm feeling pretty confident about replacing them both on my own using the guides posted here. One question, though. Are there any more actuators other than the one behind the steering wheel and the one behind the glove box? I feel like I might as well replace all of them while I'm at it, just in case this latest knocking on the passenger side is a misdiagnosis.

 

[CarGuy]

Just ordered both Dorman actuators from Advance Auto. I'm feeling pretty confident about replacing them both on my own using the guides posted here. One question, though. Are there any more actuators other than the one behind the steering wheel and the one behind the glove box? I feel like I might as well replace all of them while I'm at it, just in case this latest knocking on the passenger side is a misdiagnosis.

I believe there are 3 of them. I could be wrong though.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[AnArmyOfJuan]

Replaced both the blend door and mode door actuators this afternoon, and I absolutely understand why the mechanic charges $500 for both. But they're done now, and everything is working. The blend door actuator has been clicking since at least 2016, and had two broken teeth. We ended up dropping the knee airbag, but not disconnecting it. I could get one of the screws myself, but due to my big 'ol forearms I had to have my friend get the upper screw.

 

[FiST to death]

I replaced the mode door actuator on our 2014 a few days after we got it (144k miles, so I had assumed it would need one) and then got the service records from the dealer where the previous owner had it serviced- they had replaced it 15k miles before, and several times before that. I used the stouter Dorman replacement unit and went with the column shroud removal instead of pulling the knee airbag, took about half an hour total and could probably be 15 minutes now that I know what I'm doing. Pain in the ass for sure, but hopefully the new one lasts a while since the Dorman *seems* heavier duty.

 

[bryramos]

Started up with the click of death on the driver's side. I don't remember if this is the second or third time I've replaced but took a trip down to AutoZone and purchased the Dorman 604-400 version. Quick easy fix and no more click, click, click !

 

[AnArmyOfJuan]

I replaced both the one on the driver's side and the one behind the glovebox a few weeks ago with Dorman actuators, and occasionally I'm still hearing a single click on startup. 😭

 

[SPhilli911]

The driver's side one has been clicking for me for many years but the clicking would go away after a while. However, now it clicks non-stop and it's time to stop being lazy and replace it.

Hopefully I bought the right part, it's been sitting in a box for years now.

 

[M-Sport fan]

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?