Review on 🔧 Premium HVAC Heater Blend Door Actuator Replacement for Ford Explorer 2002-2010 & Expedition, Explorer Sport Trac, Mercury Mountaineer - Main Temperature Control by Darren Boogie

I had a 2003 Explorer that ran at full power all the time. Google got me on this part almost immediately and horror stories about how it's a $600 job and the dash needs to be taken apart etc. I've seen people tie zip ties or shoelaces to the faucet door handle to manually toggle between full heat and no heat. I didn't do this, but I did confirm that if the lever didn't move at all when changing the setting, the actuator wasn't working. . All you need is a 7, 8 and 10mm jack. I would recommend a 1/4" drive with extensions and a 10mm box wrench, preferably a ratchet, and a longer one might help. It's fairly simple and easy to remove the center console and slide it back into the back seat, then remove the air duct piece and driver's side support bracket. That's all you need to access the drive. The drive itself is when the work starts to suck. The area is so small and some of the screws are hard to reach. Two of the screws are fairly simple, the third is a huge torment - a long, flexible extension successfully gets under the steering wheel. A standard ring wrench will also work, but you'll need a longer handle. It sucks, but it's doable. Once all the bolts have been removed, the drive can be easily pulled out and lowered. Insert a new one. ) Test the new one to make sure it works before putting everything back together, save yourself the headache. Test it, just plug it in, turn on the key and set the temperature controller. The actuator rotates slowly as the temperature changes. If it doesn't spin then it's bad and don't go any further. Get another part. (mine worked, I only recommend trying it because you don't want to do the work twice) TIP: Install a new one. The shaft that drives the faucet door is grooved so it only runs in one direction. You can see exactly how it's supposed to fit in, and even if there's not much space, it's very easy to put in if it's lined up correctly. It took me a while to align properly, but you can turn the key on and then adjust the temperature control by turning it slightly until it aligns. It pushes into the HVAC box with light pressure, it doesn't take much force. Although mine was stuck at FULL HEAT, it didn't quite even out when the temp knob was set to full heat, probably because the faucet door is free to move after the engine starts. REMOVED. So just play with it and eventually you will get it. When it comes to just screwing it back in, maybe just thinking about putting two screws back in and leaving one of those headaches in case you have to do the job all over again. I have a feeling two is enough to secure a small plastic box, but ultimately it's up to you. I would normally suggest using OEM Motorcraft for the part as it's hard to replace and all. An OEM motorcycle engine is prone to failure and poorly assembled and will eventually fail again. So I figured it was worth the risk to save the $30 and buy a non-genuine one, maybe a non-genuine one that's better fitted internally. I can't tell you, but I know the Ford part is poorly made and will fail again. Also, the 2003 Explorer is already outdated and doesn't cost that much, so it's preferable to spend less on parts. I highly recommend just swapping it out, it's a bit annoying but doesn't require any special tools and I was able to do it even with my fat fingers. I can do this in a few hours, so I don't see the point of building a zipped ghetto. If you break that lever too, you're in for a whole world of trouble, so it's best to just fix it properly. And if you don't want to do it yourself, a self-employed mechanic shouldn't take more than 3 hours to do the job. (I did it in about 2, in a driveway, with cheap basic tools). (At least on the Conductor - I'm not sure about other models). If they charge you $400-600 for the job I would find another mechanic.