The Windstar is particularly
difficult to work on since the plenum box is buried behind the dash.
The center control console has to be removed and the glove box
fully opened to expose the box and actuator motor for the blend door.
The video's below will show you how to get to the motor, remove
it, and diagnose problems in the system. On this particular
model, we see problems with both the blend door and the actuator motor.
The motor failure is usually a stripped gear inside the motor
casing. We do have actuator motors available for this model and
will provide details on how to purchase on request. The
aftermarket actuator motors have the same problem with the range of
motion as the OEM motors, only worse. The new motors were geared
at a higher ratio to lessen the stripped gear problem. The
result, however, is that the motor moves slower with higher torque.
This is good for motor operation, but makes breaking the plastic
door much more likely. It's just trading one problem for another
that turns out to be worse.
We have to make modifications to the aftermarket actuator motors in
order for them to meet our standards. We are not in the actuator
motor business, nor do we particularly want to be, and produce these
modified motors only as a service for our customers. We will
provide an actuator motor at our cost with a blend door purchase or a
competitive price for a motor only purchase.
Note in the video that we make a cut in the metal frame using an angle
grinder. The dash module is built as a pre-fab unit that can
easily be installed during manufacturing before the seats, steering,
and windshield are installed. The metal framework is built for
integrity of the unit when it is separate from the car and being
transported and installed on the assembly line. A lot of the work
in designing the metal frame is for manufacturing robustness, not
necessarily for automobile strength or safety. We leave the
option to cut and bend the metal frame up to the customer's discretion
and cannot directly recommend making modifications to the structure of
the dash. You can examine the cut that we made and decide if you
feel that the cut causes safety issues. We left the cut unchanged
on our Windstar, but the choice is your's on your automobile. You
can always weld the cut or drill holes and fabricate a metal bridge
across the cut. The product can be installed without cutting and
bending, but it's difficult and frustrating. After doing a number
of these, we found it easier to cut/bend to improve access to the
plenum box when doing the repair. Ford did not design this system
for ease of repair, so it takes a little creativity to make the repair
without full dash removal. You can always choose to remove the
entire dash if you desire, but the cut and HeaterTreater components are
much much easier.
