Ford Explorer 02-08 HeaterTreater blend door repair video

[Tainomontana]

Great informational video I did this today & it took me about 3 hrs. But that was taking smoke & drink breaks hey its the weekend!

[croppi08]

Thanks buddy watch this today and went and pick up the part came home and had it done in 2hrs my wife is happy her heat works and we did not pay a arm&leg to get it done

[rawbonz]

My bad its at the time 5:20 !!!

[rawbonz]

Used your advice and it worked great. You can't even see the cuts in the frame. Saved over $900 with your tutorial! Thanks a million! The only advice I would be super careful with is the speedometer. When you disconnect the cable pernudal indicator 5:25...make sure you are super careful. Other than that, I was easy to accomplish with these videos!

[zombie730]

And this is why you will NEVER work on my car

[mikeballone27]

Inginuity at its finest! Thank You kind Sir!

[prototype275]

This is a classic example of how to do it the wrong way! Wow

[chrisgallen7]

Cutting into the plenum box sounds ridiculous if you are prepared to pay exorbitant mechanics rates to do it "right". The cuts are completely out of sight and only the owner will know what was done. There will always be a lot of different opinions, the choice is yours. We've done thousands of these and the repair is effective and permanent. Even if you decide to completely remove the dash, you're better off installing our metal doors the "hard way".

[eddietheheadful]

@chrisgallen7 I never had to take out the instrument cluster. I have no idea why you do that. I did, however take out the driver's seat(4 bolts and unplug 3 connections)so I could lie on my back and move better. I took ONE bolt out of the dash frame right behind the actuator to allow me to bend it out a little. Then I took a 1/4" drive extension and fished it in to get to the actuator screws. I used black tape to hold the screws on the socket when I put them back in. NO NEED TO CUT ANYTHING!!!!!

[tjr1973rl]

@chrisgallen7 It has nothing to do with paying mechanics to do it. You DON'T have to cut anything and you certainly don't have to pull the dash apart. You pull the console, the metal bracket and the air duct. Then you take an 8 MM gear wrench and take it apart. Much better than butchering your car. Did it yesterday in about an hour and a half.

[MrSirJinx]

@tjr1973rl Did it the same way had it done a little quicker i used a 1/4 inch air ratchet 2 swivels 2 3 inch extensions and a short 8mm socket and you do need a 8mm wrench for at lest one bolt

[eddietheheadful]

just replaced one of these on an 04 Explorer. With very little mechanical skills, a1/4" drive socket set, A universal and a couple extensions, this is A fairly simple thing to do in about 2 hours. This method of tearing so much apart, taking out the instrument cluster, and CUTTING THE DASH APART WITH A DREMEL!!! is ridiculous. Sir I would not permit you to change the line on my weed whacker. Anyone reading this Please disregard this terrible video and do not butcher up your dash.

[texster68]

The HeaterTreater replacement door is form/fit correct and can be installed with either the easy cut/patch method or complete removal of the plenum box. Either way, you are much better off with stronger components that won't break again. Actually if you are taking the time or expense of tearing down the truck, you should strongly consider our steel doors so that you don't have to do it again in a year.

The choice is yours and you can rely on expert engineering or goofball comments.

[fredsac37686]

HACK HACK NO NEED ON THESE TAKES TWENTY MINUTS TO TAKE CONSOLE AND BEZAL UNDER STEERING WHEEL ALL YOU NEED IS A WRENCH AND A SWIVEL SOCKET AND 12 INCH EXTENSION WHAT CRAP THIS GUY PEDALS IS UNBELIVABLE JUST THINK 20 YEARS AND U MIGHT THINK ITS A CLASSIC TILL SOMEONE SPOTS ALL THE CHOPPED UP SHIT HAHA

[lmmorrow2009]

Thanks. I used this method to change my blend door actuator. When I got the new actuator I tested it plugged into the harness b4 installing it and the problem I am having is that the actuator turned only one way. When you turn the hot/cold nob the actuator does not turn the opposite way. So I plugged in the old actuator, which had teeth broken off the internal gears. That motor turns both directions, as long as it is not under strain it functions. Under load the gears slip. HELP ME PLEASE!!

[al652000]

I have a 04 Explorer and had to change both blend door actuators. One in the rear and today the front. There is NO need to do any cutting of the dash or remove the cluster, all you are doing is creating more work. 

[bigvince468]

Well I dont know where you live and what dealer you called because I myself called the Ford dealer here in long Island NY and they told me $ 180 to 200 for the job plus part. I checked and asked 2 shops that my friends own to see if they have done one before one did the job and told me the process wasnt that bad and it was just a pain to get your hand up inside to do it like I stated before unless you got little girl hands . Maybe who you called is a theif or doesnt know how to look it up .

[ctjerryv]

Good video.........Took me about 45 minutes, pausing and playing through the process.....And about 20 minutes to put everything back together. And....the dash panels got a good cleaning in the process. Thanks so much. New part works perfect. J. Vanover

[bigvince468]

Like I said 180 max for labor 2 hour job do you think in your right mind ford or anyother dealer ship would cut the dash??? The biggest pain was the Console and the top right screw holding the actuator down I had to go buy a long 8mm wrench from sears to get to it .Unless you got little girley hands you could reach inside and do it with a stubby wrench. No dash cutting required! GOT IT ? USE IT !

DO IT! cya

[bigvince468]

Oh jonathan1017203 there is no jealousey here you knuckle head. I have been a mechanic for many years and no longer work in a shop because I moved onto cleaner work with better pay. But when its time to fix your own shit you are going to wanna do it right the first time. Like I said before There is no reason to take out the cluster and cut the dash none at all!!. Plus where the hell does any body say they were going to get charged $ 650.00 for a 2 hour job. Not the dealer ! I called them 180 max

[n2096156]

@bigvince468 Buddy I just got off the phone with Ford.....$621 bucks to fix

[tcash158]

I have heat and air it just doesnt go to the proper place, defrost, vent, floor, ect. What do I need to do to fix that issue?

[texster68]

@tcash158

Check with us on our web site for more information. This is a problem with the mode door that controls the switch between floor/dash/defrost and we can provide additional information.

[texster68]

@texster68

Lots of comments positive and negative. Feel free to ask direct question on our web site. There are lots of second hand quotes from Ford dealers. The engineering team at HeaterTreater has a much better grasp of the problems and solutions than the dealer and can resolve all the issues with the HVAC system at much lower cost....Guaranteed! Note that the "girly hands" comments apply to the earlier Explorer and we have a better solution for that vehicle.

[dizzel406s]

wow almost 4500 views, Hey ford why not warrenty the defecttttt

[9SecondStreetMustang]

I just did one of these today on a customers vehicle. You could cut your own vehicle up, but not a customers. You cut corners buddy. Fired!

[2gzandaki]

oh i really didn't have to take out the dash (speedometer)

[2gzandaki]

i followed this video step by step and replace the blend door with no problems..thanks it saved me $600

[2gzandaki]

i followed this video step by step and replace the blend door with no problems..thanks

[acalderonish]

you saved my husband $700. Thank you for paying my bills!

[locustgrovecolts]

I just finished doing this repair on my 2005 Ford Explored. It was a success and I saved over $350!!!. I followed your video step by step( had my laptop on back seat). I only had to replace the blend door motor. The gears were stripped in the motor. Thanks for taking the time to put this together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!

[whaleztales27]

This video was extremely helpful. I did the repair exactly as you have shown and it took two hours. Saved a lot of money. Chris, you saved Christmas!!! Thank you.

[jonathan10172003]

Thank you Chris. The cuts were very descriptive. They do not cause any structure damage whatsoever. Not to mention, the plastics cover all of them. bigvince and david are jealous because you just helped Ford Explorer owners how to save a lot of money. I drilled small holes by the cuts and zip tied them together to avoid any noise caused by vibration. Thank you again. if you are in the mountains of Colorado, beers and bourbon are on me!

[bigvince468]

your video was helpful in what not to do. There is no reason to take out the cluster or cut the dash.You made more work for youself indoing so. This job takes about 2 -3 hours the most to do if you never did it before. Its not that complexed the way you made it out to be. Yes you are a Butcher

[texster68]

We have the ability to delete unfavorable responses, but have chosen to leave this one up as an example. We receive comments like this frequently and it's always a mechanic protecting his territory. Replacing blend doors is not hard work and the shop can rack up huge hours and fees for simple work. Yes, our fix is a "hack" and you can always take the advice of the "professionals" and pay big bucks to "do it right"...it's your choice. The fixes work and can be done at far less expense.

[davidk40165]

you are showing people how to butcher there car , I wouldnt let you change a light bulb in my table lamp

[1801penny]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

I saved $650.00 by doing this myself watching your video. No way did I want to pay the Auto Repair Shop that much money in labor for such an inexpensive part.

I'm also a 49 yr.old woman who did this all on my own with your video.

Thanks again..... :)

[4015Haver]

Thanks you for the video. Your the man!!

[gratip]

hi can you tell me how or what to do about getting my heater to blow thru the fornt and lower vents it seems to be stuck on demist thanks gra

[jagermeister54321]

Thank you so much for this video. My actuator went out and I froze in my car for a week. I found some directions online and I tried to follow them but they were for a 2004, while mine is a 2002. Midway I figured I was going to need to remove the entire dash. Then I found your video and was able to do the job in about 2 hours. Thanks a ton.