Ford F-150 blend door actuator motor fix. Easy no dash removal solution.

If your Ford F-150 has heat on one side of the cab but not the other this is your problem. If the passengers don’t have heat it’s the blend door that’s the easiest to get to which is behind the radio. Couple of screws and you’re done. But like everyone else of course that’s not the one that breaks. So this is a solution to fix the blend door without paying $1000 at the dealership, removing the dash, disconnecting and re charging a/c lines. Etc.
Cost = $32.49 for Dorman or OE was $47

[@jeremyadams5527]

Thank you for this video. Dealer wanted $1,300 on my 2014 F-150 and my local auto shop estimated around $900. After watching this video and a $30 dollar part we tackled it in a couple hours in the driveway. The truth is my wife actually did most of it because of the very small working space and my hands wouldn't fit. We taped used black duck tape reconnected the bell on the duct and you cannot even tell anything was done. My AC/Heat works like new again on the drivers side. My truck is a 2014 F-150 Crew Cab FX4 with touchscreen & console if this info helps anyone else. Thanks again for the help!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

jeremy adams that’s awesome! I’m glad I was able to help you out!

[@johnyoung2702]

I have a 2013 EcoBoost but its summer in Georgia and i leave the AC but sometimes i start it the heat comes out and sometimes the AC comes on. If I have a long drive Ill have to keep turning it off and back on till the AC works. It doesnt have the driver and passenger option. Im wondering if this will fix the issue?

[@rigocastaneda8615]

I have the same truck the driver side blows hot air all the time and passenger works like normal. I want to know if that’s the same bend door on this video that I need to change? Thanks in advance hope I hear back soon.

[@jeremyadams5527]

@@rigocastaneda8615 Sounds just like the same problem I had. Mine was the lower blend actuator just like this video. Get someone with small hands to help but this video saved me a lot of money!

[@rigocastaneda8615]

Thanks for the help just replace mine and it’s woking now. But mine came out in pieces 💪🏽🥴🤣

[@pierrecharriere1549]

Thank you so much! Just finished the job and it works like a charm, took around 1h but I struggled with cutting out the dock. Aesthetically looks exactly the same love it thank you 🙏

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Pierre Charrière no problem. Glad it worked for you and is way better than spending a grand on it. Happy to help!

[@bigkahuna108]

This video saved me a bundle on my 2010 fx4. Thank you for sharing it. I’m not sure how you got the reciprocating saw in front of the vent. I opted to cut down hacksaw blades, throw a bend in them and attach them to vice grips. The vice grips gave me the leverage to slowly work the blade back & forth. I admit it was time consuming but I got a clean cut and didn’t have to pull the center console. I was also able to put electricians putty around the vent edge and reattach it when I was done. Getting the old actuator motor out was a bugger as was getting the electrical connector disconnected. I did find that cutting the actuator spline with the hacksaw blade first, made it easier to pry enough to get the motor to break loose from the back screw. Once the motor was out the piece of spline dropped right out. This truly was a great money saving work around. Thanks again

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Big Kahuna awesome. Glad it worked for you and saved you some serious cash.

[@augustspurigo5778]

Well after almost 5 years this video is still helping. Thanks for the video. I must admit, i wasn't as excited after starting the project as I was when I found the video. I was seriously doubtful after starting, that this would work on my truck. I took frequent breaks to keep my aggression at a minimum level, and minus all the breaks it probably took less than an hour. Thank you.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Perfect, glad it helped. Don’t be afraid to subscribe as thanks!

[@jeffreypettibone1]

Just completed this today! Took me just over an hour to get the whole job done. I used the saws all and a pair of tin snips and other cutters to cut away some more of the floor vent. To make it easier to remove the actuator, I made two slits on top of the duct so it could flex a little more to allow it to drop down more easily. I did get an 8mm ratcheting wrench to remove the screws (one for the duct work, one for the actuator, and then the broke off one back in there once you remove the old actuator). Saved me $1000! The actuator itself was only $48 at my dealership. Thank you for sharing this trick!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it helped! don’t be afraid to like and subscribe!

[@nctrackrat]

Took me most of the afternoon with major "surgery" using a jitterbug and a sawsall. Took almost all the ductwork under the the bad blend motor actuator in order to extricate it. Thanks to this excellent video, I saved a bundle and a whole lot of aggrevation!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it helped. Good job

[@kennywiggins6073]

On my 2010 F150, I also had to remove driver side console panel, dash bracket, and three 8mm duct screws in order to press the duct down enough to remove and reinstall the actuator. Took me longer than 1-hr estimate but very thankful for this post. Great advice.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome. Glad it helped

[@king_invictus1289]

Doing it this weekend- changed the one up top first, now im changing this one. Thanks for the vid.

[@coach_ficker]

After experiencing this issue I decided to tackle this job this am. I can. It thank you enough for this video. Got heat back in my truck and I am glad to have saved $1,000+

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome man, glad it helped

[@ephisig764]

I put off this fix for 3 winters and finally used this hack. Amazing, it's like a new truck again.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome! Glad it helped!

[@bwstonemd84]

You are a life saver. Both my blend doors went out. The passenger one was a breeze. I refused to pay 1500 to replace a part that costs $35. I was willing to cut whatever to get it done so I can get AC again on the Drivers Side. Thank you!!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

bwstonemd84 awesome man! Glad it helped!

[@shaneclark9226]

How did you get the other screw?

[@user-he5ot3wz9e]

Just cut the plastic vent and you can fit the ratchet right in there. Once it’s cut it doesn’t take long at all to replace it.

[@shaneclark9226]

@@user-he5ot3wz9e Appreciate the quick response. So I am assuming that you cut both sides?

[@cutum]

Great video. My sons 2009 F150 had the same issue with his blend motor. I actually used a pvc wire cutter to cut the ductwork. Your solution worked great! Thanks for sharing!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome. Glad it helped and good call with the wire cutter.

[@joelevans865]

Thanks for the info !!! Did this today - was easy... Saved my sanity from the clicking and saved me $1100 !!!!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome! Glad I could help!

[@michaelcarfero9360]

Thanks brother been a tech my hole life and know a lot of tricks but this one has to be top 3. I’m a 56 year old tech on disability living in Colombia. The country. Thank the lord that the Ford F150 and Raptor svts are very popular here. Problem is after sales th e techs here lack education, to say it lightly so have do everything myself. This trick not only saved me the pleasure of taking the dashboard out myself, it saved me months of being without my 2013 Raptor svt thank you so much for sharing it. Duct tape the horn never know what was done. Representing USA driving my import Raptor in Colombia thanks again

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it helped brother. Every follower and like helps. Appreciate it

[@Ace1Video]

Not sure why no one has said this yet but SUPER IMPORTANT! After replacing blend door actuator you NEED to calibrate it!! I found out the hard way! Did all of this and it work seemingly Fine but then 2 months later failed again and started clicking. If you don’t calibrate it the actuator does not know when to stop!! It will keep going and going in whatever direction you set it and eventually burn out/snap a gear. There’s not much on google as to how to do it but I found a forum and it worked. You remove the fuse that control ac/climate located in passenger footwell, in my case it’s fuse 15 for model year 2010. Leave it out for one minute before starting truck and letting it run for 30 sec (you’ll notice climate control buttons don’t light up or function with fuse out) turn truck back off, insert the fuse again and start the truck again while waiting atleast 30 seconds again (if you listen close you can actually hear the motor moving all the way hot, all the way cold) turn off truck again. It’s now calibrated! DONT SKIP THIS STEP!!!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Good advice. I didn’t know if needed calibrated or there was a procedure for it. I pulled mine out and new one straight in. Never had a problem with it after.

[@sebastianavalos4222]

Hey this just happen to me and now I have to replace it for the 2 time thanks for the info

[@JimBronson]

I understand that removing battery power for half an hour will also force a calibration.

[@valleyquail1790]

Had this problem in the past, ac only blew out of defrost area and wouldn’t move to “face” location, replaced upper blender door and that fixed the problem. Now, just the other day heard loud clicking and now ac blows perfect in driver side with ac on, but passenger side blows hot air with ac on. Would this be another top blender motor or bottom Blender issue? Thanks!!!

[@Ace1Video]

@@valleyquail1790 neither, this won’t be a blend door issue at all but the A/c actuator. Which is what is being replaced in this video. If your passenger side is not working then it should be your upper actuator behind the radio unit. This one is harder to get to then the driver side which is on the bottom and shown in this video

[@46marsh]

DuDE! What an awesome trick/shortcut. Cutting it was a total pain in ass and took forever but it worked! Getting it in and out was also super hard because its still SOOO tight. I ended up grinding the NEW lower actuator splined shaft down in order to get it to fit. Also broke some plastic pieces in the process. Once she was in it worked like a charm! Dealer wanted 1300$ 11/2020.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome man glad it helped. Reading through these comments some people have come up with easier ways to cut the duct but as long as it works it doesn’t matter.

[@azaadlidder217]

Complete this today thank you so much for the video. I used a multi tool cutter to cut the black plastic floor vent(make sure you move any wires out of the way). Quick tip add paper towel to under the carpet/center console RIP 5/16 wrench. To get the motor in just turn on the a/c - heat to adjust the teeth on the motor arm.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Good advice and glad it helped!

[@vocalpercman81]

Man, so thankful for this video. Just accomplished this today on my 09 lariat. Took me around 2 hours. It’s a pain but for sure easier than the other way. I got my part off Amazon but it didn’t fit the wire harness. So went to O’Rileys and got it for $24 Thanks again!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome! Glad I could help

[@brycek5563]

Thanks for the video. You are the only reason why we were able to fix this. Ours is a 2012 Ford F-150 5.0L with dual and automatic climate control. We went to use heat for the first time since it started getting cold out and we had cold air blowing out the drivers side but the passenger side was hot. When you put on the ac it worked perfectly on both sides meaning our blend door stayed the ac way. Couple additional tips 1. Remove the 4 bolts from the passenger seat. Do not disconnect the wiring and make sure you remove the negative from the battery. I pushed the seat towards the back seat for more room 2. I bolted a hack saw blade to a sawzall because I didn’t have a narrow enough/long enough sawzall blade. 3. When you go to cut the vent off. Put the blade on the left side of the metal tab that sticks down. (Reason I removed the drivers seat for a better angle with the blade) 4. I tried for like 2 hours to get the blend door thing out and failed. Wife came out and in 5 minutes had it out. My next idea to get it out was to pop the blend door casing apart and pull the gear out and down. That way the blend door casing isn’t as strong and it could allow you to break the drivers side tab off. 5. Once you get it out don’t forget to get in there and remove the broken tab screw 6. If the gears won’t line up properly. Put marks on the old gear so you know where the gap is. Insert the old gear back into the box and spin it by hand in order to line it up properly with the new one. Then pull the old gear out again and put the new one in. 7. Forgot this one. That plastic piece that holds the venting up. Cut that off as well so you are able to slide the blend door motor in and out. 8. The clip into the back of it has enough length that we unclipped and clipped it back in before we put the blend door back in. 9. Plastic weld and duct tape the vent back on as best as you can. 10. Zip tie wires out of the way when you go to cut the vent off. The only wires you could hit are the wires attached to the blend door so be careful. Sorry the tips are not in order but hopefully they help. And best of luck everyone!!!!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome and thanks for the tips! Glad it worked for ya!

[@mrmayhem405]

You are the man!! I thought I had to pull my seats to remove the rear air because it's in the way. I'll be doing this in the morning instead!! This trick is solid gold!! 👌

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it helped man, don’t be afraid to subscribe!

[@chrisross5328]

Thank you. I've been dreading this, every other self fix video has scared me away and then I found yours. Its fixed, again, thank you.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Chris Ross awesome man. Glad it helped.

[@08dynafatbob]

Did this last night took 45min thanks for sharing,if you have to long picks makes unhooking switch easier, thanks again

[@justthetipgarage5305]

08dynafatbob awesome! Glad it helped and good advice!

[@jasongibson1586]

Another satisfied customer here! Thanks for “Just the Tip”. Ha! It’s not easy by any means, but it works and saves you about $1k! Thank you!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

No problem, glad the tip helped!

[@Ignacio001]

This worked for my 2011 F150 SCrew Raptor. This creative process save me $1,650.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it helped! Don’t be afraid to give me a like and subscribe. Thanks!

[@lorenroberts1024]

Thank you so much. This worked great. I have a handle that holds sawzall and hacksaw blades, so I sawed the vent off by hand since my sawzall and multitool couldn't get it all. Also, I cut off the 2nd screw using the handheld saw. Awesome workaround!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome! Glad it helped.

[@silica4565]

I’m in the process of doing this now. Glad to see all the comments of others that have tried this before me. I’ll keep you posted .

[@silica4565]

I was able to replace the blend actuator by your video. It is doable but not easy.

[@mloffice2586]

This was an amazing hack. I do generally post but this was excellent advise. The only thing i would add is the lining up the new actuator takes a little time. So keep that in mind when reinstalling. This totally worked and I m very grateful. Saved me $1400 instead of going to Dealer I am going on vacation.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome! Glad it helped.

[@SuperMarshall2009]

Mine was blowing hot on one side freezing cold on the passenger side Just did this and the air now seems to blend - but temp got colder as sun set so can't check the AC but definately is working - will verify tomorrow. Thanks for this video! Getting the splines of the gears aligned was tight and tricky - other than losing a bolt in the process was very reasonable job! So glad I don't have to spend a ton to get AC to the driver side!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome glad it worked for ya!

[@systemsevil1]

Holy crap thank you for this video!! I literally have an appointment set at the dealer for Thursday to get this done, stumbled upon this vid and said screw it let me try it. I changed the upper actuator last week thinking it was the culprit, but nope. I seriously doubted myself the entire way through the process, and inch by inch, turn by turn I got it out. it was a bitch, but it's fixed!! I'm not a mechanic but I do all the work on my vehicles with the exception of really challenging stuff like this. Now, advice to others, use a crowbar to pry off the actuator and go very slowly and you won't have to use much force seeing that the bar is heavy. you'll have room to unscrew the back screw once it's off. the single screw holds it with no problem. Also, cut back the plastic as much as you can, it helps a lot with spacing in there.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome! Glad I was able to help!

[@junkersreview]

You were able to get the back screw out too ?

[@scottgriffith7759]

Dude, I have just about taken my whole dash apart, moved the seats back, removed the rear ducting, etc. All that took me about three hours and I had to quit for the day. And now I find your video. Darn!! I am still going to cut the vent like you did. It's still a tedious bear to get bottom actuator out and replaced even after moving everything out of the way. That would be another three hours of my time.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Yea man this is way faster and easier. Wish you would of found it sooner.

[@renegade_s]

This tip worked great! I used a mini hacksaw. Cut through the top half of the vent, then it just snapped back together when I was done.

[@mikeheien5622]

Thanks so much. Mine was stuck on heat, it's 90° out lately. Took me 30 minutes. I'm very thankful for the cheat!!!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

So awesome. Glad it helped. I appreciate it if you’d subscribe, about the only way you can give thanks on here.

[@mattg7465]

Okay so just finished the 2.6 hr hack job. First of all Thank you for this awesome video. I cannot believe it took me hours to come across this. I spent days looking at various videos. Glad I ran into this one! I used a sawzall with a 12” blade and cut the duct into a million pieces. I used a pair of pliers and twisted and pulled the plastic to shreds. Bulk of my time was spent doing this. As far as the actuator itself, first bolt was cake. I did opt to break the second one. i pried and pried and pried until the bloody thing came off. In doing so, I broke the actuator teeth :( no big deal, as I was still able to see what position the old teeth were In. I plugged in the new one, turned the trucks key into ignition and as the actuator moved, I stoped it at the spot the old actuator was at. Easy. Did the fuse reset procedure and bam I have heat. Now, I did get clicking during the procedure but it stopped once I finished the reset. Whatever. If it goes down again, I can get to it easy. Tip: I removed the passenger seat bc I was replacing it with a better one. It worked out great to have extra room to work on. So I recommend removing that seat if you have the time.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it helped!

[@se77ers]

Thank you very much for this instructional video about replacing the lower blend air door motor. I was able to replace mine in my 2011 Lariat which saved me a ton of $$. Cutting away the duck work was the best tip in the video. I even went a step further and cut off the ductwork mounting post to make more room. I also broke off the back bolt tab because it is impossible to get to. One screw holds it in place just fine. Thanks again!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Perfect glad it helped. Don’t forget to subscribe!

[@shaneclark9226]

How did you break off the back bolt?

[@se77ers]

@@shaneclark9226 After I got the front screw out, I wedged a screwdriver along the top side of the actuator and pried it until the rear tab broke. Then after I got the actuator out, I unscrewed the screw. When I put the new actuator in, I only used the one front screw. One screw holds it just fine.

[@travisglazier8132]

Best fix it video so far. Timed myself. 27 minutes and 3 beers

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Perfection. Glad I could help

[@travisglazier8132]

There was a comment below mine about calibration. I did that also. Hope it works. 296k on this pig so cutting into it wasn’t a big deal. Thanks again

[@emeraldphotography7363]

2010 F150 Lariat. Warm air only drivers side, Passenger side was fine. Reading the comments, I was confident of doing it myself. Bought the PVC string saw and was ready to go. Got cold feet and tried to see if I can find someone for cheap. If not, I was going to do it. I found someone on the Craigslist (yes, I know. risky). I offered him $400. (He is located at this sketchy area where they have multiple garage bays. I think each one rents it cuz these bays do different specialized work such as tires, auto paint etc.) He was local so I wasn't too worried. I ask him questions based on this thread about the issue and he answered them with confidence. I picked it up two days later. Yes he did the entire console dismantling. Did a great job. He does other work so I found myself a mechanic.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome man. Tons of people have done it but to not have to worry about it is great too. I’m just glad it’s fixed for ya

[@mattwilliams5429]

Greatest video I've ever watched! Thank u

[@jakobk9034]

Man thanks for this video just did mine successfully using this method and I didn’t pay the whole Ford shop floors wages👍🏻

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Perfect

[@GeoffRathmell]

Thanks for the video! I glad I ran across this video before attempting the actuator replacement since it saved me from removing the center console and hacking away at the ducting support posts as seen in some other videos. It took me a little while to saw out the floorboard ducting with the tools I had available but this worked like a champ! I now have heat again on drivers side & rear passenger area. This was on a 2012 FX4.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Geoff Rathmell perfect man, glad I could help! Give the video a like so others can hopefully find it as well and save themselves the hassle.

[@Bruhstorfer]

I went the "remove center console route"...it didnt end well. Got ducting stuck, had to pull seats, it was a mess. Found this video and got me back on track!!! Thanks @justthetipgarage

[@justthetipgarage5305]

No problem brother, glad it helped!

[@dougfulbright9018]

Thanks for your video, my son and I just replaced mine in about an hour!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Perfect. Glad it helped

[@trudeaumustgo1920]

Was just about to do this. 100% worth it. This is my 2nd time doimg this repair as my new part also failed. Taking out the centre console is a total chore and the shifter cable is hard to get off.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Hello There , this just makes it so much easier. Glad I was able to help!

[@trudeaumustgo1920]

1 year later and the actuator failed again. Im now on number 3.

[@nathansoulliere1893]

Ur door is sticking

[@jordanwillis243]

@@trudeaumustgo1920 did you do the reset procedure on it?

[@derekmcclymonds4150]

My man I’m gonna do this in the morning thank you

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Derek Mcclymonds you got it brother!

[@chrischairez7359]

Dude you just save me a WHOLE Lot Of TIME thanks !

[@justthetipgarage5305]

No problem, it’s helped a lot of people which is awesome!

[@banditofrito1]

I am not mechanical. Doing this method still tools me 3.5 hours. My cut of the vent was not nearly as nice as this cut. So I could not put the vent back in. No issue though. I like this method as well as I can more easily replace it when it breaks again. Thanks to Just the Tip!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it helped!

[@timhenson1337]

Worked like a charm. I have the center console, 2014 Lariat. I remove the console to gain more room. I used a PVC pipe wire saw (thin wire cable with two loops for handles.) It worked great, very clean and straight cut.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome man. Glad it helped and great idea.

[@anthonylawrence2411]

great idea! i'm currently working on my 2012 F150 king ranch and was looking for an easier way to do this. Would have never thought about a wire saw. heading to home depot now to get one!

[@timhenson1337]

You will need to pry down on the vent to get the wire saw under the rear guide pin for the vent.

[@anthonylawrence2411]

@@timhenson1337 Yes you're correct, and i wish i would have thought about that a little more before cutting it. I first started the initial cut with an oscillating tool. Then on the opposite side i finished with the PVC wire saw. But of course i cut it just slightly offline with the initial cut, so it was ugly. But it worked. Then i realized i should have gotten past that rear guide pin. so i made a second cut. Then in order to get that stupid electrical connection in the back off, i cut a little more out. My frustrations with this job caused me to not look into it more. oh well. one thing i learned is that that wire saw is awesome.

[@anthonylawrence2411]

One more thing: How do you go about breaking the bolt tab on the other side? I've seen this a lot on comments and also in the video (at 3:35). My fear is that if I'm prying on the actuator trying to break that bolt tab off, that i'll damage the internal gear that the actuator gear connects to. One thought i had was pry the actuator down a little, take my small hand saw and stick the blade over the top of the actuator, then start cutting through the bolt/plastic on the other side? I'm stuck at this point trying to figure it out. Thanks.

[@A2J_Tim]

thanks for the video, I had a bit of a hard time lining up the gear just right, so it took me 3 hrs but still it was alot faster than removing the entire dash assembly.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it helped. I’d appreciate a subscribe!

[@A2J_Tim]

@@justthetipgarage5305 I did sub

[@blackhawk737]

Saved me a lot of money. Thank you very much. Appreciate it sir.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome man. Glad it helped.

[@markwatson1398]

Just did this on my 2009. WAY better than taking the console apart and I was able to zip tie the cut off section back on. As of 2021, the OEM was the same price ($25 ish) as the dorman.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Perfect man. Glad it worked!

[@aremci]

After watching 5 or 6 other videos I attempted to replace the lower blend door. After 6 hours later and totally dismantling my center consol and dash as well I disconnected my gear shifter....scared the sh*t outta me. I AM NOT IN ANYWAY A MECHANIC. So i quit and put it all back together hoping I didn't f*ck anything up. Next morning I found this video. OMFG thank you for this video. I got the job done in about an hour.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

I’m sorry you didn’t find my video sooner but I’m glad it helped you knock it out! Congrats! Good job

[@haidaguy1436]

Thanks for the video. Think I might try this on the weekend. Don’t want to spend a lot at the dealership

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Haida Guy I’ve seen guys attempt to bend the vent out of the way but it barely works at best. Honestly what’s 2” of air duct? Not worth a $1000 to me.

[@haidaguy1436]

Just The Tip Garage I’ve attempted it once without removing the dash. Mines stuck on cold only on the drivers side. Never thought of cutting the vent there. I don’t think it matters much cutting it back 2”

[@trudeaumustgo1920]

Just did this exact same thing in under 2 hours

[@haidaguy1436]

Just did mine today. Took about 2 hours too

[@ragew.8663]

Working on this today. Took me probably 2 hours just to get the duct cut all the way through. When I went to unplug the electrical, I saw that I cut the blue wire with the blade. A few questions: 1. How difficult is it to break off the bolt on the other side of the motor? 2. How'd you get your fingers back to unplug the connector, or did you use a specific tool? 3. Any thoughts on what to do about the wiring? There isn't much room to work/splice.

[@shawnchannell9689]

Thank you for the video! I used a hacksaw blade to cut the floor duct. I could have probably just cut through the top half of that duct about 2 inches, and then popped the top of it off, since it's in two halves, but I was able to get access. You can use a 5/16" ratchet to remove the bolts for the metal bracket, and I used a 5/16" ratchet box wrench to make the removal of the other bolts easier. A crow bar or pry tool of some sort helps to hold that bottom piece of air duct down while you remove the old actuator and put in the new one. I had to break one of the bolt tabs on the old actuator to get it out since I couldn't reach it, but once you get the old actuator out you can remove the bolt. The one exposed bolt you can reach will hold the new actuator in place just fine. The only tricky part was trying to line up the new actuator into place. I plugged in the new actuator and turned on the climate control to see if it would rotate the gear enough to line it up, and I think that helped. It took me about 2 hours start to finish, and I ordered the part on Amazon for about $21 (Motorcraft part YH1777 or YH1933). Anyways, can't thank you enough for the video and for saving me $800 to $1000 and not disassembling my whole dash, console and seats for one part!

[@justinbarnes6240]

This was such a pain. However, saved a ton of money. One thing I learned is to plug it in, switch between heat and ac to let the gears adjust so it lines up when you install the new one

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it helped!

[@Thyhuynh2008]

Thanks so much bro I just done my exactly like you took me around 1 1/2 hr it good save me a lot money

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Perfect. Glad it helped!

[@davidsonpeguero2760]

All fine after 2 hours! Heat works great I owe you one!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome man glad it helped! Just pay it forward and help out someone in need.

[@davidsonpeguero2760]

@@justthetipgarage5305 will do brother

[@pwrmac1]

First off, thanks for the video! Much easier than the correct way! Now a word of caution. Spend the money for the Ford part! I ordered one from Amazon and the spline was a few mm's taller. The space is tight to begin with and being a Saturday with the dealership parts department closed, I decided to make it work. I had to remove the 8mm bolts and brace from the drivers side and used a breaker bar to push the vent down. Lots of swearing and my hands look like I was an extra in a Rob Zombie movie, but I got it in. Pulled fuse 46 to reset (2012) and she worked normally. Ran the diagnostic and the stupid B1081 code is gone too. I spent some extra time to make 2 clips from a hard drive cage so I could clip the vent piece back on. All in between swearing and pacing back and forth thinking how stupid Ford engineers are, I did it in 3 hours. Thank you again!!!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Matthew Ryan good advice! Glad it worked out for you though!

[@lehighvalleyautoplexinc.2993]

thank you so much ,you just saved us 1500 dollars . get the part from the dealer its 30 dollars

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome. So glad it helped

[@jeremyphillips5556]

Wasn't pretty but I got it done using minimal tools in the driveway. Thanks for the video!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Jeremy Phillips glad it helped!

[@brycesapp7601]

Just finished fixing my truck using this video. My truck was thumping/knocking loudly every time the key was turned on, even if the HVAC was off. I felt at each of the actuators and it was hard to tell which one it was, because the knocking is transmitted through the entire ductwork so you can feel it at all of the actuators. But it seemed worst at this lower actuator. I followed the suggestion in another comment and only cut the top half of the vent, and then unclipped and removed the top half, leaving the bottom half in place. This allowed the top of the duct to be reattached later. I just used a long sawzall blade with duct tape wrapped around one end to use as a handle. Your blade can't be very tall or else it will hit some other plastic pieces and wont reach all the way to the far side of the duct. I made that mistake initially. You should poke around with the blade and reach around behind the duct with your other hand before you begin sawing and make sure you have snaked the blade successfully through the plastic maze and are actually sawing the entire duct and not just 75% of it. I think sawzall blades are ideal since they taper down to a thin point. I had to get pretty rowdy with a pry bar to flex the duct enough to get the old motor out, but nothing broke, so the ducts seem pretty resilient. If you have left the lower half of the duct in place like I did, make sure you pull the carpet out from underneath it so that it can be flexed down that extra tiny amount without being held up by the carpet. The new motors all seem to come with the missing tooth pointed directly forward. I tore apart the old broken actuator and took out the old male spline piece and marked it using a sharpie so that I could use it as a tool to orient the female socket correctly to match the new motor. This worked really well and the new motor instantly went into place easily. I also pulled fuse 46 in the passenger footwell once I was done, which supposedly does some sort of recalibration on the actuators; not sure if necessary or not, but didn't hurt anything. Thank you for the video.

[@ryang.1640]

Great video and explanation and you just saved a lot of people a LOT of $ and time. Thankfully my 2012 f150 has not had this issue, as of yet anyways.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Thank you. Never did I imagine this video would have over 300k views.

[@freehugs6469]

This vid easily saved me $1000. Just completed this today. Took me a little longer, maybe 3-4 hours. Once I got the new one in, I had to start the truck so that the actuator would fit up into place during it's calibration. Spent an hour sitting there, waiting for my diy brain to troubleshoot. I'm glad it works and that I didn't break the new piece trying to fit it in initially.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Eric Sierra vista glad it worked brother!

[@scottcline9383]

You are the man I’ve been watching videos going crazy with everything they say to do yea some hillbilly ingenuity will be taking place 🎉

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Tons of comments and views. If we can do it you can too!

[@Speedbagthrasher]

Six months ago I paid a shop $1000 to replace driver side and passenger side blend door. 4 months later both of them crapped out again. Decided to give this a go and I’ll say that it was a pain in the butt but totally worth it. QUICK TIP!! You don’t have to cut all the way through the floor vent. Cut down the top half then pop the plastic clips free and the top of the floor vent pops off and bam!! There’s the blend door. Still a pain in the butt to get the back side screw to break but with some perseverance you can do it. ANOTHER TIP!! Try to get the gears in the new blend door actuator in the same spot as the old gears were when you took it out. That is if you don’t destroy the old set while getting them out. I learned the hard way that I had to put it place, plug it up, turn on the truck, move the temp up and down then the teeth lined up and it slid on in. Once you get it screwed back in place simply clip the top of the floor vent back on and no one can tell you ever did anything. Pain in the ass but less painful than paying a mechanic $1000 to do and if it goes out again you’ve already figured out how to fix it and the hard part of cutting the floor vent is already done. Good luck y’all!!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome! Glad it helped ya out and great tips!

[@brandonwebb4200]

Just did this on my 2010 platinum today. I’ll say it was the biggest pain in the but modifying that air duct. I ended up just cutting pretty much all out. I was not able to squeeze the new on in without cutting the duct out. Took about two hours. But the part at AutoZone was $25. Well worth the scrapes and cuts on my hands.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Yea it’s not easy but way better then the dealerships cost.

[@calloway1972]

I have a 2013 platinum. About to try this.

[@calloway1972]

Were you able to get the back screw out ? How did you deal with that ?

[@charliewilliams1365]

Great the best video on KZbin the job went 123 Thank You

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it helped! If you’d like to I’d appreciate a subscribe.

[@mikenewby725]

Hey just wanna let you know that was awesome it worked great thank you for the video

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Mike Newby awesome. Glad it helped!

[@traviskershaw7721]

How u get the duct to drop down. Mine won't move. I removed the screw same thing

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Travis Kershaw pry it down. There’s 2 screws. One in front you can get and a real hard one In the back you can either remove or pry it down and it will snap and then remove that screw

[@michaelmontes9820]

So there is light at the end of the tunnel! Thank you so much.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Absolutely! Don’t forget to like and subscribe

[@matthewford2869]

I love this! Thanks!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Matthew Ford no problem. Glad it helps

[@IAMCROM69]

Brother thank you for sharing. What a PITA. This is the only way to go!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it worked! Always appreciate a follow!

[@joeplank7778]

Haha take the saw zaw to it 😂 hell yeah awesome video saving me soo much time and money thanks bro!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Absolutely man!

[@bradsmith9189]

Worked for me as well. Really grateful. Two items that helped in the process: 1) I used a sawzall with a long blade. Took about 30 seconds after wasting too much time unproductively with a hacksaw blade. 2) The male pinion of the new unit needs to be aligned with its female counterpart before it will insert correctly. I pressed a small piece of paint detailing clay up against the female "hole" to determine the orientation of the drive "flat". I then plugged in the new unit loose on the floor and turned on the ignition. The male end rotates and when in the corresponding position turned off the ignition. It then just slid up into place.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Brad Smith excellent tips and glad it helped! I used a sawzall with a real long blade too!

[@Kjar20]

I’m trying this method to line up the male and female connection. When plugged in though I cannot get the male pinion to rotate. Do you think that means I received a dead on arrival actuator or am I supposed to do anything else to get it to rotate? Thanks in advance.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

If plugged in it should rotate when you turn the temperature selector for the driver side. If it doesn’t check the connection, fuses, and if none of those the part may be bad.

[@jpnm81]

good job, always innovating

[@conradpons9238]

Hell yeah!👍😄✌️ I love it,a man after my own heart brah!!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it helped man.

[@insidethecomputer]

Just got it done with my 2012 King Ranch. I was getting only heat out the drivers side and NO AC. The duct work is exactly like yours. After cutting as you did I was able to remove the existing motor by prying and breaking the screw on the back. Sadly the shaft broke off as well. I had to use a pick to get the broken off piece out of the spline. Putting the new motor in was another story. I was not able to sneak it in by prying in any way shape or form. I ended up cutting out more of the duct work including some of the ducting that directs air to the back through the console. In the end I used some duct tape to make sure the air is directed properly and the new motor slid right in (after aligning the spline - by opening up the casing and spinning the motor manually to get it in place). Only one screw holding it in. with the alignment feature on the casing it will be just fine. Conflicting data if it is necessary or not, but I did the system reset by removing the Fuse and waiting 30 seconds, started the truck, let it run for a minute or so, turned it off, put the fuse back in and works like a CHAMP! I did remove the console for this in order to cut further back into the ductwork, but next time I will be able to do it all without removing anything. All told it took me about 5 hours with breaks. Thanks for the video. This was a PERFECT option! Saved me $1500.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome! Glad it helped. Give me a subscribe if you will. I can’t believe it’s turned into this but somehow I actually have 1000 subscribers and it’s all helping people like you save money from Ford.

[@darcypatterson9293]

You rock! Thank you so much!!!!

[@user-lz2bn6eo1j]

Decided to go this route. Guess so did the previous owner. Made it very simple. Even the hard to get to bolt/screw was not there.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Haha perfect. Yea once you get it out you can access that back hard to get screw. Just not before you get it out.

[@user-lz2bn6eo1j]

@@justthetipgarage5305 just took it around the block, country block. Heat works great now. Most time it took was I ordered the part.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Love it. I always appreciate a subscribe

[@cassiuswinn3475]

Your the best.. Thank you so much

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it helped!

[@Harper747]

Everything went like clockwork until I tried installing the new actuator...apparently Ford engineers designed a new, more durable unit however the overall thickness increased about 3/16's making installing it a very tight, almost impossible squeeze. I had to reduce the length of the actuator drive shaft about 1/4', I just kept grinding it down with a Dremel tool until I was finally able, with the help of good ol' WD40, to wiggle the Actuator into place. Reminded me of the feeling of lining up the clutch plate with the input shaft splines on a 1957 Ford Transmission.... Anyway, Thank you for the post, I wasn't about to pay FoMoCo $1200 for something that only took me a few hours. BTW, I used the Dremel tool with a 1" cut-off wheel to remove the Floor vent and a few other plastic obstructions, also I calibrated the new unit using a 9V battery and matching the spline position to the old unit. There's 5 contacts in the actuator connector, 2 and 3 pins. The 2 pins are +/- that turn the output shaft. With exception of a VERY limited work space and about 3/4" freeplay in the connector lead this was quite an adventure, I sincerely hope Ford engineers take this issue to heart, I'd really hate to switch over to brand X...

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Awesome. Glad it worked

[@janmasse9688]

The thicker one is likely the Dorman version. The Motorcraft version is thinner.

[@jrichy438]

Good job!!!

[@pvreelz]

Clutch! Thank you

[@anthonylawrence2411]

Thank you for the video! I have a question for you though. How do you go about breaking the bolt tab on the other side? I've seen this a lot on comments and also in your video (at 3:35). My fear is that if I'm prying on the actuator trying to break that bolt tab off, that i'll damage the internal gear that the actuator gear connects to. One thought i had was pry the actuator down a little, take my small hand saw and stick the blade over the top of the actuator, then start cutting through the bolt/plastic on the other side? I'm stuck at this point trying to figure it out. Thanks.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

You could cut it but honestly we all just preyed down on it and it snapped. Try to put the screwdriver in the back by the boot

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Bolt

[@shaneclark9226]

Great video. I don't mind cutting the duct. But what about the otherside for the other screw?

[@dilloncorbett8273]

Would you recommend lining the gear teeth up the same exact position the old one was in? Having trouble getting the new one back in.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Absolutely

[@Cesaon99]

Thanks for the video I did changed them both but the weird thing , I still have that noise coming from down there

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Not sure what the noise is but as long as you have heat and air you’re on the right track

[@dutchdna]

"That's what she said"

[@jamestreptow765]

Hello, in the middle of doing this. I think I have the vent chopped up enough to get to the motor. Got the front screw out and I believe I have broken the back screw. Now I can’t seem to get it out. I’m worried if I pry too hard I’ll damage the inside where the spline goes. Also do you pull the connector off after you get the motor partially out or before you try to pull the motor out

[@justthetipgarage5305]

I pulled the connector first. If the back screw is broken it should come out easily. It’s probably still hanging on. I broke mine off by prying down. Once you disconnect the connector give it a little twist back and forth and then pry down. My bet is the plastic where the back screw is is still hanging on.

[@michaelboyle7885]

Wish I had seen this video before I took out the center console and gear shifter only to realize the lower duct for the rear floor heater is there too blocking. I would've had to pull the seats out to get that out of the way. Worked great!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Michael Boyle, yea I got the quote to fix this and I couldn’t believe it. After watching a few videos, I came up with this easy fix.

[@mrpistonrecaro6483]

After watching a few videos. This is what I did Removed center console Remove the duct bolts 2 driver side and 2 passenger Didn’t remove the seats,carpet or under carpet duct No need to cut the huge chunk of duct. Just the leg Lower the duct with pry bar and stick a piece of wood there. Cut the leg that’s in front of the actuator only holds duct up. Remove passenger side bolt from actuator. Driver side bolt eyelet breaks and comes out. Remove actuator remove remaining bolt the from it. Must put back in the same position. Turn it with old actuator gear if you don’t have anything else. Install everything back same order. I put the leg back and glued it.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it worked!

[@jass7981]

I just did this and to my surprise, the duct was already cut! That saved me about 20-30 minutes of cutting with a wire cutter. Here are some more tips for anyone attempting to do this repair: 1) unplug the actuator when you have it free otherwise it’s next to impossible to disconnect the wire. 2) use a prying tool to push the duct down to release the actuator. This will require a lot of force. 3) take note how the splines are on the old actuator and you will need to line them up on the new one exactly the same. You cannot move it by hand so I plugged in the new actuator without installing it and played around with the temperature settings until it matched up with the old one. I had to quickly take out the key once they were matched up as it wouldn’t stay in that same spot as the old one. This will make it a breeze to reinstall and I did not have to reset the system via a fuse pull. 4) using a heat gun aimed at other side of the actuator will help break it off pretty easily. Remove the screw after the actuator is broken off and there is no need to reinstall. One holds it in just fine. No more rapid clicking! Thanks to the OP for this video. Saved a lot of people time and money.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Perfect!

[@lamarcarter6699]

Thanks !

[@larryhanes8527]

Great video. My 2010 Ford Raptor is blowing only hot air from every vent regardless of hot/cold air setting. AC even blows hot. With your video I can certainly replace the 2 blend door actuators. Will that solve the problem? Thanks for your input.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

It’s possible they both failed and that’s your problem. If so I’d replace the one behind the radio first. Easier and doesn’t require any cutting. Then you can see if the passenger side works and blows cold. If so follow this video for the lower blend door motor and you’ll be all set. If you can’t get cold out of the passenger side after replacing the upper blend door motor then this isn’t the issue and you can move on with the diagnosis.

[@jass7981]

Second time doing this repair on a new truck. Mine is a Platinum so it has a lot more wiring and I could not use a wire cutter or a sawzall blade. I had to buy a dremel and spend 40 minutes slowly cutting up the air duct which allowed me access to the actuator. After removing the air duct and actuator bolt, I inserted a pry bar between the duct the actuator and pulled straight down. The plastic tab broke off on the other side allowing me to disconnect the actuator and remove it. Very easy repair and it took me 2 hours to do mainly because of the dremel. Thank you again!

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Perfect man!

[@jass7981]

@@justthetipgarage5305 you saved a lot of people time and money. Thank you, man!

[@mulkins2008]

This is the part I’m struggling with. Going to try and use a pry bar to get it off. Just won’t come off for me. Ty!

[@jass7981]

@@mulkins2008very easy to do. Just go slow with the pry bar. Very little effort needed.

[@mulkins2008]

@@jass7981 thank you! Still working on it! I’ll see if I can get it lol

[@Ryan-xj1vr]

I’m in! Doing this today.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

You got it. They even sell a tool now that can remove and install the screw but you don’t need it. It’ll break

[@Ryan-xj1vr]

@@justthetipgarage5305 Going with the break it off method. 😂

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Worked for me and everyone else wholes commented on this video

[@Ryan-xj1vr]

@@justthetipgarage5305 It’s done, working great. Thanks again.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Glad it helped. Don’t be afraid to subscribe!

[@dhanni868]

Thank you very much for this video and explanation! I have completed it all except I cannot for the life of me get the new one to go up and into its home. I have aligned the gears same as the old one...it just one do it. I can get the screw in, but if I go through the hole where you did the sawsall work i can see most of the gear. How did you are everyone get it lined up and back in there!?

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Daniel Hannagan it doesn’t always go in easily. I left the blend door motor in its position. And then used a small dental pick that was bent at a 90 to move the actual blend door to the correct position. Once you have it she’ll slide in easy. But it took me a few try’s to line it up too. It only goes in 1 way.

[@dhanni868]

@@justthetipgarage5305 Thank you for some advice. I will try and move the actual door itself. I calibrated it to the old one and 2 hours later and still can'g get it to slide in. No issues replacing the others.

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Yea move the door. It’ll slide in easy when aligned properly

[@IRAQARMYVET]

Is saw a video where someone took the old one apart and used the part that sticks out and goes into the top part as a tool to line up the gears. You can’t move the gears on the new part but you can on the top part.

[@jesseaumua2374]

thank you so much man you saved me a leg ! great video ! *****

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Jesse Aumua awesome. Glad it helped!

[@andrewburroughs640]

I was able to get all of the steps completed but I cannot get the splines to line up and go in the slot! I saw you said you used a pick, I've tried that and it just won't seat up there. I've also tried to turn the dual on and off to see if it would rotate the gears but that hasn't help. Any other ideas/advice?

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Andrew Burroughs it only goes in 1 way. I used the old one to see where it was lined up. Then matched and it went in. Take your time with it. It’ll go easily when it’s lined up. If you force it you could mess up the splines on either end.

[@MiguelPerez-eh6kr]

Thank you Thank you Thank you

[@JayDKB]

Is that the one for the passenger or drivers. My drivers side blows cold but my passenger and rear area blows hot. Just wondering if their switched on the two doors. I replaced the one behind the radio but its still blowing hot in the passenger side

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Jay DKB drivers is connected to the rear and is the one I replaced in this video. Passenger is by itself and behind the radio. I’ve also heard that the higher models like platinum have a third one under the steering wheel dash.

[@jorgemonterroso6001]

Thanks for the video! Do you know the part #, tengo el mismo problema con mi f150 2010 Harley

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Unfortunately I don’t have it anymore. If you call the parts department at your local Ford dealer they had them in stock. It’s called a blend door motor. And was about $35

[@calloway1972]

Do you know if there is any reset or learning procedure you need to do for the new actuator ?

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Nope it’s ready to go in the last position the old one failed in.

[@chriswhelan1241]

How did you break that other bolt tab? I’m having a bugger getting it out and just wrecking plastic under there but not the correct plastic

[@justthetipgarage5305]

I put a screw driver in there right by the screw and started prying it down. It snapped. Keep working it. You’ll get it.

[@rossschiermeister8840]

My truck in AC mode is blowing cold air to the driver side but hot to the passenger side. Would that mean it’s the middle (behind radio) actuator instead?

[@justthetipgarage5305]

Ross Schiermeister yup, but just to double check change the temperate on both sides. Whatever side doesn’t change is the bad one. In your case it’s the passenger which is behind the radio. Way easier to fix. Tons of videos on here that will show ya exactly how to do it.