Ford F150 Vibrating, Humming AC - Blend Door fix

If your Gen1 Raptor AC system vibrating and humming like crazy? Then you may have broken the blend door on your AC system. It's the door that changes between fresh air and recirculating air and it's a pain to replace. In this video we use Motors and Mischiefs process to replace the flap without having to rip out the whole dash.
Motors and Mischief Video:
• Ford F150 Recirc/Fresh...
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[@greatstate58]

Motors and mischief the GOAT love his channel.

[@e.b.6766]

Love the make-shift raised work platform!!! Did this on my cousin’s truck… one of the most uncomfortable positions to be in!!!

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Yeah it is. Figured this was good enough and cheaper than the creepers they sell that do the same for $100

[@e.b.6766]

As far as the motor goes… If the flap is closed it’s in recirculating mode. Plug up the motor, turn a/c power on, and select recirculating on the dash. The motor should move to the recirculating position. Turn power off. Line motor up with splines on blend door. Done. If you don’t time it correctly you may end up breaking the new part. The blend door will be in one position while the motor is trying to move it to another position not in relation to the switch/ blend door position. Hope that makes sense.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

It really does not matter. The motor does not have an open and closed position. The motor just spins until it detects resistance in each direction and then stops. That’s why the plastic bit breaks. Motors is always torquing on it. Found this out by taking out the motor to see it spin for each position. When the bit breaks. The motors just sits there spinning over and over again until it detects a stop. Confirmed it with a few videos as well. Dumb design if you ask me.

[@jlopez8639]

I did that fix this weekend 4 Mar 2024. It took me about 4 1/2 hours, that I hope is the last time I do that . I did it by myself I had no help. Seems to be working fine. My arms looked worse than yours, my hands got beat up. Good video very entertaining.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

If it hammers again, I’m just going to zip tie the door into recirculating. Not worth doing the fix again.

[@Aceinthehole117]

Thanks. I had the noise start yesterday on my 2014. It took me about 15 minutes to pull the fan and about an hour to get it back in. That last bolt was so hard to get started. Great video! I am not going to attempt the second half of that fix

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Don’t blame you. If I had to do it again I would just lock the flap in recirculate position.

[@michaelarrington988]

just did this repair minus the flap

[@alexandercastillo87]

So after watching your video and @motors and mischiefs video was able to fix my 2013 f150 fx4s flapper. I wish I could have taken video of the process . Took about 3h and half total , taking apart was a pian in the a#$ . However it is possible to fix . Thanks to the both of ya'll for such great videos. No more cold air coming in from the bottom lol.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Hats off really goes to motors and mischief man. He was the one that really showed us all the way, and deserves the credit. If it happens again to me, I’m just locking the flap in recirculating position. Too much of a pain to fix.

[@yoster77]

​@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad that's exactly what I just did today lol

[@albertayo7035]

Wow just got my gen 1 raptor 2days ago in Africa and had this issue after years of use States side with no issues with the winter and hot summers ...just right in time video King!

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Glad we could help.

[@TurboDave]

Great explanation guy’s, 2 years ago I removed the broken part and chose to not do anything further, really have not noticed any issues not have the recirculating door working, after watching your video it would not be worth the extra effort for me to complete the repair. Thanks for the entertaining tutorial.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

I would have to agree. After replacing the flap, if it fails again I’m just locking it in recirculating. Fixing it is not worth the effort

[@amorelove5142]

Thank you so much I feel like family. I really appreciate it that two by Four trick that helped my fat ass get the job done and yes, I cheated and used electrical tape to keep my swivel parts and screws together and made it happen. Thank you guys love from California.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Thanks man. Glad we could help.

[@michaelarrington988]

Just had to do this repair on my sons 2014 f150 . Need to be a three handed contortionist to get that blower motor in and out .Went ahead and put a new blower motor in so it should be good for another 100k miles hopefully.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Yeah, it’s an awful job for sure. I never want to have to do it again.

[@timmeadows1487]

Thanks just had mine to break . I've been wondering what that part was . It's 35 degrees here in Missouri so I'll wait until it starts getting warmer before I tackle it . Thanks again .

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Don’t blame you. I don’t function well in the cold either. But as many have said it here, it’s best to just lock the flap into recirculating mode with a zip tie or something. If we had to do it again, we would just lock it into recirculating and call it a day. Too much of a pain to fix right only for it to break again a few years down the road

[@goldcartridgegamer]

Thanks for the video and another view on Motors and Mischief's method. As for me, not if but when this finally breaks I'll remove dash so I can replace the blend door actuators since they too will eventually go out. Knock out a bunch of stuff at once. Unless as you said it requires discharging ac system.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Yeah, we heard that in order to take out the dash right to get to everything, the AC has to be discharged. It makes an already big job even more complicated. One of the reasons we tried this method. We know eventually we may need to take the whole dash out for the heater core and the other blend doors. But hoping to kick that down the road as much as possible. My Truck only has 53k miles so definitely too soon to be seeing this.

[@goldcartridgegamer]

One of my actuators started making a clicking noise 2 years ago. No clue which one since all of my vents put out hot and cold air with no issues. I have found a way to not make it click so I just live with it. When it does click it only lasts for a moment then stops clicking.

[@boostedsaleen6146]

Unplug the door motor once its set no need to let it flap back in forth and break again.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

That’s definitely an option too. Did not think of it. Will the truck show a code afterwards though?

[@jonjasinski6592]

Sure as sh!t a few days ago my 2013 F-150 began making the exact same noise when I turned on the defroster on a 18 degree morning to thaw the frost off from the windshield and to warm the cab up. Needless to say when turned up on high speed the blower fan vibrates the hell out of the entire vehicle and you'd think that you're experiencing a blow out at 70 miles per hours. After watching several videos including this one I believed that I had the same issue and began the process of removing the cab blower fan which is conveniently located far and up under the glove box. For a fat, 67 year old guy with both knees and hips being replaced (a life of football as a center) it ain't easy to wedge yourself in to be able to feel let alone see the 5/16" hex screws that hold the blower fan in place. Thoughts of slowly strangling the Ford engineer(s) that designed this set up came to mind on several occasions as I attempted to remove the hex screws and most especially the back one which will require a 5/16" mini offset ratchet wrench given that there is no room to use a 1/4" drive ratchet and short socket. A 5/16" box end wrench will also work but will take you forever given that you can only get a very small turn on it. Once the blower fan was removed sure enough there was that little round piece of black plastic with a spline opening and the remnants of the rubber flap that it used to be connected to. After reinstalling the blower fan amid much cursing, plugging it in and turning it on I'm now back in business. Shame on Ford for building a decent overall product with some poorly performing parts such as the fresh air flapper connector which in my estimation should be the last thing to ever fail and double shame on the engineer(s) that designed this portion of it.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

I had the same experience and why my son did most of the work here. So tough to work on this and if you had it fixed at the dealer it would be super expensive because they would take the whole dash out to fix it. Very poor design. Don’t forget to go back in and secure the flap. Most secure it in recirculating mode

[@shubberalhamza1331]

Thanks guy for sharing, actually it happened to me & I just fixed the door to the closed position 😊 with a tie rap til I got the new part.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

The replacement sucks man. If I had to do it again, I would just lock it in recirculating

[@DanielBrown-nj3th]

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoaddoes the defrost of windshield work in recon mode? I’ve never tried.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Yes, and the truck usually puts the air in recirculating mode to get the warm air from inside the truck anyways so it will work the same way

[@gvk530]

​@@KeepItDirtyOffRoadwhich way does it need to be zip tied to keep it on recirculating?

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Blocking the air coming from the outside. I think that’s flipped up.

[@michaelzeal844]

now you know what its like to be a Porsche Mechanic.... I remember when we had those little actuator motors start binding and making clicking noises on the First Gen Cayennes... depending on the options for the A/c some of those damn things had like 12 actuator motors to be replaced.. under warranty no less.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

😳😳 holy crap. I think the f150 have 2-3. 12 is nuts!! I own 4 German cars so I get it too. Damn Germans over engineer everything.

[@michaelzeal844]

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad damn 4 zone A/C systems are nice for the customer. Hell for the Tech. And yes. Everything is over engineered. Lol

[@gabeesquivelLethalZR1]

I screwed door shut, as i know here in Texas it will just break again, I never use outside air so...

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

That’s honestly the best way to go. When mine breaks again, that’s my plan. Just screw it shut in recirculating

[@hiramdelatorre8657]

Do you know the part number for the replacement assembly?

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Don’t know it off the top of my head but I think I had it listed in the video.

[@thoulow3663]

This just happened to me yesterday! If I just remove the peice that busted off it shouldn't shake anymore? I just won't be able to switch back and forth from recirculation?

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

That’s correct. Vibration is due to the broken bit making the fan motor unbalanced. If you don’t repair the flap, and don’t blame you if you don’t, lock it in with zip ties or something in recirculating mode. You don’t want it just flapping because on a hot day, AC works better recirculating than getting outside air.

[@offroadpatriot7219]

188k miles on my 2012 and haven't had this problem yet... Hoping I never have to lol goodness that looks horrible.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

I said the same thing, and literally within a month it happened.

[@lyleswavel320]

Mine works, I live in Texas, but I don't need this hassle, since in max a/c with recirculation activated, can I just unplug the motor and it will stay in recirculation

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Yes you can and it’s not a bad idea. Just keep in mind to leave the truck on when you do it. Otherwise it will move once you turn it off.

[@mortneff438]

If it doesn't have to be perfect, can you grind off some sides to let it slide in?????

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

If you want the flap to work, no. You’re better off just locking the broken flat in recirculating mode. Reason is because the connection to the motor is only about 3/8in. So any trimming means the motor may not have such a good contact so the new flap will fail sooner. Hope that helps

[@wazup85]

any one have a trick to get that back screw i cant seems to get it even with an elbow joint

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

We used that flexible front head with an elbow to get up in there like we did. It’s not easy and having someone with small hands goes a long way

[@wazup85]

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad thank you i got it out finely im not going to bother with the fresh air door do i need to worrey about the actuator just spinning forever and draining battery and if so is there a way to un plug it?

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Yeah, there is a plug under the motor to disable it. Not sure if it will send a code though, so it may be worth leaving it plugged in.

[@ChromesConsoles]

Oh Gosh! This was something! I wonder if this happens for a reason or its just normal wear that can break it. On our 2010 Raptor we have not had this happened. Is it possible for it to happen on an old truck like that? Anyways Awesome video!!

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

We talk about it in the video. It’s a design flaw with all the 2010-2014 f150s. The motor that turns the flap just keeps spinning until it detects resistance. Since the flap is plastic it just keeps torquing the part for years and eventually I pops. If you have not seen it yet, you’ve been lucky

[@chriswoodard8813]

If you never use recirculation would that lengthen the life of the part not breaking?

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Yes it would. But the truck tends to have some automation too as you switch in an out of auto climate control so you can’t completely avoid it.

[@lb-we-are-one]

I have this issue. I’m just going to close the existing flap manually and let it closed.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

That is really the best way to go. Replacing the flat is not worth the effort

[@emtae65]

Can't believe how often this happens and always on the actuator side.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

After tearing this apart and seeing it all, it’s bound to happen over and over again. The motor that controls the flap stops only when it detects a certain amount of resistance. And it’s a strong motor. Co stately torquing on a small piece of plastic. It will eventually break it off. Motor need to be weaker or stops built into to it to stop this from happening. Total design defect

[@Kk-iw4ck]

Can I just tape or glue it close 😅

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Tape or clue probably won’t last. But I bet you can zip tie it or screw it in the recirculating position. If it fails again, that’s what I’m doing. Not doing that repair again

[@EZtech]

Never realized how many of my fellow travelers on the road were high on marijuana until this broke on my truck 😮

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

🤣🤣

[@1rcracer]

Litering and... 🤣🤣🤣

[@mikeellis9919]

Same problem with my 2013 F150 in 2023. In my research, I've found numerous vids of people posting about this exact issue and all coming to the same conclusion. Some sort of keeper breaking off a recirculating door and ending up in the blower motor cage. No telling whether this failed part will manifest itself in other ways. Crappy design that probably should have been a recall but Ford doesn't have the integrity for that. I've driven Ford truck's all my adult life but this will be my last.

[@KeepItDirtyOffRoad]

Yeah. Ford quality has taken a huge dive of late. They’ve put profits ahead of quality unfortunately