Control board for 01 taurus with EATC

[Tinovolpe]

Hey folks. I have a 01 taurus dohc with the radio/cassette/cd control and auto climate control all in one unit. The volume control is shot. Now I searched the internet for a control board and they are out there but the one I have has a sticker that says its a YF1F-18A910-CD and none of the ones I seen online have this part number. They say either 1FIF or they end in CA or CB. Not sure if they are all the same or not. I read that you can't just unsolder and swipe out just the knob because its a customer ford part so you have to change the whole board. Anyone have any leads other than plying the junk yards?
Thanks

[shorod]

Have you considered going with an aftermarket deck and something like this?

-Rod

[Tinovolpe]

Rod

I did look at that. It's not cheap and I still would have to install an aftermarket radio. Didn't really want to put that much money into this car at this point.

[shorod]

Chances are pretty high that one of the boards you found would work fine. The change in the suffix is probably just a revision. I'd be more inclined to allow a change in the suffix versus the prefix, thinking the prefix might be more for different features to the base part number.

-Rod

[Tinovolpe]

Thanks for that tidbit. I did find a couple of boards for the non EATC version on eBay cheap, like 40 bucks. What I was thinking was just getting that then unsoldering the volume control knob off that board and replacing it on my board. There are 5 solder connections. That would be my least favorite option but certainly one I can handle.

[shorod]

That's not a half bad idea if you're comfortable soldering and desoldering. Have you checked places like Digikey and Mouser for logarithmic or audio taper potentiometers that might match or be really close to the same? They have pretty good filter options to narrow down the results in a hurry.

-Rod

[Tinovolpe]

Rod,
In reading some of the other forums it seems the volume control is a custom ford part thwerefore probably wont find it at digi key or other places. I found a radio unit with manual climate control on ebay for 23 bucks. I have to think the volume control is the same part and I can just unsolder it and swap it out....I hope

[Tinovolpe]

In case anyone is interested or is having the same problem here are a few pictures of the board and the volume control knob. There are 5 solder connections, 3 on one side and two on the opposite side.

[shorod]

It does seem pretty likely that you could swap the control with one from a standard climate control unit. It also seems pretty likely that if you are not interested in the features offered when you press the knob (I don't remember if that's how to access Power or if it accesses the bass/treble/balance/fader), you could replace the existing with a 3 terminal aftermarket control of comparable dimensions.

I guess I'm not sure what part of your existing control is "shot" but maybe you can get some more life out of it by using some Caig DeOxit sprayed down the shaft.

-Rod

[Tinovolpe]

The function of the knob is push in to turn the radio on and off and turn for volume. It's the volume that is shot (the only thing wrong with the whole radio unit). It was quirky for many years that I had the car but now my son tells me it barely works at all. I tried it and he's right you can turn the knob 10 times and nothing happens and all of a sudden it will shoot up to full volume. Then to get it back down you have to turn and turn and tap and turn while the volume is blasting your ears off. It makes the radio basically unusable. I looked at the ones at Digi-Key (thanks for the link) but none have the same solder connections so I think pulling it off a used board is the way to go. I just hope the knob on the used board doesn't have the same issue. Problem is I won't know til I install it. Unit should arrive on Saturday. If my kid show up from school this weekend and wants to work on it I'll let you know how it goes. I'll take some pictures too. In other Ford forums I've read it looks like a few people have had this issue not only with the Taurus but with other Fords like Explorers.

[Tinovolpe]

Glad to report a successful swap. Got the used unit in the mail. Even though the unit was for a 99 Taurus with manual AC the volume control knob on the radio board was exactly the same. Unsoldered it, which was a bear because it has 5 electrical connections and two spring clips which were soldered in place. Need lots of patience to get out. Cleaned the holes and fitted the replacement knob in place and soldered it in. Won't win any awards as these boards are wave soldered in production so the solder points don't look neat but put it all together and works like a charm. Full volume control for first time on over 5 years. Posted some pictures if anyone is interested.

PS while we were at it I added a aux adapter plug tied into the CD player so he can play his phone through the radio. One happy 19 year old.

[shorod]

I'm glad to hear it worked! Thank you for following up with your results.

-Rod

[Tinovolpe]

This forum has been such a huge help to me over the years. Hope I can give back a little to help others