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Heater box actuator arm broken - ARGG!
My heater was not working because the arm inside actually broke. I first suspected the actuator so I removed it and tested it. I can tell you that replacing the box is both time consuming and VERY expensive. The best price I could get on a used box was close to $300 and it had to be shipped. The local reyclers said they did not carry them because of the time involved removing the box. A new one was out of the question and the labour involved to install is CRAZY! I did not want to remove it my self because of the engine coolant hassle, so this is what I did for all you out there that may have this problem and do not want to spend a grand fixing it: I removed all the screws on the box from the bottom. I had to remove the heater duct (plastic) that ran under the carpet in order to drop the box (bottom half) down enough to get my hand in there. I was able to get my hand in the box just enough to push up on the flap (valve). As I pushed up on it I jammed an extra socket wrench I had that just happened to have the same diameter shaft as the hole the actuator mechanism fits into. I basically was trying to lock the flap into the heater position and it worked. The only problem with this 'cheap' fix is the following: In the spring I will need to remove the tool to release the flap - not a problem because I can remove the radio and pull it out ot the actuator hole but in the fall I have to go through the whole process again (but I save money...woohoo).
This will be my last ford van for sure.
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11-17-2006, 01:21 PM
