Just realized my blend door actuator was the problem after 3 hours of chasing wiring

I spent all Saturday afternoon tearing apart a 2014 F-150 dash because the AC only blew cold on the passenger side. Had my multimeter out, checked every ground and power wire twice, drove myself nuts. Turns out the blend door actuator gear was stripped internally even though the motor still hummed. $35 part from the local auto parts store and 20 minutes to swap it in fixed everything. Now I'm wondering how often you guys just swap the actuator first before diving into electrical diagnosis. Has anyone else been burned by that on these newer Fords?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmafisher24d ago

Our shop spray foams the actuator arm before install to stop it stripping again.

the_anna24d ago

Is this like a hack you guys figured out after a few too many broken arms or what? @emmafisher I mean, I guess it makes sense if you're dealing with stripped ones all the time, but spraying foam on a moving part just feels like you're asking for binding issues down the road. Idk, maybe it's just me but I'd be worried about the foam getting into the pivot points. Still, if it works it works, I guess.