2005 Taurus, 4 door, SE, 6cyl, 86K. AC was intermittently working.I took it to my mechanic who checked the pressure for the referigerant and said it was spot on so it had to be electrical. They concluded that it was the control switch (where the radio is). They replaced that and the problem still happens. I called them back today and they said the only other thing it could be is the blend door and that it would involve replacing the “gear box” for it ?? Question is : Does this seem correct ? If so, how difficult would it be to do this myself ?
Conclude: To Bring To An End.
“They [concluded] that it was the control switch . . .”
“They replaced that and the problem still happens.”
"I called them back today and they said the only other thing it could be is the blend door . . . "
This is 2 conclusions. Will there be a third ? Who is paying for each “conclusion” ?
CSA
Just wondering if anyone knows how difficult it is to fix the blend door - thanks !
Is The “Gear Box” The Actuator ? I Think So.
Disconnect Battery Ground
Remove right (passenger’s side) lower trim panel
Disconnect trim panel from the center console (right side)
Disconnect wiring harness plug (from the blend door actuator)
Remove screws that hold the actuator in place and remove it
Reverse these steps to install new part
It doesn’t “sound” too bad. It doesn’t start with “Remove Dashboard And Heater Core.”
You really should get a manual if you’re going to do this type repair. Some libraries have Reference repair manuals and will let you make copies of pages.
CSA
I have the shop manual for the 05 Taurus. My question is if anyone reading these posts has ever done this repair and if so, how difficult. I’ve always felt that the shop manual makes every repair look easy - until you’ve actually started into it.
Are You A Type A Personality Or Type B ?
How Many Tools Have You Got ?
Do You Know How To Use Them All ?
How Much Car Repair Experience Do You Have ?
How Many Four Letter Words Have You Got ?
Answer these questions and maybe we can tell you if it’s easy. What’s easy for one person could be difficult for another.
From where I sit, considering the nature of the part and how difficult it could be, it sounds like a cake walk.
Go on. Be a sport. Take off a couple pieces of trim and eyeball the actual part. Then you’ll know.
CSA
I’ve done plently of repairs on cars over the years (brakes, struts, exhaust, ball joints, etc) and have plently of tools. The only reason I was asking about the complexity of this job was that the mechanic told me this morning that it was a 4 hour job. That indicated to me that it was probably difficult. It didn’t “sound” like a 4 hour job, but then again, I’m not a mechanic. Sounds like he might be milking the time !
Again, I’d Just Have A Look At It, Myself.
If It’s A Fairly Expensive Part (Or Not), You could Just Go To A Take-It-Off-Yourself Salvage Yard And Practice On A Taurus Cadaver To Get The Part And Knowhow.
CSA
Caution: You’ll be working near the airbags.
Thanks for the warning. I was wondering if a quote on 4 hours for this job seems reasonable ??
Just being curious, but exactly what are the pressures and at what stage?
Static pressure (engine and A/C off, high/low pressures at idle and at elevated RPMs,e tc.
I only mention this because people often post on this forum and cite figures (even figures given by a shop) that are claimed to be good when in reality they are far from it.
Even shop manuals (both aftermarket and factory) carry flawed information about A/C pressures, engine compression figures, and oil pressure readings just to name a few.
If it is the blend door that means the compressor should be still running but the cold air is being re_heated because of a defective blend door. So the next time it quits cooling open the hood and check to see if the compressor clutch is engaged, if its not then I suspect it is not the blend door.
I have on more then one occasion seen this intermittent problem, and both times its turned out to be a defective compressor clutch coil that when heats up develops a open electrical circuit in the coil. Ask your mechanic if he has checked this.
If there are any fault codes present, the blend air door will be forced to the heated position (defrost/defog). Clear the codes and it will go back to normal if there are no faults present. The more common failure is the door’s position sensor which is part of the actuator and is easy to replace…the blend air door requires hours and several 4-letter words to replace.
I’ll check the compressor clutch the next time it isn’t cooling. This is a strange problem that literally comes and goes without any consistency at all - no pattern. When it does blow cold air, it is definitely “cold” and everything is working fine. When not functioning properly, the air is by NO means hot or even warm. It just isn’t that ice cold air that it should be. When it does happen, it just suddenly turns from “ice cold” to “cool” - then sometimes after a few minutes, it will turn back to “ice cold”.
Checked the compressor right after the cooling stopped and the compressor clutch definitely was not engaging. When it was cooling, it was engaged (easily seen). Does this mean the compressor is going ? I forgot to mention that this has been an intermittent problem for over a year now.