1997 Ford F-150 Heater and Air conditioner problems

BIEBER

MEMBER
1997 FORD F-150
V8
2WD
AUTOMATIC
160,000 MILES

My air conditioner is blowing out hot air and my heater is blowing out cool air. What could be the problem and could the same part be the cause of both problems?

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 AT 9:15 AM

5 Replies

WRENCHTECH

MECHANIC
20,761 POSTS

By "hot", do you mean ambient temp or heated air?

By "cold", do you mean air conditioned air or ambient temp?

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Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 AT 9:18 AM

BIEBER

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2 POSTS

Both ambient temperatures.

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Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 AT 9:20 AM

WRENCHTECH

MECHANIC
20,761 POSTS

OK, so you just have temp control stuck in one spot.
The heat in that vehicle is controlled by a blend door that regulates heated air flow. It is operated by an electric motor/actuator. The problem can be that the actuator is stripped or inoperative or the door itself could be damaged. This is what needs to be determined by examining the actuator and see if it is responding to heat change commands or not.

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Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 AT 9:22 AM

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Is it easy to get to by myself or would an ASE mechanic have to do it. Where is the actuator located at? How much would one cost if it is damaged or inoperable.

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Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 AT 9:28 AM

WRENCHTECH

MECHANIC
20,761 POSTS

Unless you have a mechanical background, you're going to have trouble with this. It's up under the dash and it depends exactly what the problem is as to the cost. If it's a bad actuator, probably a couple hundred bucks but if the door itself is messed up, the entire dash has to be removed and then the entire HVAC housing has to be removed and disassembled. It can get real expensive.