The 2019-20 common no heat issue with free fix

[DerangedPony]

I got a text from the wife today saying that our 2019 Ranger STX has no heat. I ask if she heard any clicking and she sadly said "yes".

It was in the middle of the work day and I couldn't think about work because of my pending $3500 bill so I took the rest of the day off, exchanged trucks, and took it home to see how screwed I was.

It was clicking when moving to the cold side of the temp and when turning the system off. Plus, it had very mild heat on full hot and full cold. From what I've seen in the posts, it was textbook $3500 pull dash and take it in the butt repair.

I had nothing to loose so the removed the glovebox to gain access to the Blend door actuator. Pulled it with the three screws and it all looked ok. Strange thing is that I was able to reach the blend door lever with my hand and it moved free. I started the truck and was able to get full heat and cold by moving the blend door manually. I then plugged the actuator in and turned the heat control and it moved just fine.

tldr: I turned the HVAC system to full cold so I can index the actuator and plastic slide correctly. I greased up the slide and reinstalled everything. Tested it and HVAC system works again. Sorry, no pics because I was not in a good mood to think about it.

This is on the base HVAC system but I think what happened is that the actuator either skipped a tooth or is going bad. It clicks because it goes past the end of its travel but isn't finished opening or closing the door. Dealer usually test the actuator which will pass, because it still works, so they follow the TSB and recommend "the fix".

I hope this saves somebody money and the headache of replacing something that may not be bad.

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[Bullet]

I'm bookmarking this...
I have a '19

 

[yuck6]

I'm bookmarking this...
I have a '19

As a 2020 with no passenger AC I may give this a shot in the spring.

 

[DerangedPony]

As a 2020 with no passenger AC I may give this a shot in the spring.

With a dual climate control, the passenger side should be the same as mine. I'd think the driver side would be tough to get at.

So, again, pull the actuator with the three screws. Two you can see, one is on the backside towards the firewall. Next, verify which way on the blend door arm is cold and set it to full cold. Plug in the actuator with it in your hand and turn the temp on full cold. Lastly, I put new grease on the arm between the two and reinstalled. Be careful to line up screw holes before placing the actuator into the gear teeth. I'm assuming you don't want to move either during assembly otherwise you're back where you started.

 

[Frenchy]

I know you feel proud of yourself for this, but don't get your hopes up. This is simply the early tall tail signs of the HVAC Distribution Box Warping and it will need to be replaced. How long do you have until you have to get it done? Hard to say as my 2019 had to get it done 1 year after I got it

 

[DerangedPony]

I know you feel proud of yourself for this, but don't get your hopes up. This is simply the early tall tail signs of the HVAC Distribution Box Warping and it will need to be replaced. How long do you have until you have to get it done? Hard to say as my 2019 had to get it done 1 year after I got it

Eh, maybe. I don't see how the box can be warped if the day that the issue started, I was able to test the door and it moved the full motion and be 100% smooth. I've had the truck since new and this is the first issue ever.

If it happens again, I'll replace the actuator and if it happens one more time, I'll fix it again and trade it in.

I just don't have any faith with the dealers diagnosing the issue correctly so they automatically go to replacing everything which makes it seem like a larger issue than it really is. I fully lost faith with the dealers when my parents took their 19 Super Duty in for vibration in the front end. Dealer gave them a quote for $3k to fully rebuild the front steering. They asked me to check the u-joints and I found the factory bug guard had some broken mounts from the carwash and it dragging in the wind caused the shaking.

It feels like the dealers are having issues getting good techs so the ones they do have replace parts instead of diagnosing.

 

[9zero1790]

I got a text from the wife today saying that our 2019 Ranger STX has no heat. I ask if she heard any clicking and she sadly said "yes".

It was in the middle of the work day and I couldn't think about work because of my pending $3500 bill so I took the rest of the day off, exchanged trucks, and took it home to see how screwed I was.

It was clicking when moving to the cold side of the temp and when turning the system off. Plus, it had very mild heat on full hot and full cold. From what I've seen in the posts, it was textbook $3500 pull dash and take it in the butt repair.

I had nothing to loose so the removed the glovebox to gain access to the Blend door actuator. Pulled it with the three screws and it all looked ok. Strange thing is that I was able to reach the blend door lever with my hand and it moved free. I started the truck and was able to get full heat and cold by moving the blend door manually. I then plugged the actuator in and turned the heat control and it moved just fine.

tldr: I turned the HVAC system to full cold so I can index the actuator and plastic slide correctly. I greased up the slide and reinstalled everything. Tested it and HVAC system works again. Sorry, no pics because I was not in a good mood to think about it.

This is on the base HVAC system but I think what happened is that the actuator either skipped a tooth or is going bad. It clicks because it goes past the end of its travel but isn't finished opening or closing the door. Dealer usually test the actuator which will pass, because it still works, so they follow the TSB and recommend "the fix".

I hope this saves somebody money and the headache of replacing something that may not be bad.

God bless you sir! My damn 5g just started the clicking in dash thing yesterday. I just rolled past the warranty about 2 weeks ago. I was flippin livid... so if mine stops working, im trying your method first. if that dont fix it im going to light the truck on fire and call the insurance company, then kick back and light up a cigar.

 

[KJRR]

Could be the box warps after it has been pumping out heat for a while. So when it's cold, it works fine. Blast heat for a while and it warps to the point the door doesn't move. Until it's totally warped and won't move at all cold or hot.
Wonder if the door could be tried to avoid the warpage? ?

 

[DerangedPony]

Could be the box warps after it has been pumping out heat for a while. So when it's cold, it works fine. Blast heat for a while and it warps to the point the door doesn't move. Until it's totally warped and won't move at all cold or hot.
Wonder if the door could be tried to avoid the warpage? ?

Maybe but you have to think that the heat is always on behind the door so the box always has heat in at least half of it. Also, my wife said it started first thing in the morning so the box was cold.

I'll update this if it happens again. I have a three hour drive on Sunday.

 

[Frenchy]

Eh, maybe. I don't see how the box can be warped if the day that the issue started, I was able to test the door and it moved the full motion and be 100% smooth. I've had the truck since new and this is the first issue ever.

If it happens again, I'll replace the actuator and if it happens one more time, I'll fix it again and trade it in.

I just don't have any faith with the dealers diagnosing the issue correctly so they automatically go to replacing everything which makes it seem like a larger issue than it really is. I fully lost faith with the dealers when my parents took their 19 Super Duty in for vibration in the front end. Dealer gave them a quote for $3k to fully rebuild the front steering. They asked me to check the u-joints and I found the factory bug guard had some broken mounts from the carwash and it dragging in the wind caused the shaking.

It feels like the dealers are having issues getting good techs so the ones they do have replace parts instead of diagnosing.

There is a Bulletin from Ford about the HVAC Distribution Box Warping. The bulletin came out in September or October of 2020 if I remember correctly. It was just a few months after that when I had to do it. Thankfully I still had it under warranty.

I know you don't like the idea of changing it, but it will have to be done. The actuator won't do you any good since the Box will warp causing the actuator arm to not contact the door cam. This is what happened on my 2019 and many other Rangers with this issue.

 

[DerangedPony]

There is a Bulletin from Ford about the HVAC Distribution Box Warping. The bulletin came out in September or October of 2020 if I remember correctly. It was just a few months after that when I had to do it. Thankfully I still had it under warranty.

I know you don't like the idea of changing it, but it will have to be done. The actuator won't do you any good since the Box will warp causing the actuator arm to not contact the door cam. This is what happened on my 2019 and many other Rangers with this issue.

Maybe. Then I'll fix it one more time and trade it in. If the problem really is every 19-20 and Ford doesn't do a recall, I'll have zero issues trading it in and they can deal with it.

 

[Frenchy]

Maybe. Then I'll fix it one more time and trade it in. If the problem really is every 19-20 and Ford doesn't do a recall, I'll have zero issues trading it in and they can deal with it.

Well Ford has no interest in a recall for it so you might as well go trade it in now. If you don't want to do the correct fix then don't bother with the vehicle anymore

 

[GitRDone]

Weird, mines been clicking on and off for over a year, but other than the minor annoyance of the clicking itself, everything is still working fine (knock wood). Probably on borrowed time though.

 

[airline tech]

Being that Blend Door is thrown around so much I want to point out the correct name of the actuators and what they do.

For Dual Automatic Control

#4 = Air Distribution Door Actuator = This distributes the air - Floor, Panel, Defrost

#1 - Drivers Temp Actuator - Drivers Temp Output

#5 - Passenger Temp Actuator - Passenger Temp Output

#6 - Air Inlet Door Actuator (Aka-Recirculation Door) Outside Air Inlet from the cowl and the open vents right beside it is the mouse entry point into the cab.

NOTE: If you do not have the Dual Automatic Control and have the Electronic Manual Temp Control you will not have item #1
Both Drivers and Passengers side are controlled via Item #5



So, to clarify which actuator did you pull and move the door?

 

[Lostsoul]

I bought a 2019 lariat supercab in august. How can i tell if the hvac box was replaced. The truck came from michigan. I live in south florida and rarely use heat.

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