Floor vents shut down when panel vents are turned on.

[Buddybiro]

Has anyone contacted ford motor company about their floor vents being blocked as soon as you turn panel vents on?

the manual states that floor and panel vents will both work at the same time.

i am contacting Ford because two dealers all Rangers are like that and they cannot fix it.

I think we all need to take this to FORD MOTOR CO. And demand they fix it.

is there ANYONE that has had this fixed?? Please speak up and let us know. Even post a copy of repair receip.

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

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[airline tech]

Ref my detailed thread on the HVAC below

But yes in Panel Mode - Floor airflow is shut off - Normal Operation

In manual mode
1. Press the Panel - Button
2. Then press the Floor - Button

To Enter - BiLevel Air Mode


Like This Example:

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/thre...issues-operation-t-shoot-and-breakdown.27941/

 

[Buddybiro]

When I do it in the steps above, the floor vents do not come on even though it shows they are on. I read through your whole post and found it to be a very time consuming and informative. But it did not change the fact that my vents should work at the same time as it states in the manual. Just one question, have you ever had another make or model vehicle shut off the airflow to the floor when you turn the panel on? AND the control panel still shows it’s on? It does not take a rocket scientist to know that something was designed wrong and the airflow gets blocked. You can even hear the air wanting to come out the floor vents.

 

[Grumpaw]

When the dash vents and the floor vents are both in opersation, the dash will be the stronger flow, and the floor vents are very weak....it's a known problem. When floor vents are on by themselves, the flow is strong, but when you hit the dash, most of the flow is directed to the dash.
When both are operating, if you feel waaaaay under the dash, you will feel the floor vent flow, but it is weak. If you feel ANY flow coming from the floor vent when both are on, you have no problem....just the way the system is.
If however you have no flow at all when both are on, you may have a problem.

 

[Motorpsychology]

Ref my detailed thread on the HVAC below

But yes in Panel Mode - Floor airflow is shut off - Normal Operation

In manual mode
1. Press the Panel - Button
2. Then press the Floor - Button

To Enter - BiLevel Air Mode


Like This Example:

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/thre...issues-operation-t-shoot-and-breakdown.27941/

Wellll...sorta. With both Vent and floor selected, mine decreases the volume of air at the vents and, the floor ducts put out about as much air as a mouse with emphysema. Lotta fan noise, though; she's tryin'.
The same can be said for selecting Floor and Defrost; not enough volume to keep the windshield clear and my feet still get cold in single degrees F and below. Full Defrost or full Floor, there is good volume.
I had the blend door/plenum fix done in April 2022 but it has always been this way before and after the fix.

Worst HVAC I've had in any of my 13 Ford products going back to 1982.

 

[Buddybiro]

When the dash vents and the floor vents are both in opersation, the dash will be the stronger flow, and the floor vents are very weak....it's a known problem. When floor vents are on by themselves, the flow is strong, but when you hit the dash, most of the flow is directed to the dash.
When both are operating, if you feel waaaaay under the dash, you will feel the floor vent flow, but it is weak.

I agree that’s what mt whole post is about. Have you ever had a vehicle that this didn’t work on?

 

[Buddybiro]

Wellll...sorta. With both Vent and floor selected, mine decreases the volume of air at the vents and, the floor ducts put out about as much air as a mouse with emphysema. Lotta fan noise, though; she's tryin'.
The same can be said for selecting Floor and Defrost; not enough volume to keep the windshield clear and my feet still get cold in single degrees F and below. Full Defrost or full Floor, there is good volume.
I had the blend door/plenum fix done in April 2022 but it has always been this way before and after the fix.

Worst HVAC I've had in any of my 13 Ford products going back to 1982.

So it was never fixed? Why did you accept that after they supposedly fixed it? Ihave you ever had any vehicle this didn’t work on?

 

[Grumpaw]

On my Lariat, yes, I have always felt the weak flow when both vents are in operation. Floor vent flow is very weak...you have to feel way under and up, above the gas pedal, to feel any air flow...even when fan is on high, probably 90% of the flow will be from the dash vents.
Never experienced this on any other vehicle in the past, but have learned to live with it....it is what it is. If your getting any flow, at all, from the floor vent, than it's working....there is no "fix".
It has been posted many times on the forum, and really nothing you or Ford can do about it.
If however, there is no air flow from the floor, than you may have a problem with the system.

 

[Rp930]

Good luck. Don’t get your hopes up. I don’t think Ford will redesign it for you.

I have never taken mine off “Auto”.

 

[Grumpaw]

Good luck. Don’t get your hopes up. I don’t think Ford will redesign it for you.

I have never taken mine off “Auto”.

Yup....can't see Ford recalling thousands of Rangers and pulling the dash assembly and doing a re-design.....
Not gonna happen.

 

[Motorpsychology]

So it was never fixed? Why did you accept that after they supposedly fixed it? Ihave you ever had any vehicle this didn’t work on?

The blend door/plenum problem: scalding full hot on the driver's side regardless of settings, passenger side would not change location, grinding groaning noises coming from system. It is now fixed.
The operation after the fix I described in my post #5 is "Normal. They all do that." It is the way it is designed to work. I just leave mine set to Auto and 71º and the cab warms or cools okay.
@airline tech can correct me if I'm wrong, but the HVAC is designed to have hot coolant running through the heater core at all times, and controlled by a blend door, which is supposed to regulate how much heat gets to the interior plenum to be blended with the outside air and distributed through the various vents, which are controlled by other doors, and preset less than ideal, IMO, and many others here. Because there is 210º F coolant running thru the heater core at all times, the thin plastic heater plenum gets warped and causes the blend door to bind or break.

 

[Motorpsychology]

Yup....can't see Ford recalling thousands of Rangers and pulling the dash assembly and doing a re-design.....
Not gonna happen.

I'm not sure if the Bronco or 6G Ranger got a different system or not, I hope so.

 

[Jason B]

The blend door/plenum problem: scalding full hot on the driver's side regardless of settings, passenger side would not change location, grinding groaning noises coming from system. It is now fixed.
The operation after the fix I described in my post #5 is "Normal. They all do that." It is the way it is designed to work. I just leave mine set to Auto and 71º and the cab warms or cools okay.
@airline tech can correct me if I'm wrong, but the HVAC is designed to have hot coolant running through the heater core at all times, and controlled by a blend door, which is supposed to regulate how much heat gets to the interior plenum to be blended with the outside air and distributed through the various vents, which are controlled by other doors, and preset less than ideal, IMO, and many others here. Because there is 210º F coolant running thru the heater core at all times, the thin plastic heater plenum gets warped and causes the blend door to bind or break.

The warping plenum was a problem on the 2019, and maybe early 2020 that was supposed to be redesigned.
I believe you are right. Hot coolant is running thru the heater core at all times, EXCEPT when on MAX AC. And your AC compressor is also always running. It's been that way for a long time, not just Ranger 5G.

 

[Motorpsychology]

The warping plenum was a problem on the 2019, and maybe early 2020 that was supposed to be redesigned.
I believe you are right. Hot coolant is running thru the heater core at all times, EXCEPT when on MAX AC. And your AC compressor is also always running. It's been that way for a long time, not just Ranger 5G.

Maybe it was redesigned, and the new parts didn't enter production until the start of the 6G, covid was in full swing. But my 2021 definitely had the problem.

 

[Motorpsychology]

Running off topic, but I hope the vent control protocols have been better sorted out for the 6G and beyond. As far as the coolant circulating thru the heater core always, I wonder if this was done to save the cost of a vacuum diaphragm or a step motor-controlled valve on the intake hose to the heater core? The same software that controls the blend door now could've been used to control an inline valve, and they could've got by with the thin upper heater plenum.

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