Yet another climate/heater issue

[GhostStrykre]

I’m sure it’s the cold blast we have going on, but my 2019 has joined the fray.

I read through several other threads, but saw a bunch of discussion about clicking under the center stack when trying to use the cabin heater. That doesn’t happen for me. System is silent, fans are strong.

I also have little to no heat. Just blows cold. My truck lives outside and temps dropped to -10 yesterday. I put it in the garage today to thaw, but things still don’t seem right. I briefly got heat during a short drive.

That’s when I saw it. My engine temp dropped about 30% down from the normal level whenI turned on the heater. I turned the heater off and the engine temp briefly built up, and when I turned the heater back on the gauge started moving again.

In August I filled my coolant reservoir to the max fill line. It is currently closing in on the Low fill line. You guys think I have a coolant issue causing all this? Maybe a bad temp sensor and it’s not controlling temps well?

Curious what the thoughts are.

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[Joeiconic]

Search “blend door”.

 

[GhostStrykre]

Yeah I took a look for that and tried changing temps. No clicking or banging or anything when I test for it. Unless the door just totally isn’t functioning. I may see what I can check on it since I know it isn’t in a convenient spot.

 

[Ron L.]

Yeah I took a look for that and tried changing temps. No clicking or banging or anything when I test for it. Unless the door just totally isn’t functioning. I may see what I can check on it since I know it isn’t in a convenient spot.

My blend door assy had to be replaced and had no noises from behind the dash.

 

[GhostStrykre]

My blend door assy had to be replaced and had no noises from behind the dash.

I was really hoping the coolant stuff I’d seen plus the bouncing engine heat level might mean something else.

ill have to have it looked at. Hopefully not as expensive as some of the quotes I saw floating around. Thanks for the reply, tho.

 

[airline tech]

By your symptoms, focus on engine temp - I think possible T-Stat stuck open or bad Reservoir Cap, not allowing system to build pressure for coolant flow. My temp gauge (sits about half scale) when at operating temp 195.
I don't know how easy they are to access but check the heater hoses in and out of the cab (feel) them to check for hot (this will tell you if it's climate control issue)

 

[GhostStrykre]

By your symptoms, focus on engine temp - I think possible T-Stat stuck open or bad Reservoir Cap, not allowing system to build pressure for coolant flow. My temp gauge (sits about half scale) when at operating temp 195.
I don't know how easy they are to access but check the heater hoses in and out of the cab (feel) them to check for hot (this will tell you if it's climate control issue)

Great point! I’ll 100% check those two hoses through the firewall if they’re accessible. I have an appointment next week to check the Coolant system. Good ol diagnostic fee incoming, but hopefully it brings otherwise good news.

 

[GhostStrykre]

Well the verdict is in... coolant is fine, HVAC Distribution Box is not. Has to be replaced.

Parts + Labor = $3,600... holy ouchies.

 

[BS67]

Well the verdict is in... coolant is fine, HVAC Distribution Box is not. Has to be replaced.

Parts + Labor = $3,600... holy ouchies.

Youre under warranty right?

 

[GhostStrykre]

Youre under warranty right?

nope. powertrain only at this point. i'm the one stuck with the tab this time.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Wow, that really hurts.

After there were a few of these issues on this forum it is the main reason I purchase the extended warranty.

 

[GhostStrykre]

Yeah, I really didn't even know about it. I am guilty of spending my forum time on the mods and shiny things section and not studying risky parts

A little unsure what to do. Truck is worth a pretty penny (also is a 2019 FX4 with lots of goodies) and I don't owe much.

I was really holding out to see what the next Ranger looked like, but new vehicle prices are bonkers. I'd elaborate further on my thoughts, but that's outside the scope of this thread/forum.

I'm just thankful y'all have shared on this issue. It helped prepare me for the cost of repair and formulate a plan. End of the year is a great time to buy a new vehicle so I may seize the opportunity. If it weren't for this forum, I may have missed out on this potential opportunity. So thanks to everyone here!

 

[dtech]

Yeah, I really didn't even know about it. I am guilty of spending my forum time on the mods and shiny things section and not studying risky parts

A little unsure what to do. Truck is worth a pretty penny (also is a 2019 FX4 with lots of goodies) and I don't owe much.

I was really holding out to see what the next Ranger looked like, but new vehicle prices are bonkers. I'd elaborate further on my thoughts, but that's outside the scope of this thread/forum.

I'm just thankful y'all have shared on this issue. It helped prepare me for the cost of repair and formulate a plan. End of the year is a great time to buy a new vehicle so I may seize the opportunity. If it weren't for this forum, I may have missed out on this potential opportunity. So thanks to everyone here!

Not completely sure of this but there may have been someone who got Ford to pay for a portion of the repair - might be worth a try. I've been getting notices for a couple of months now about factory warranty soon to expire, I have never bought an extended warranty on anything in fact have weighed in negatively on posts re xwarranty but as the saying goes there is a 1st time for everything so I'm pretty close to doing it as failure at some point of ownership seems likely. If I do it I can sleep better at night and dream of Lilly with the dark brown eyes and hair instead of the recurring nightmare of the box warping, gears grinding and dash being torn asunder.
And I believe I may have experienced some tell tale signs of impending issue, albeit silent one. Any words of encouragement about preceeding with the purchase are welcome - my wife is supportive.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Not completely sure of this but there may have been someone who got Ford to pay for a portion of the repair - might be worth a try. I've been getting notices for a couple of months now about factory warranty soon to expire, I have never bought an extended warranty on anything in fact have weighed in negatively on posts re xwarranty but as the saying goes there is a 1st time for everything so I'm pretty close to doing it as failure at some point of ownership seems likely. If I do it I can sleep better at night and dream of Lilly with the dark brown eyes and hair instead of the recurring nightmare of the box warping, gears grinding and dash being torn asunder.
And I believe I may have experienced some tell tale signs of impending issue, albeit silent one. Any words of encouragement about preceeding with the purchase are welcome - my wife is supportive.

I waited until the 36th month hoping the battery would fail and if a blend door issue arose it would be by then. No luck so I spent the money on the extended warranty.

 

[MagneticRanger]

Well the verdict is in... coolant is fine, HVAC Distribution Box is not. Has to be replaced.

Parts + Labor = $3,600... holy ouchies.

This is what I mean.

This failure of this part is a ongoing regular occurrence....just a quick search of this forum will suffice to prove this.

People may have been lucky so far but those affected in the predominant affected years will eventually face this same issue.

At that cost ...thats hard fee to swallow for someone most likely still paying a good amount on a 3 / 4 yr old truck.

This issue needs pushed to the top to become a full recall (retroactive) as it's literally a safety issue in most regards ....heat, defrost etc.

That repair cost is astronomical....am I right to assume that was a dealer quote?

I do prefer to have the dealer do the work but I had mine replaced under warranty when I had my 2019.

I guess my recommendation may be....

1. If you still have power train warranty....maybe see if you can source a 3rd party extended car warranty which may cover the repair of your issue for a reduced fee.

2. Shop around at some reputable independent garages and see if you can get the price down to do the work.

The part I don't think is too crazy maybe $300 to $500 for the box assembly.

But the labor will be something....the entire dash needs to be removed basically just leaving the heater hoses and wiring exposed along with the firewall...it's actually quite shocking to see.



Check out that video as YouTube member Nemesis5Zero documented what he had to do to deal with this issue.

I witnessed this same thing at my Ford dealership which did the exact same.

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