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Debbie Rendle Posted on Jul 09, 2017
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1997 Ford Taurus front defrost not working

I have a 1997 Ford Taurus LX V6 3.0L. The climate control system will no longer switch over to blow air up onto the windshield. (Most of the similar problems I have read about involve systems being stuck on the defrost and not blowing out the front vents so my problem is the opposite.) All other air functions seem to be working normally. Can someone please advise what are the likely causes I should investigate for this problem?

  • Debbie Rendle
    Debbie Rendle Jul 09, 2017

    Thanks for your answer. I haven't had this car since 2014, so I'm at a loss as to how this question has a posted date of July 9, 2017!

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1 Answer

Jeff Armer

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  • Ford Master 15,575 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 09, 2017
Jeff Armer
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Joined: Nov 22, 2012
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. Air won't blow out of the floor or center vents just defrost ? Do you have manual or automatic climate control ?
Air Flow Control
Air flow control is accomplished in the following manner:

  • Primary control is through the function selector knob mounted on the A/C-heater function selector switch, which is part of the integrated control panel.
  • The function selector knob has the following positions: OFF, MAX A/C, A/C, PANEL, PANEL/FLOOR, FLOOR, FLOOR/DEFROST and DEFROST. The A/C-heater function selector switch combines a vacuum selector valve with an internal electrical switch.
  • The vacuum selector valve directs source vacuum to various vacuum control motors (18A318). Refer to the Vacuum Control Diagram , System Airflow Schematics and Vacuum Control Chart .
  • Two internal, single-pole electrical switches are also controlled by the A/C-heater function selector switch. The combination of these electrical switches controls the electrical supply to the A/C clutch and heater blower motor switch (18578).
  • The position of the function selector knob determines the manner in which the system will operate.
  • Each position of the function selector knob is detented for positive engagement.
  • Vacuum Control Motors The vacuum control motors (18A318):
    • are located on the A/C evaporator housing, A/C recirculation air duct and heater air plenum chamber (18471).
    • direct system airflow to the vehicle interior as determined by the remote climate control module or manual override.
    • The five-passenger seating configuration has an additional vacuum control motor mounted on the heater air plenum chamber to control airflow to the rear seat A/C register (19893).


1997 Ford Taurus front defrost not working - vacuum control motor-i4bq0ig33y1522pr2d2rrkk3-2-0.gif

1 Related Answer

Anonymous

  • 1 Answer
  • Posted on Nov 30, 2012

SOURCE: 2008 ford taurus X climate control system not changing functions

I have the same car and just fixed the exact same problem you just described.
It is NOT a vacuum problem. The blend door is electronically controlled my a small motor under the dash, to the right of the steering column. The clicking is coming from a stripped gear in that small motor unit.
On my Taurus X, what caused the motor to fail was the blend doors (which open and close depending on what your vent setting is on) getting stuck. That caused the motor gears to strip out and make a clicking sound every time the automatic climate control tried to move the blend doors.
The fix required a substantial amount of the dashboard to be taken apart. The blend doors were re adjusted and the motor control unit replaced.
I had the Ford dealership do the repair and it cost me $450. (Ouch!)
To make sure that's your problem, you can follow the clicking sound. You'll have to get on your back and look under the dash on the drivers side. Have somebody press the defrost button to cause the clicking sound. Once you find the small unit you can actually feel the gears slipping when it makes the clicking sound. It's really tight under there though and you'll probably need a flashlight.

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What is an ICP - RCC - Speedometer fuse for on a 1997 ford taurus dohc ICP - RCC?

Hey Brian ,
ICP - Integrated control panel
RCC - Remote Climate Control Module
Integrated Control Panel-Electronic Automatic Temperature Control
Control Assembly The Taurus, Sable vehicles group together the following systems into a single integrated control panel:
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The remote climate control module is mounted to the A/C evaporator housing behind the integrated control panel. The integrated control panel is connected to the remote climate control module with a dedicated two-wire communication link. The integrated control panel EATC features:
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Sounds like you have a vacuum leak to the control head. When you lose vacuum the airflow defaults to defrost. Check the vacuum hoses coming into the car on the passenger side under the dash. Supply vacuum is the black tube. There are five colors. Blue, red, yellow, white, and black.
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possibly the bled door is stuck open so only the cold air from a/c works when on defrost vs closing to allow heat to cycle through the system as defrost runs through the a/c system
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I have the same car and just fixed the exact same problem you just described.
It is NOT a vacuum problem. The blend door is electronically controlled my a small motor under the dash, to the right of the steering column. The clicking is coming from a stripped gear in that small motor unit.
On my Taurus X, what caused the motor to fail was the blend doors (which open and close depending on what your vent setting is on) getting stuck. That caused the motor gears to strip out and make a clicking sound every time the automatic climate control tried to move the blend doors.
The fix required a substantial amount of the dashboard to be taken apart. The blend doors were re adjusted and the motor control unit replaced.
I had the Ford dealership do the repair and it cost me $450. (Ouch!)
To make sure that's your problem, you can follow the clicking sound. You'll have to get on your back and look under the dash on the drivers side. Have somebody press the defrost button to cause the clicking sound. Once you find the small unit you can actually feel the gears slipping when it makes the clicking sound. It's really tight under there though and you'll probably need a flashlight.
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You have a vacuum leak,defroster is the default position for no vacuum. Check all the vacuum lines near where you were working to make sure you didn't accidentally knock one loose.
If you don't see nothing there find the small black vacuum line that goes thru the firewall near the evaporator and heater core under hood. Trace it back to the vacuum canister and then to the intake manifold to make sure it is hooked up.
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