A few things to check:
- Check coolant level
- Heater core may be plugged or restricted
- Heater core may be air bound
- Thermostat may not be operating properly
- Water pump may not be circulating coolant
No heat from heater
I have a 2001 Windstar which had the same problem. At first when you
adjusted the temperature selector you could hear a slight thumping noise
coming from the temperature selector. I dismantled everything to get to
where the noise came from. After hours of messing around, this is what I
found. In front of the housing for the heater and air conditioning,
right behind the radio, there is a white plastic module about the size
of a pack of cigarettes. It is mounted with 3 screws I believe. This
unit has a wiring harness on it that has to be unplugged for removal. It
also has an D shape actuator about 1 1/2 inches long protruding from
the back side that fits into a damper for the heater core. This unit has
a circuit board and motor that rotate the actuator, which in turn opens
and closes the damper allowing the air to pass through the heater core.
What happens is that the motor drives a couple of plastic gears that
strip and do longer drive the actuator. I believe the unit is called a
heater damper module, dealer item only. In my neck of the woods it's
about $75
When removing radio it is MUCH easier to buy "radio removal tool" from Autozone, about $2
I have a 2001 Windstar with the same problem (thumping behind the
dash,no heat)I was able to remove the module without taking out the
radio by removing the bottom trim under the heater controls and reaching
up behind the radio.. An 8mm socket did the trick. The name of the
module is a "blend door actuator" I was able to pop it open and sure
enough one of the little plastic gears was stripped.
The answers I
found on this site saved me some $$ and time. So I thought I would add
my 2 cents worth. Situation:1999 Windstar, thumping under dash, no front
heat, rear heat worked fine. Per above, I removed lower trim piece and
found the actuator, took it apart and found same stripped gears. Ordered
part # 655-1552 from Napa "Heat and AC Actuator" for $44.77. Works
perfectly now!
I have a 2000 Windstar with this problem. My husband
removed the trim under the controls & replaced the blend door
actuator. Problem solved. THANK YOU so much to all those responses
above. You saved us tons of money & TIME! I will use this site more
for advice.
October 29th, 2008- We also have a 2000 Windstar with
the same no heat problem. I took our van to a trusted local mechanic and
he agreed the blend door was in fact broken. Being a hands-on guy with a
need to know more before I spent ~$800 for the repair I found this
site. THANK YOU THANK YOU!! The information about the Heat and AC
Actuator was correct and easy to replace. I got the replacement part
from Advance Auto parts for $48 and a lifetime warranty to boot. Thanks
again:)
November 5, 2008: Last week, we started seeing the
same problems described (cold air only, faint clicking sound when
changing the desired temperature on the controls) in our 2000 Ford
Windstar. I was able to access the blend door actuator
(easily identifiable ... white plastic, size of a pack of cards, three screws)
by removing the lower plastic panel. This is the plastic panel that is
on the floor and includes the small compartment that opens to store
sunglasses, etc. (not the black trim surrounding the radio or
temperature controls. I had to remove four plastic screws and anchors
(two on each side by the drivers legs and the passengers legs). I had to
disconnect the passenger side cigarette lighter to remove the panel
completely from the car. Once unscrewed and lighter disconnected, I just
pulled hard until the two friction clips gave way. In this way I did
not have to remove the stereo. With hindsight, I might buy the stereo
removal tools next time as removing and replacing the blend door
actuator from below requires that I lie upside down on the seats with my
head on the floor ... doable but awkward.
Hint: while accessing the
part from below is awkward, simply opening the cup holder/ash tray did
wonders to make the part more accessible. Once I had removed the old
blend door actuator, I opened it to see that the plastic gears had in
fact stripped. I went to two auto parts stores and was unable to find a
suitable replacement. Napa Auto Parts could have ordered one of the
parts I read about above but he said it may not be the exact same part.
He recommended I go to the nearby Dealer. The dealer did have the part
(he keeps several in stock). It cost me about
$70. He warned me that
the
gears may have stripped because an object may have fallen in the vent
and could be blocking the blend door. If that is the case, replacing the
part will only result in another broken blend door actuator.
Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to investigate this so I simply
used a screw driver to rotate the blend door manually until I was
satisfied that it had the proper range of motion. I replaced the blend
door actuator (again, upside down on the passenger seat with my head on
the floor) and the heater now works perfectly.
Blend Door Problem
Your problem sounds like the common blend door problem on the Ford
Expeditions, and Ford Explorer. The door is on a vertical axis and when
it breaks, it can swing back and forth randomly giving heat or AC or
nothing. The difference on acceleration is the force placed on the door
swinging it one direction.
You can check the operation by fully
opening the glove box, removing the actuator motor on top of the plenum
box and examining the blend door axle. Pictures of the common fail
signature are available on the
heatertreater.net web site. There
are several "free" fixes that mostly are worth what you pay for them.
The solution on the web site is solid and proven over hundreds of
vehicles and will resolve the problem once and for all.
The "Related Question" below is an extensive discussion on the 1999-2003 temperature control valve / heater control valve.
It is likely the information will be similar to the 1997 / 1998 Windstar
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