The heater control (Potentiometer) and Blend Door Actuator on my 2001 Ranger do not look the same as those on the DIY videos online. Also, when I tried to buy a Potentiometer at the Ford dealer the one they tried to sell me was different from the one in my truck. I gave the Parts guy the part number for my Potentiometer and he told me that he could not find the part anywhere. When I type in the part numbers for the 2 parts on the online parts sites I get "0" results.
Does anyone know if there are different heater control setups on the 2001 Ranger? Mine is the most basic truck. Thanks for any help.

 

What engine do you have, 2001 was transition year for Rangers with 4cyl engine, 2.5l lima to 2.3l duratec
They probably have different climate controls

Also does it have AC?
Basic models can still have AC


And just as a heads up, you can often buy the whole panel, used, for less than one part of it, used or new

This one is with AC: https://www.ebay.com/p/00-01-02-03-F...=nc&opts=opick

 

It is a 3.0 V6 with air. I'm not sure why I cannot find the parts. The part number on the actuator is YL5H 19E872-BA but I can't seem to pull it up. I think that the Potentiometer is OK because I can feel a "wheel" on top of the actuator turn when I turn the Potentiometer from cold to hot.

 

If you open glove box, empty it, then fold it down all the way you can usually get your hand up on top to feel the blend door actuator(if this is what you mean)

If this actuator is moving when you turn heat **** then that part is fine.
If you can't get air temp to change then blend door itself may be broken, the tab that fits into actuator can break off.

If temp changes but not very much then you could have a clogged heater core

 

OK, I can see a "stem" sticking out of the bottom of the actuator about 1/4 inch long turning when I turn the heat **** but there is nothing connected to the "stem", ie, I can slide a paper under the "stem". Does this indicate that the connector to the blend door is broken? Is it a big job for a DIYer to fix this? Thanks

 

Yes, you need to pull out the dash to get to it, to replace blend door, as factory recommends, labor cost runs in the $750 area, but............

lol, always a but for DIYers

Look here only a 90 second video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytSaN7l2xBs

This is to get it in Hot or Cold position for now, also so you can see what is needed to replace it.

I have read you can cut into lower box to remove old broken door and to insert a replacement door, but never done either of these things myself


Google: Ford Ranger Blend door
Lots of videos out there, explorers of the same years are the same


This video shows where to cut lower box: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BVyZWpS7TM

 

Well, I'm not going to pay $750 for labor. I don't really have a problem cutting the box open as depicted in the video but I'm not wild about having to crawl under there and manually reset the blend door whenever the weather changes as it does twice a day here in Texas. I don't have a good appreciation about what the blend door/mechanism inside the box looks like but would it be an option to make the cut as shown in the video, replace the blend door, tape the box up and have it working as it should? Thanks for any advice.

 

Yes, always best to have it working as it should


What the blend door does:
The heater core is in its own compartment in that large black plastic housing.
The blend door routes air from the Blower fan

When you select HOT the blend door moves to send ALL air from the fan thru the heater core to get hot air blowing
When you select COLD blend door diverts ALL air around heater core, bypassing it.

The "Blend part" is when you select in between COLD and HOT to send only some of the air thru heater core.

In the "good ol' days" there was a valve on one of the heater hoses in the engine bay.
HOT was when that valve was open all the way, COLD was when it was closed all the way, so no hot coolant was flowing thru heater core inside.
Very simple system, but.............

Heater cores did tend to clog up and rust out more often because coolant(chemical protection) wasn't circulating all the time.
So "good ol' days" for the guys that sold heater cores, lol.

 

Thanks Ron. So would I be correct in concluding that making the cuts in the box as depicted would give me the access necessary to properly replace the door and the mechanism? I assume that there is a tab/lever of some sort that attaches the door to the actuator.
As I stated, I'm not keen on spending $750 on labor (labour for us Canucks) but I am not averse to cutting the box open and taping it up when the repairs are made.

 

First step would be to remove actuator on the top of the box, hard to get at

Then test it while it is out to see if it is working, you said you can already feel it turning so.......no harm in testing just to be sure.

If it is working then Blend Door is broken
You only need to cut the hole in the bottom, not in the front, hole in the front just lets you manually move the blend door.
Pull out broken one then install new one, don't tape hole yet

Put actuator back on and test if blend door is working, hole lets you see it working
Then seal up the hole

 

I didn't read all of the posts so if this is a repeat sorry.

I need to ask, "Why are you taking things apart " ?

What is wrong with the Heating System ?

 

Good question ^^^^

Why did you start with Heat Control ****?

Could be blocked heater core if heat isn't working, not a Blend door issue at all

 

I don't know all of the changes year by year but my '03 have a Vacuum line fall off, just under the heater. I could only get defroster which I assume is a default.

 

Yes, the vent selection uses vacuum "motors", Floor, Panel, Defrost and "Fresh air"(if AC equipped) are all changed by vacuum.
And yes Defrost is default(no vacuum) selection

If you accelerate(vacuum level drops in engine) and vents change to Defrost then change back when cruising along you have a vacuum leak, not no vacuum

Blend Door only does temp control, heater core air flow on or off, or in between

All Fords regardless of year used vacuum vent controls, they may have gone electric by now but as of 2012 Rangers they hadn't

 

I'm pretty sure that the heater core is good because both hoses (in & out) get hot when the engine warms up. The problem is that I get very little heat and almost no airflow when I select heat or defrost. Works great on A/C. I finally got the actuator off (actually I owe my wife dinner because she was able to get her hands on it) and the stem that goes into the heater box from the actuator turns when the temperature control **** is rotated. It seems to me that the blend door must be the problem.
My question - I have seen videos showing a hole cut into the front of the box. If I do this will it give me access in order to replace the blend door? Of course I would tape up the hole when finished.
Thanks for any assistance.

 

See the videos linked earlier.

 

rick1946 ,

When the heater is on, hot or cold, and you select floor, where is the most air coming from ? The floor Vent or the Defrost Vents?

 

Scrambler82, thanks for responding. When I select floor with the fan on high most of the air is coming out of the floor vent, very little out of the defrost. Even so, there does not seem to be a lot of volume and the temperature never gets above lukewarm, if that.

 

With AC on select HOT on the temp **** and see if temp from vents changes, gets less cold, if it does then Blend door is working.

I just changed my heater core, finally, because I had very good flow but little heat, WTF???
Blend door was working, mine is cable controlled so easier to test
Core was clogged but upper section pass coolant just fine
Never ran into this before both heater hoses hot but limited flow

One test I did was to have Fan off
Vent set on Defrost
Temp set to cold, blend door closed so heater core is covered
Engine running and warmed up
Then set temp at hot and turn fan on
If it blows hotter for a second or two then heater core is most likely the problem, heat is building up but not enough flow thru the whole core for good heat transfer


No, you can not get blend door out the front hole you would cut in, you do this just to move the blend door manually, or you could do it to check blend door

 

Thanks Ron. Tried your tests and the temp does get warmer momentarily with the A/C on and going from cold to hot on the heat control so it might indicate that the blend door is working. If indeed the heater core is plugged would that also affect to volume of air that the fan blows? I get lots of volume on A/C but not much when I select heat.

 

No it shouldn't effect air speed.
Blend door just directs air flow

Diagram of system here: https://www.2carpros.com/forum/autom...6999_vac_2.jpg
largest one I could find, lol
Press and hold control(ctrl) on keyboard and then roll mouse wheel to enlarge it

The Blend door(temperature door) just directs air thru heater core or around heater core

Now IF(big if) heater core air passages are some how blocked, then that would explain lack of heat AND lower air flow.
But heater core would still need to come out to check that

If Blend Door has come off hinge that could also cause it to sit off center and block air flow but I would think there would be no temp changes at all if door was stuck

 

Well, it seems that I need to cut open the front of the heater box and confirm whether the blend door is OK. If it is doing what it is supposed to it probably means the heater core is bad. I'm not sure I am up to pulling the dash and everything else that needs to be done to get that thing.

 

Yes it is labor intensive to change the heater core on 2001 Ranger, and I would just change the core regardless if you go that far

My 1994 was just 4 screws and out it came

Make the hole big enough for your hand, you may be able to feel if anything is blocking air passage thru the core
There is some foam trim pieces that can come unstuck.