i was fixing the ducting rattling around behind my passenger airbag and noticed right under the window there is a small hole around 1/2" or so, is there supposed to be a plug for this or is it just open? i havent noticed anything laying around? and i cannot find any diagrams of the interior so i dont know what it would be called or where to get one.

 

I think that hole is where the DRL sensor goes

 

in the black defrost panel? if so, it's been there since 95 when they changed the dash. dunno what it is for. maybe something in the explorer.

 

That hole was put there for the Sun Load Sensor, part of the EATC climate control that was available as an option in some 2nd generation Explorers. Although they share many dash components with certain Explorers, Rangers did not have the factory EATC option. Without EATC, the hole is unused and has no cap or plug.

Sun Load Sensor:

 

hmm interesting, what exactly is a sun load sensor? im guessing its in the defrost panel it is in the long panel thats a few inches wide at the bottom of the window, thanks for the quick responses guys!

 

Dang, I thought I got something right lmao

 

The Sun Load Sensor is a type of photocell for the Explorer EATC Climate Control. It is one of several inputs to the EATC that it uses to decide the volume, direction and discharge combination for best interior comfort. Once again, it is irrelevant in stock Rangers because they only came from the factory with manual HVAC.




Here's a photo of the SLS shown clipped to the underside of the defrost panel:






And here is another provision for the EATC that serves no purpose in a Ranger. It is the intake port for the Interior Temperature Sensor. Ford eliminated this port from the Ranger dash a few years ago but I don't know exactly when. You can see the small louvered port in this pic between the radio bezel and the passenger airbag cover.







It is possible to convert certain year Rangers to the Explorer EATC. The EATC mod is not a trivial project but John Griggs's excellent and extensive How-to makes it easier.

 

awesome! thanks again, i always wondered what that little vent looking thing was! whos rig is in the pic? that is one big ol transceiver!

 

In my last post above yours, the 1st and 2nd pictures are John Griggs' 2002. 3rd picture is my 2003.