Ford Blend Door Actuator Reset [Step-by-Step Guide]

Your Ford car’s AC isn’t working properly, and you’ve been trying to fix it. While searching for a solution, you discover that a blend door actuator reset might fix the problem.

If you want to learn how to reset your blend door actuator, you’re in the right place. In this post, I’ll provide all the instructions you need to reset your blend door actuator. You’ll also know the next steps to take if the reset doesn’t fix the issue in your AC.

You can reset the blend door actuator in your Ford car by removing the CJB fuses in your under-hood fuse box. Then, you’ll need to turn your ignition and AC on and off before re-installing the fuses.

Keep reading for a detailed guide on how to reset Ford cars’ blend door actuator.

Reset Instructions for Ford Blend Door Actuator

Follow these instructions to reset the blend door actuator in your Ford car;

1. Open your hood.
2. Locate the CJB fuse 5 and CJB fuse 13 in the under-hood fuse box. You can use the fuse diagram in your car to find these fuses.
3. Once you find the fuses, take a snapshot of them. This will help you remember where they are located when inserting them back.
4. Remove these fuses after taking the picture.
5. Next, get into your car and turn on the ignition, but don’t start the engine.
6. Switch on your AC and keep it running for two minutes.
7. The temperature gauge on your dashboard should be at 38°C now.
8. Once the ignition has been running for over two minutes, turn it off. Then go back to your hood and re-install the CJB fuses you removed earlier. Make sure to re-insert them into their correct positions.
9. You have now completed the blend door actuator reset.

Causes of AC Problems in a Ford Vehicle

Clogged Cabin Filter

If the airflow from your AC is choppy, the cabin filter in the system might be clogged.

The role of your cabin filter is to remove dirt in the AC. This ensures that air moves smoothly through the system.

The purpose of your cabin filter is the very reason it gets clogged. As the cabin filter accumulates dirt, the debris fills its surface and blocks air from moving through it. Only the little air that squeezes through the clogged filter will pass through your vents.

If you aren’t getting enough air from your AC, clean your cabin air filter with a shop vac.

Bad Cabin Filter

If your Ford AC doesn’t blow air properly after you’ve cleaned the cabin filter, the filter might be broken. Sometimes, dirt sinks into the deep layers of the cabin filter.

Unfortunately, you can’t remove such debris by cleaning the filter.

The only way to fix this issue is to replace the cabin filter.

Bad blower motor

A broken cabin filter isn’t the only reason you may get choppy airflow from your vents. Your AC may also fail to blow air smoothly if your blower motor is bad.

The easiest way to tell if you have a bad blower motor is to listen for weird noises in the dashboard. If you keep hearing strange sounds from your dashboard, chances are your blower motor is damaged. As such, you’ll need to replace it.

Low Refrigerant Levels

Is your Ford AC blowing warm air? Then, the refrigerant in your AC might be low.

The refrigerant gas absorbs the heat in your AC’s interiors, so that the air in the AC can stay cool. If the gas in the AC is not sufficient, the heat will remain within the AC. This forces your AC to blow warm air.

Usually, refrigerant levels fall if you don’t service your AC for a long time. So, if you haven’t maintained your AC in a while, the system may not have enough refrigerant. In that case, you’ll need to recharge your AC.

Take your Ford car to the nearest shop and ask for an AC recharge.

Faulty Blend Door Actuator

If your AC vents keep releasing warm air, you may have a bad blend door actuator. Because there are several issues that cause the AC to blow warm air, it might be difficult to tell when your blend door actuator is faulty.

But there is an easy way to detect this issue: Turn the climate control switch to Full Cold. If the AC still blows warm air at Full Cold, your blend door actuator is faulty.

Resetting your blend door actuator should fix this issue.

Dirty Evaporator

Another reason your Ford AC may not function properly is a dirty evaporator. You can tell that your evaporator is dirty if the AC gives off a bad smell. Your AC may also blow warm air.

Remember how the refrigerant collects heat from the AC? Your evaporator is the component that transfers the heat from inside the AC to the refrigerant gas.

Sometimes, dirt escapes the cabin filter and spills into the evaporator. This debris will eventually build up and clog the gaps in your evaporator.

Without a functional evaporator, your AC interior will become stuffy. As a result, the system might emit an unpleasant odor. Since a dirty evaporator can’t absorb heat from your AC, the AC will blow warm air.

To resolve this problem, you’ll need to clean your evaporator.

A Dirty Condenser

A dirty condenser can cause your Ford AC to blow blazing hot air.

After your evaporator transfers heat to the refrigerant gas, the condenser collects the heat and deposits it outside the AC. If the condenser is too dirty, it won’t be able to do its job.

Since your clogged condenser can’t release heat from the refrigerant gas, your AC interiors will stay warm. This causes the AC to blow hot air instead of cool air.

Once you clean your condenser, your AC should resume blowing cold air.

Bad Compressor

A common cause of Ford AC problems is a bad compressor. When your compressor is broken, you may feel like the air from the AC isn’t cool enough. This is because the compressor is responsible for generating the moisture that converts the cool air in your AC into freezing air.

Consider replacing your compressor if your AC can’t blow cold air.

Related: How to Detect and Fix Climate Control Problems in a Ford Explorer.

Other Ways to Troubleshoot AC Problems in Your Ford Vehicle

Clean Your Cabin Filter

If your Ford AC isn’t blowing air properly, you might need to clean your cabin filter.

Follow these steps to clean the cabin filter in your Ford car:

• Open the glove box on your passenger side.
• Remove the screws on the glove box and pull it out.
• If you can’t find any screws, carefully swing the box from side to side until it disconnects from your dashboard.
• You should see your cabin filter now.
• Lift the tabs beside the cabin filter to detach it from the cabin.
• Slap the filter gently on a wooden surface to release the debris in it.
• You can also use a shop-vac to extract dirt from the filter.

If your AC still isn’t blowing air properly after you’ve cleaned your cabin filter, remove it again and replace it.

Change Your Blower Motor

Another way to troubleshoot poor airflow from a Ford AC is to replace the blower motor.

Follow these steps to replace the blower motor in your Ford car:

• Locate your blower motor below the kick panel on your passenger-side dashboard.
• You’ll notice a tab connected to the side of the motor.
• Release the tab to disconnect it from the blower motor.
• Remove the screws on the motor.
• Now, you can detach your blower motor from your dashboard.
• Get your new blower motor and re-install it on the dashboard.
• Insert the screws into the blower motor.
• Connect the tab back onto the blower motor.

Recharge Your AC

If you keep getting warm air from your AC vents, an AC recharge might be in order. Ask your mechanic to refill your AC with refrigerant gas.

Clean Your Evaporator

You should clean your evaporator if your Ford AC is blowing warm air.

The guide below will show you how to clean the evaporator in your Ford vehicle:

• First, you need to remove the panel attached to your center console.
• To do this, you have to pry out the clip in the hole at the right end of the console.
• Now, you can remove the panel.
• Next, pull out the clips and screws on the center console.
• Remove the rectangular plastic cover on the side of the center console.
• Take out your cabin filter.
• You should be able to see the evaporator now.
• You can leave your evaporator inside the console while you clean it.
• Pour water and dish soap into a spray bottle.
• Spray the soapy mixture over your evaporator. Then use a brush with soft bristles to scrub out the dirt.
• Once you’re done washing the evaporator, pour out the soap mixture in your spray bottle. Then refill the bottle with clean water.
• Spray the water over the evaporator and leave it to dry.
• After the system is completely dry, re-insert your cabin filter and screws into the console.
• Now, close your center console to complete the process.

Clean Your Condenser

You can fix your Ford AC issues by cleaning your condenser.

Take these steps to clean your condenser:

• Disconnect your fog lights from the car.
• Remove all the screws and clips attaching your front bumper to your engine bay. Then detach the bumper.
• Use a shop-vac to remove the dirt in the condenser.
• Find a brush with soft bristles.
• Scrub your condenser with the brush to remove excess dirt.
• Spray the coil cleaner over the condenser.
• Let the cleaner sit on the condenser for about five minutes. Then rinse it off with water.
• Leave the condenser to dry.
• Now, re-attach your fog lights to the car. Then connect your front bumper back to the car.

Replace Your Compressor

If the air from your AC vents isn’t cold enough, you might want to replace the compressor.

Follow these steps to replace the AC compressor in your Ford car:

• Ask your auto technician to recover the refrigerant in the vehicle.
• Jack up your car.
• Make sure that you’ve applied your parking brake properly.
• Pop up your hood.
• Dip your fingers between your airbox and condenser to release the serpentine belt from your compressor.
• If you can’t remove the belt easily, pull the bar at the front of the engine bay towards the front bumper while you detach the belt.
• Go under your car and locate your compressor splash shield. You should find this item beside the oil filter.
• Use a trim puller remover to pull out the pins holding the compressor splash shield to the AC system.
• The compressor splash shield should come off now.
• Next, pull out the serpentine belt from the compressor.
• Remove the suction and discharge nuts on the compressor with a 13-mm socket.
• Disconnect the electrical connector from the compressor clutch.
• Unscrew the mounting bolt located at the top of the compressor.
• Since the mounting bolt is 13 mm, you can use the 13-mm socket to remove it.
• Loosen the AC compressor mounting stud.
• If you find any other bolts on the compressor, remove them.
• Once your AC compressor is free of all bolts, you should be able to detach it from the system.
• Now, install the new compressor onto your vehicle.
• Fix all the screws, nuts, and clips you’ve removed back onto the compressor.

Cost of Replacing/Fixing AC in Ford Cars

According to yourmechanic.com, it costs about $364 to repair the AC in a Ford car. Nevertheless, you might be able to fix your AC for less than this price, especially if you use a low-priced model.

Related: How to Reset Blend Door Actuator in Chevy Vehicles.

Wrapping Up

The tips in this article should help you reset your blend door actuator easily. If your AC doesn’t work properly after the reset, try the rest of the solutions we’ve recommended here.