Ford F150 Recirc/Fresh Air Door Repair - WITHOUT Removing the Dash!!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Today we're fixing a Ford F-150 Recirc/Fresh Air Door, WITHOUT removing the dash! This happens on tons of F-150s and Raptors, we believe it affects 2009-2014, sometimes to trucks with as few as 25,000 miles on them. The dealership will tell you that you have to pull the dash and remove the evaporator, necessitating a a/c service and taking over 10 hours to complete. The estimate we got from our local dealership was $1700. But we figured out how to fix it ourselves, WITHOUT REMOVING THE DASH! For only the cost of the new fresh air door! Not only will this video save you 7+ hours of time, it means you don't have to pull the dash and worry about breaking parts taking it all our or adding rattles when putting it back in. This is a great solution, and we bet even Ford dealership techs are going to start doing it this way! This is another Motors and Mischief World's First! So grab something delicious to drink, sit back, relax, and watch Uncle Jake show you how to save a ton of time and money fixing your Ford F0150 / Raptor recirc/Fresh air door repair - without removing the dash!!
#FreshAirDoor #F150Fix #MotorsandMischief
For you guys who need it, Ford's part number is DL3Z*19A618*A
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SUCCESS on a 2013 F150 Platinum! Thank you for being a pioneer, figuring this out, and posting an awesome video and fix! Had this exact problem on my 2013 F150 last week and happened on this video while researching repair options. Your suggested repair process only took me about 2.5 hours with the benefit of your video and having the right tools (completed today, 29OCT21). That flex screwdriver is indeed a necessity, but a good tool to have nonetheless (and cheap at Lowe's...$14).
I followed your instructions exactly, with three exceptions.
1. The upper cage flange in an F150 is indeed a stud with a nut and not a screw, so the flange just needed to be popped off the stud when trying to spread the cage open. Not a huge issue as the plastic is flexible enough to clear the stud, allowing the cage to be split up and open about 1". My foam was fine after the repair.
2. I used strong magnetic tools for everything and made a string follower on the tip of the flex driver to yank it into a vertical position remotely, which is almost a necessity with my huge hands.
3. When reinstalling the new door, I quickly dipped the anchor end (not the actuator end) halfway in hot tap water immediately prior to wedging it in to allow for some flexibility. This trick worked wonders and made reinstalling the door a non -issue. The actuator end was fed in first and placed mostly in its hole, the cage was spread, and the warmed anchor end was quickly popped into the housing, locating itself almost immediately while allowing the actuator end to seat in its hole as the door angle changed. I warmed one half of the door part because when I extracted the old broken door, I noticed a small stress crack up top due to the cold and brittle plastic being flexed heavily on removal. The door was moved back and forth to ensure proper seating and sealing, and the cage was buttoned back up (5 separate screws and the stud nut).
Honestly, following your video, the 'hardest' part of all of this is getting the blend door actuator dismounted and re-mounted. I know you left the forward screw half seated on yours, but I had to remove my actuator entirely to get access to that difficult screw on the corner of the cage. Again, not much room there to maneuver.
I would say that airbag removal is absolutely necessary for visibility to the repair as well as certain tool access. I could not have done this with the airbag in. Scariest part of this fix was messing with that airbag.
Still cannot believe this all worked as well as it did. I also cannot believe the cost and effort to get this done the official Ford way.
WOW! What a great comment! Thanks so much for all the awesome info, that will for sure help others who are doing this. We're gonna pin this comment we like it so much. So glad the video helped and thanks for taking the time to comment and help the community!!
This is a 20yo problem. 95+ explorers broke the same way. It was the blend door though. Some guys rigged up a hand lever :lol:
I just saw this... ame problem 🙄 ugh! Anyway thanks for this video and your efforts. I was thinking that if you were not able to get the door back in and you quit right at that spot in the repair, your air would have been fre-cycled air. Ha!🤣
@@MotorsandMischief if there was only a way to add a cabin air filter and keep all the dust out of the inside of the truck!
what is the name of that housing unit because the same thing happened to my truck. I need to change out that flapper.
SOOOO happy to find this video. Mine just broke about 5 minutes ago and I've been holding on to this video in my 'saved' youtube list for a rainy day. That day has come! I'll report back once fixed! I'm going to try the flapper from the Dorman version... we'll see if I regret that!
I'll be fixing it after an upcoming RV trip. In the meantime, I dropped the motor, removed the piece, reached up and manually put it in recirculation mode. As long as no one farts, we'll be good.
Let us know for sure!
Wow !! Great job sir. You guys are very good at these projects.
Welp think im going to take a self tapping screw and put that POS blend door in recirculation position. Great Vid! 👍
😄
Can I just tape it or glue it closed ?😅
The door is balanced to move easily so once the unit breaks, it doesn't want to stay put, even with tape. That said, you certainly can glue it open if you are determined. Like we've mentioned to other viewers, we recommend putting it in the fresh air position if you're going to lock it into one or the other; depending on how good your seals are, you can potential asphyxiate yourself if you leave it locked into recirc mode (or at least that's what Ford's lawyers think since the factory unit will turn off the recirc after a certain amount of time). Good luck!
I've been listening to your video and watching it trying to figure out how to get the
Wowza! You da man! I found you after replacing fan and finding this piece. I’m wondering if the recirculating door would be up or down for recirculating? I’m going to try and screw, wedge or just tape it for always recirculating. Thanks again one day when my son comes to visit we may tackle ur way.
Really glad the video was helpful. We always recommending fixing it into the fresh air setting rather than the recirc because modern designers will turn off recirc after a certain amount of time to prevent asphyxiation. We don't know if this is strictly necessary or is just the lawyers being overly cautious but we like to err on the side of caution. Thanks for commenting!
Strange this thing snaps off because the servo motor should have a servo position sensor which should tell the controls to stop activating the servo motor past its locked position. Usually its angular displacement on a wheeled cog
You’re a lifesaver! I’m having difficulty getting the front right screw in front of the grate that you used the flexible attachment to get. I have the flex screwdriver but can’t get it. Did you go through the small gap between the door and the dash to get it?
What up Conner! I went in with my right arm through the little access between the door and dash, and my left arm going in through the opening behind the air bag. You could try tying a string onto the lower part by the socket and using it to "bow" the flexible attachment. Thats the hardest part, getting that to flex over the screw. If you made it this far you can totally get this last screw!
I have got everything tore apart but I'm trying to separate it to try to get the door off
Hi John, thats definitely one of the harder parts for sure. I will absolutely do me best to help. You have to spread apart the upper and lower halves enough to get that door, or flap, out. Its kind of hard to do, but you use a wedge to push it apart more, or one hand to pry it apart like I did. It did take some noticeable pressure to separate it enough to get out. If you have plastic scrapper, or wedge, or plastic upholstery tool that could definitely help.
When you put the new one back in, some have reported soaking the new door or flap in hot water to make it more flexible. I think thats a very good idea for installing the new part. If I can help any further please let me know and very good luck!
I have a 2015 Ford F150 twin Turbo 3.5 my AC actuator's stop working how can I get them open without opening the hole taking the whole - off just to open them up or which ones are the ones that really go out instead of changing them all out and wasting money
What about all the leafs and stuff that was behind the blower motor does that not affect how hard the ac blows?
It sure does, great question. We took that head on in this video on how to clean that out. th-cam.com/video/yj3Qv5QR-xQ/w-d-xo.html
World’s first!!
When you showed th part that moves to recirculation (when we went up side down) wich position would be recirc and would it stay.
?
Hi Curtis! It falls down into the open position. So, if you wanted to be recirculated it would need to be in the up position. Unfortunately it wont stay up on its own, but some have used a small screw to hold it in the up position. Thats if the part I fixed is broken on the flap itself. If its the motor thats broke, its possible it might stay in the up position. Good luck and come back and tell us how it went!
If resistance is what stops the gate motor, does it still need to be set at a certain starting/stopping point at installation of the new gate? 2013 F150
You are 100% correct! So no… it doesn’t. We weren’t positive when we filmed the video but have since confirmed it works exactly as you say. So it can safely just be stuffed in there and it will adjust itself. Thanks for the comment!
So I have a question, do I need to remove the green screws from the back that hold the assembly together? I know I have to remove the one that is towards the rear that bolts it down. Prepping to do this on a 2014 ford f150. So far I have all the screws out except for the two in the rear that hold the assembly together. Thanks.
Sounds like you have it about ready! Take a look at 12:20, thats a great spot in the video to see what screws I take out and where they are at. You basically have to take out the screws on the right side, including two lower ones, so you can pull it apart. That spot in the video shows the locations. Good luck and tell us how it goes!!
Great video. Now I have to attempt it. How many hours did it take you?
We did it in 4, but with the video thought we could do it in 3. A couple of viewers have said they did it in 2 and the world record is 1 hour following the video. Good luck and let us know how long it ends up taking. Thanks for the comment!
Hay I have a question do you know where the cylinder head sensor is on the 6.2?
Cylinder head temperature sensor? Its screwed into the drivers side cylinder head... under the intake manifold in the valley next to the knock sensors.
Oh, you are my hero!!!
Ah, shucks, your making us blush! Thanks @bleujpbaby!
Where did you get the parts from? I see a lot of mix reviews want to make sure I’m fixing this problem for the next 5 years at least lol
We’ve got the parts linked in the description. Good luck!
What is the flexible Kobalt tool called? Cant find it on Lowes!
They call it a Kobalt 1/4-in Spinner Handle with Flexible Shaft. It should be listed in the description but here's the link to make it easy for you. www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-1-4-in-Spinner-Handle-with-Flexible-Shaft/3382208 Thanks for the question!
Are you in the LA California area by any chance?😂
I need to fix mine as well!😏
Haha, if I was, I'd tell you to bring it on by!
I have the same issue! Can you tell me what’s the part # or name of the part that houses the recirculating gate?
Yeah you bet, the part number is DL3Z*19A618*A from Ford. Thanks for commenting, let us know how it goes!
Also check out our video on cleaning the fresh air grate, it'll give you some more insight before you dive into this! th-cam.com/video/yj3Qv5QR-xQ/w-d-xo.html
My initial issue was the extreme vibration of my 2014 F150 fx2 when AC was running on high. I watched the fan motor video and pulled it myself (note: you definitely want a 90 degree/flex screwdriver or ratchet for the bolt in the back. I got it out with a small 5/16 box wrench. Dropped the Fan motor and poof there is the little gear/cap. Got the fan motor back in and all is fine. So i have a couple questions, clearly this is an issue in these vehicles with so many people reporting it, why isn't it a recall/defect through Ford? Second, what impact / danger/damage could it have if you don't fix the recirc/fresh air door? Will heat / defrost still work?
Nice! Ford is very aware of the problem, as they use the same setup in Rangers/Explorers/etc going back to the late 90s from what we can tell. Ford says they exceed their design specification for service life, so no need for a recall. Or even an improvement to the design, apparently. As to the safety question, the door fails in the "fresh" configuration, so all HVAC functions remain intact. The two main issues with having it always in fresh is no ability to not pull bad smells from outside the vehicle and the inability to use pre-cooled air from the cabin when the A/C is set to Max. A few other viewers have jammed the door in the always-closed position but we don't know if this is a safety concern or not, as some manufacturers, Ford included, will override owner settings to bring fresh air into the cabin, which seems like a safety concern on their part. But we are not aware of any issues going the other way, hence why the system breaks into always fresh. Thanks for the comment!
@@MotorsandMischief thanks for the quick reply! Looks like I’ll be using this video in the fall to replace the vent door. 105 is too hot to do that now lol thanks for the great videos!
Why did they do away with manual controls?
Boy, wouldnt that be nice to have as a back up option.
@MotorsandMischief I did not know much about cars back then but did they have problems with manual controls?
The sad part is this is NOT NEW. I had a 96 Explorer, the door broke the exact same way (but it wouldn't fall in the fan). There is a repair kit for it (95-01). There were also hacks to fix it without pulling the dash.
Blend door motors are the same story. I have an 11 F150, it is going to need an evap, no shortcuts there :lol:. The explorer also had a leaky evap. At least I have experience :lol:
I have the same problem like the rest of you have on my 2013 F-150 Lariat. I getting ready to order the part and gather my tools. In your video you did not show how to remove the air bag. Can you link to a good video for this. I'm tired of smelling exhaust and want to fix this without spending all the $$ the dealer would charge.
Awesome, yeah tell you what, we'll film a quick video showing how to pull that airbag and have it up in the next day or two, and we'll link it here. Thanks for the suggestion!
@@MotorsandMischiefThank you so much for getting back to me on that. I look forward to getting this done.
@@MotorsandMischief Hello again. My life has been super busy lately and I'm getting back to this project and I was checking for the video for removing this airbag. Did you get around to filming it yet? I've been looking for other videos and haven't found any on this model . Does the front cover come off with the bag? I can see bolts under the dash but not sure how many to remove. I'm rewatching your video trying to get ready for this. Thanks so much for your time.
Jake said he filmed a bunch of footage on taking out the airbag. It hit the cutting room floor for length concerns but we still have all the raw footage. We're putting together a quick airbag video for you from that footage, just been crazy busy. We'll try to get it posted in the next day or two.
@@MotorsandMischief Thank you. I was able to complete the change over without removing the airbag. Maybe someone else could benefit the video. Thanks again for showing us how to replace this door.
Awesome video. But i have a question. I believe in my case, the recirc motor just stopped working and its permanently open. I just want to have my recirc permanently closed. Any suggestions on how to best do that after taking out the blower motor?
So if your motor is busted, you could remove the motor to disengage it from the gears, then flip the door to the position you want and then reinstall the motor so the broken motor will hold the door in the closed position. Just a heads up tho, many auto manufacturers will not allow the HVAC system to stay in recirc mode for more than a certain amount of time so that the air you've been breathing in the truck gets replaced with fresh air (and oxygen). New cars are pretty well sealed. We have no idea if they're sealed well enough to cause a health risk, but we'd hate to not say anything if it is an issue. Thanks for the question!
Whats the part number or name?
Link's in the description, thanks for the question!
What is the part number?
Listed in the description with a link to the part. Thanks for the question!
Great fkn vid man
Thank you
So glad it helped, thanks for commenting!
@@MotorsandMischief I'm gonna go for it this wknd
Just need the kobalt 😅
can be done but shops will charge the time the book says it takes.. lol.. Just like all other repairs they do.
Oh for sure! And honestly they should, we expect them to only charge us the book time if they go over so it’s fair they should keep the extra if they go under. So we figure with this video we’re (hopefully) doing 2 things: 1) helping DIYers take care of it themselves and NOT need the dealership and 2) helping some Ford techs with a way to make their lives a little easier. And we could really use some Ford tech friends lol. Also any shops that see this and want to offer it as an alternative can help out their customers by not having to r&r the refrigerant. There’s still some honest independent shops out there and we already know of a couple that are using this technique and passing the savings on to their customers. Thanks for the comment!!
Sadly it seems Kobalt discontinued that tool. Their current version of it is a decent bit shorter. Boo!
Well that's typical isn't it? We'll have to keep our eyes out for another manufacturer to link to. Thanks for the heads up!
Just close the door permanently and you won't even need to replace it just close the door and have it recirculate permanently
I’m watching this just to see how to access the door so I can do just that.
Any luck?
I just have a feeling that if I attempt this I won’t get so lucky
I fixed mine today (2010 F150) that was broken for about 2 years. I'm in South Texas, so the early summer heat finally made me get off my butt and fix it! I went the Southern Engineering way - took off the blower motor, rotated the door to recirculate, then fashioned a piece of 1/2" x 1/2" wood dowel to jamb the door in permanent recirculate. Down here, I run the AC about 10 months out of the year, the rest of the time it's heat or windows down. I don't mind recirculate 100% of the time.
I cannot believe Ford has not engineered a better fix for the door, either a better plastic, a metal connector (that will not break over time), or some type of "stop" for the actuator motor to minimize stress on the door.
Right? Someone else posted that they use the same system on Explorers and other vehicles and its been breaking these parts for a loooooong tome. What the heck Ford? Anyway, good job and thanks for commenting!
I might do the same Corpus Christi TX SUMMERS are brutally hot 🥵
This is my plan. Here in Phoenix, if we want outside air, we use the windows. Will tackle it this weekend.
Hello!! I wanted to say "Thank you" for the Video!! and for all that have commented with tips and tricks.. I tackled this little endeavor this afternoon on a 2013 Ford 150 LXT FX4.. I had all the tools out and ready and started at 230pm.. I finished at 530pm all tools put away!!
Notes: I removed the Airbag, Glove box and all the rest below.. Removed the 4 housing screws 2 keeping it together and 2 holding it to the blower housing in the back.. I did not have to remove or loosen the one in the front.. I took the Motor off as well, and only loosen the front of the motor.
A Flex and solid Shaft extensions are a must for this made it much more bearable to get in to the very tight spaces..
I also used a Trim remover to wedge in between the housing to pry apart, then used a C clamp to hold the Trim tool in the open position.. This is when you will need to flex the flap a bit to get the old one out.. This is not EASY and will take some convincing.. Really.... Once you get the old one out then you know the new one can go in right!!! :)
I used PBlmkr suggestion, I had HOT tap water not boiling.. and let the whole thing sit in the water for about 5 min.. Also note it was 70 degrees outside today so I would not try this in the Cold or with cold plastic as you are taking a big chance it will crack on you when you have to flex it a bit to get it back in..
I was able to get the new one in by wiggling it and really maneuvering it into the housing.
Once you have the new flap in place and it move freely.. you can put the 4 screws back in, then replace the Airbag. Once AB is reinstalled and back on the dash you can reconnect the Battery. Test your motor and make sure it is working. The motor is Keyed so it can only go into the flap one way so this will take a bit of maneuvering until it is in place.. Leave the engine running as this puts tension on the housing so you can put the back screw back in and tighten up the front.. This was the one mistake I made and turned off the engine and the Motor fell out and had to redo this step as the tension is released.
If anyone has this problem... FORD quoted me $1800 there was no room for anything other than that amount.. The part was $135.. it took me 3 hr with this video!! I count that as a HUGE WIN!!!
Again Thank you for posting this!!!
Man what a great comment! Thanks so much for posting the details to help out other viewers and we're so happy the video was helpful! That's awesome you got it done so fast, nice job!!!
Thank you for figuring this out! I just installed mine on a 2104 F150 FX4. I found using a 105 Degree 1/4 Inch Right Angle Drill Adapter Hex Shank Screwdriver Angled Bit Holder(Amazon) in conjunction with the flex tool you used helped get the screws out(and back in) easier that hold the housing in place, especially the back one closest to the firewall. I appreciate your pioneering efforts!
Thanks for sharing the tools that worked for you, that's a big help to everyone that attempts this! And thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
This is a heck of a solution, really nice job! I had this happen at 40k miles and Ford did the fix. We'll charitably say the dealership wasn't as careful with making sure everything in the dash was carefully removed without breakage and reinstalling properly as I would have liked. I still have rattles years later that I haven't been able to track down without removing the dash again. This is a way better way to go because you wont get your dash all messed up. Thanks guys!
Aww man that sucks. Yeah we had another viewer tell us that his broke at 25k, but that left him in warranty so that was good. But still, you make a good point about the dash maybe not ever being the same. Thanks for commenting!
Awesome video! I just took off the squirrel cage fan and removed the broken gear and reinstalled original fan. I prefer the recirculating position and don't want to spend extra $$ to replace door. Will it stay in the recirculating position if manually put in that position while reinstalling squirrel cage fan? TIA
So glad it helped you! When we were messing with our door, it seems like it flopped around fairly easily without the gear on there. It *may* stay if you put it in recirc and then button it back up, but it might bounce open when you hit a bump, not sure. To be sure it stays closed you might want to tape it shut or something so it can't move. Warning, tho, some manufacturers, like Mercedes and some other Fords, will automatically limit the amount of recirc time and forces a switch to fresh air. We don't know if this is a safety item and we'd hate anyone to have an issue off of something we recommended, especially someone who liked one of our videos! So just keep that in mind if you decide to keep it closed.
There’s TH-cam video where a guy shows how/what he did to keep the door in the recirc position. “2014 Ford F150 Air Recirculating issue” Basically, he used a very long extension on his screw gun, and coming in from the side of the dash, put a screw through the housing which kept the door from moving.
@@mrkellysalinas please post the link for easy access. TIA
th-cam.com/video/dFZ7iGWghiI/w-d-xo.html&feature=share
JUST had that problem today!!. It seems straight forward :).. question about how to zero the actuator. I don't follow that part. can you elaborate some more?
Haha great timing then! That's a great question and we can for sure elaborate. Jake simply meant that you need to make sure the motor is in the same position as the door. The easiest way to do that is disconnect the motor, put it in the closed (recirc) position using the switch on the dash, and then put the door in the closed (recirc) position and attach the motor (or put everything in the open (fresh) position, it doesn't matter, as long as the door and the motor are the same). The reason this is necessary is because you have no way of knowing which position the door broke in, so its easiest to just "reset" it by removing it, putting it into a known position and then matching the door to it. Good luck with when you do it and keep us posted!
Just did this repair! Thanks for the good video. Took about 3 hours. I didn't remove the airbag.
Nice work! Appreciate the note as well 🙏
Wow, I think I'll leave mine in recirculation in cab max a/c for June through September and just open windows October through May, I'm not turning it off in cab circulation
The same exact thing happened to me with my 2013 FX4, 3 days after I had the whole dash removed to replace the evaporator core assembly, how could that have caused this recirc door to break the drive hub off. Meeting with the manager this morning and could use some opinions regarding what they owe me if anything. Thx for the great video!
Nice work! Do you have the part number for the new assembly?
Thanks so much! And you bet, its DL3Z*19A618*A
So glad you posted this. I just ran into this exact problem today on my 2013 lariat. I thought maybe a twig or something got into the blower motor and was making a sound. Took it apart and found that exact Broken actuator piece. Looks like I’ll be spending a few hours trying this out in the very near future.
Great video! I decided to give it a try yesterday on my F150. Unfortunately, I decided to stop and I wanted to share why so those of you considering this can decide for yourselves. Based on the good suggestions from the video, I didn't really have much trouble getting all the bolts and screws out using a flexible driver, 1/4" ratchet with u-joint, and a couple of other tools. In the video Uncle Jake commented you might want to take out the airbag and I would strongly recommend that you do as the visibility it provides is pretty important. So, why didn't I succeed? A couple of reasons.
First, at the top of the plastic assembly (the assembly he purchased), there wasn't a screw holding it in place. Instead it was a metal bracket with a bolt welded onto it. The bolt stuck through the hole in the top of the plastic assembly. I tried to push the bolt through the hole in the plastic assembly by deflecting the metal bracket (flexing the metal bracket but, not permanently bending it) but, it stopped moving with probably 1/4" of the bolt not through the plastic assembly. I looked closer and saw that when I pushed the bolt through the hole, it hit against another part and stopped moving. So, why is this important? If you purchased the new assembly as I did, look at the bottom of it and notice the lip on the bottom. You have to push the unit up the height of this lip before you can begin prying it apart. So, back to the metal tab and bolt. The bolt wouldn't allow me to push up on the assembly. However, even if there wasn't a bolt welded to the metal bracket and it instead used a screw like all the others, the bracket itself would prevent the required vertical movement. It looked to me like you would have to bend the tab and twist it out of the way to allow the vertical movement. My truck is not a Raptor, so this might be different on the regular F150s.
Back to the vertical movement necessary to allow you to begin prying open the plastic assembly. You can only move 1/2 of the plastic assembly as described in the video - basically opening it like a clamshell. The other half of the assembly is still bolted/screwed in and won’t move. Also, keep in mind that the back of the assembly is still screwed in. So, if you are able to achieve the vertical movement to free the front of the clamshell to pry it open, the lip on backside of the clamshell will still be in the piece below. So, when you pry it open, it looks like you’ll be prying it open against the lip at the back.
Finally, you have pry the clamshell open a fair amount. I didn’t measure how much I had to open the new assembly to remove the flap however, it was probably 1 1/2”. I tore the foam on the new assembly when I opened it up to remove the flap. When you’re doing it in the truck, keep in mind you have to move it up and then pry it open as well. When practicing, you only have to pry it open. So, now I have a new part with torn foam. Do, I replace it to be safe or have it installed anyway - TBD.
The dealership said they were doing this on a truck now. They had a good suggestion - they are replacing all 3 actuators under the dash since they will have it out. $1750 including the 3 actuators and the new assembly. Lot of money to replace a simple plastic part!
So, Uncle Jake rocks! He did accomplish a very impressive thing in my view. He might have additional input or suggestions on the issues I faced. Success on these type of projects depend on the details and knowing what you are going to face. If you’re like me, you have a limited time to spend. I wish everyone luck and success!!
Tim this is an awesome comment, and thanks so much for taking the time to reply. Thanks also for giving it a shot; we're sorry it didn't work out for you. What year F-150 do you have? We're still trying to document differences between the model years as well as between the F-150 and the Raptor. Uncle Jake did want to pass on to you that when he did his, he really had to crank on that part, as he says there is a lip there that he had to get over (he said to push down with your fingers and up with your thumb, if that makes any sense to you). He said "you can't be afraid to break the piece" and clarified that he doesn't feel like it will break, it's pretty tough plastic, but it *could* and, at least for him, he was going to replace it no matter what so if it did break he'd have to figure out another way. So not sure if that helps you or others who may be searching the comments but Uncle Jake does confirm it needs quite a lot of force to get it out. Keep us posted on how the repair goes with your rig and thanks again for commenting!
Also, in thinking about this, if anyone does take it to the dealer/ pull the dash themselves, we'd recommend changing not just the actuators but the doors as well. Our actuator was working fine with the broken door.
@@MotorsandMischief My truck is a 2014.
Hello, I have a 2014 F-150, non-raptor version, too. I was able to get past the bracket problem after I noticed that the top of the metal bracket bolts on to the underside of the dash with just one nut. Because there's only one on each end of the metal bracket, it's not a permanent part of the dash. In fact, it could be removed if you could get to the top nut. However, that's not possible without taking the dash out, because it's blocked by the plastic tube that feeds the far right vent. Alternatively, I was able to push the stud with bracket through the hole and then swivel the entire bracket to the right, up and out of the way. Because there's only one nut holding the metal bracket at the top, you can swivel it with a little force.
I have a 2013 xlt and the previous owner did the same”permanent” fix where the door is screwed into the housing making it always in recirculation mode. I really like having this option, but this will eventually set a DTC in hvac module saying that the door has a mechanical failure.. this will affect your remote start operation. The car will turn on remotely but the AC won’t work while this DTC is there. I spent a whole year diagnosing why it wouldn’t and I believe it finally comes down to this conclusion for me. Anyone else has the same issue?
will this also make your heater only work in half the cab my truck blows hot air on driver side but still blows cold air on passenger side my truck? makes the same noise with the rattling
Could there be any electrical issues that could also cause the flap to stay in fresh air? My 2012 XLT is stuck in fresh air, the button lights up for recirc, and my fan doesn’t vibrate. It blows fine, it’s just stuck in fresh air.
Or could it just be that the broken piece hasn’t fallen into the squirrel cage yet? I’m in southern Louisiana and I break a sweat just from walking out my front door to the truck!
1700 parts and labor isn't that bad considering the part is about 1100 last u checked. But ... F the dealership... DIY all the way ... Good job on this
Great video!!! So helpful without a doubt BUT can you LINK the part Recir/Fresh Air door or did you just get it from a dealership
My dog fell into The control dial and drove it to the full on setting. The dial is above the normal range and the blower motor is in constant full speed. How can I reset the dial to get the full range of fan speed
I'm thinking about trying to cut the air box to get my evaporator out. Then gorilla tape pieces back in after
Awesome work! I'm not ready to tackle this as so far I don't seem to mind fresh air all the time but I also haven't hit summer yet... One question I have though....
When the part broke off and I pulled it out of the fan and replaced the fan the recirc motor seems to CONSTANTLY run even when the truck is turned off and key is out. Seems to be slowly draining the battery which is becoming a real problem in the winter. Would you think disconnecting the actuator motor would solve this so the motor just can't run? Did you notice if the wire harness to it was "easily" accessible while you were in there? Thank you for the great video!!
Interesting question! Since the computer is looking for a certain amount of resistance in that motor, it makes sense that it would run it until it found that resistance, unless Ford programmed it to stop trying after a certain amount of time (which would make sense, but, well, Ford). It certainly shouldn't be running after the key is turned off, but unplugging it won't hurt anything and will for sure keep it from hunting for the resistance value its looking for when the truck is on. We're not aware of any errors or codes that would bother you or interfere with normal function if that's unplugged. Uncle Jake does mention that connector in the video, we'll figure out what the time stamp is and edit this comment so you can find it easily. Thanks for commenting!
@@MotorsandMischief I got to it from underneath. Little red safety tab and then depress black tab and wiggle free. Not the easiest to get at but no removals needed beyond trim and glovebox. At this point with this 2013 I'm beyond wanting to do the full Uncle Jake fix. Just screwed it in the recirc position and voila. We'll see if unplugging it causes anything else to go wonky. I'll update if so. Thank you again!
@@brodiebirkel I am having the same thoughts. I have not had battery issues like Brodie, but I can hear the actuator running when you put the key on in the car and when leaving. I have a 2013 F-150 XLT 4x4. I have previously removed the broken plastic piece in the squirrel cage. But now thanks to the video and comments, I think I will disconnect the actuator and screw the door permanently in the recirculating position. If I want fresh air, I have 5 windows I can open.
@@m.g.1784 so I screwed mine open and I’m curious about it effects on my defrost in Wisconsin in January. When I have kids in the car we start to fog up even with the defrost running 🤦🏼♂️. I’ve since removed the screw I put in but can’t be sure the flap dropped back to vent. Time to take it apart again and test it out. It seems the only time recirc is used automatically by the truck is Max AC so shutting it for the winter may have been a mistake….
On a positive note I got a new battery and my truck is starting in the cold again!!! I can’t be certain it was the constant cycle of the damper motor but it certainly can’t help matters.
@@brodiebirkel how did you screw the door shut so it's in recirc? I don't think I want to go through the trouble of this even though its way easier than pulling the dash. I'm not pulling the dash unless I lose the evap or heater core, and with 237 on it I might toss the keys in it and call it a day.
SUCCESS on a 2011 F-150 Raptor! (But wow, what a 4-day struggle in the driveway, but that's DIY-life)
1. I found six air inlet housing mounting screws to remove, instead of four in the video. Damn you, Ford! I had to sit down for an hour (with the wifey) and spatially work out how to get to the last screw directly behind the inlet cage. It was not possible to get to it via a bendy wrench or a lot of extensions. The only way I could reach the screw in the back was with a small Kobalt ratcheting wrench I had in a mini-toolkit. (That little kit has proven to work wonders on many projects. I highly recommend it for tight spaces). Anyway, I managed to figure out I could reach up into the cage, through where the fan motor/squirrel cage are mounted and get to the rear screw that way. Friggin' Genius.
2. I removed just about everything, Carpet, seats, passenger airbag, console, Sony amp, EVERYTHING! The only way I could successfully reach up into the housing correctly was lying across the center console with my feet to the driver's side so I could lie on my back and jam my right arm into the housing to get the damn screw out. That mini ratchet made it happen. It also got many other tightly-seated HVAC screws out. One side is 1/4" and the other side is 8mm... The larger 8mm side is perfect for this project.
3. That screw in the back did not go back in, along with another pesky one. Four screws is enough... give me a break! After screwing down the mounting screws, it didn't move from rocking it back and forth. It's in there good!
4. Magnetic tools recommended as well. They help for guiding screws back to their mounting holes upon assembly. (And also if you happen to drop a screw... or all of them)
I managed to get this project done and the center console blend door actuator replaced (Thanks to YT channel: FordTechMakuloco)
Thanks again for the great video and enthusiasm to get this baby fixed!
-- Below is the Kobalt toolkit that has paid for itself at least 10 times by now.
www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-35-Piece-Standard-SAE-and-Metric-Polished-Chrome-Mechanics-Tool-Set/3387640 $19.98 in FL
Way to not give up! Great info and tool link. We should all get a trophy for this one lol 🏆
Very good video. Fixed mine today on my 09. I was wondering why my a/c wasnt working good this last summer. Also why air was coming through the vents when the controls were off. I just ran a screw through the door to lock it in the closed position. If i need fresh air ill roll the window down before i suffocate 😅
Haha! We hear ya!
I have a stuck recirculator actuator. Can I replace it without removing the dash?
I have the same problem and I'm going to attempt it this coming spring. I wish you showed how to take out the air bag since I've never messed with one before. Thanks for the rest of the information though, it will defiantly come in handy when I attempt to do this myself.
We hear ya, airbags are tricky and they can blow up lol. Check out a more detailed description at 4:00 minutes in this video. th-cam.com/video/L5-lesrpeHI/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=MotorsandMischief
Man I'm going to hate doing mine but I'm glad I don't have to take the dash out thanks for the good video
Thanks for the comment, good luck on yours!
Cool fix to a problem so many F-150 owners have. Take that Ford! lol
"We're never getting a Ford sponsorship" lol
Dude, you are awesome! Your endeavors helped me save a lot of money. My dealer quoted me over $2,000 a couple years ago for this repair. I didn't complete it as fast as you, it took me a little over 4hrs, but it's done and it's so nice to have the ability to prevent those outside smells again in bumper to bumper traffic. I pray I never have to do it again, it's still not a super fun job, even with your great instructions. 👍🏼 up from me!
So glad it helped! Thanks so much for the comment!
Thanks for the video! Very informative! Huge headache of a problem but got it fixed. The part cost me $145 from the Ford dealer so basically saved $1,500.
That's awesome! So glad it helped, thanks for commenting!
I went even cheaper. In South Florida, you want that door closed all the time anyway, so after removing the blower, I used zip ties to secure the door into the circulate mode and just left the actuator off/unplugged.
For sure! If you dont need to change between fresh and recycled its really not necessary unless the tab falls into the fan. If that happens, you can just drop the fan and clean it out. Thanks for posting a comment!
Does that signal a check engine light if you leave it unplugged ?
@@Kk-iw4ck it hasn't so far. It may throw an error code that will show up on a scanner, but I'm not too worried about that.
Will it still defrost the windshield unplugging and zip
@@gamalielgarciasigala5177 I can't guarantee that since defrost isn't needed in South Florida. I wouldn't think that it would cause any problems in that area though. When I lived in cold climates, I used the defrost with the vent closed and it worked okay.
(ORIGINAL) I'm in the process of doing this repair on my 2014 F-150. I can't figure out how to open the 'cage' enough to get the door out. It moves freely upwards (compressing the foam), but I can't get the two half to separate enough to get the door out. Is there a trick? or just brute force...?
EDIT: I got it done! I'll be honest, it was a pain in the butt. Yes, saved me a good bit of money. But ... it was frustrating. Total time ... maybe 4-5 hours with an overnight break.
An important note - I did this when it was about 45 deg outside. This probably contributed to the frustration -- cold/dry hands, stiff parts, etc. I suggest doing this (as previously suggested) in a warm garage or in the summer.
I followed the steps in the video and comments below, with a few key learnings:
1) There are various wires/pins that I undid to make it easier to navigate. I did NOT remove the airbag, but I imagine it may have made a couple steps a bit easier had I done that.
2) I removed 5 screws (the two visible screws connecting the two halves of the clamshell, and three around the bottom of clamshell connecting to the base). I couldn't find the suggested Kobalt tool in Canada, so I settled for a flexible extension on my 1/4" drive.
3) I also removed the top nut (not a bolt) connecting the clamshell to a metal connecting flange. Loosening the second nut on the top of the flange makes it easier to get the bolt out of the top of the clamshell by swinging the flange out of the way.
3) Getting the clamshell opened enough to get the old flap/door out was a major(!!) pain. I eventually used a tip from the comments: wedge a trim remover (about 3/8 thick by 1.5" wide) between the two halves through the glove box opening. Then, I attached vice grips at a 90-deg angle to serve as a handle. I twisted the trim remover 90-deg which pried the two halves apart. I then used a mini quik-grip clamp to hold the vice grips in place and prevent the trim puller from slipping out.
4) Even so, the old door was a pain to get out. Once I got a good grip on the non-gear side, I pulled until ... and it broke. It came out pretty easy when 1/4 of it was busted off :)
5) I used the hot water heating method to warm the new door before installing. Even so, it was a bit of a trick convincing it to go into the clamshell. It finally went, and after re-seating the clamshell, I had a problem: the new door wouldn't freely move back and forth. The two ends were seated correctly in their respective pivot points, but I figured the new door became disfigured from heating -> forcing into position -> cooling in the 45-deg weather. If I pulled down on the door from inside, it would move without catching on the inside of the cage. Letting go caused the door to catch.
So ... I got the heat gun out and heated the door from underneath. After heating for a bit, I use vice grips to pull the door downward, effectively molding it back into its 'correct' shape (or at least one that allowed free movement).
6) I put the actuator and fan back in place (no special actions done to reconfigure/cycle the motor). Then I buttoned everything back up, which proved difficult without a magnet -- but we got the job done.
7) Fired up the truck - worked like a charm!
As mentioned -- it was an exercise in frustration, but having saved money, I'm quite pleased!
This is a great right up, thank you! Yes, we agree, the cold really makes it a lot harder. Doing it in the heat (or having a heat gun as as you and some other viewers have suggested) really makes a difference. Good job getting it done, 4-5 hours is still a respectable time! Thanks for the in-depth comments, they'll be really helpful to other viewers!
Auto makers these days can shove it. 80% of people don't tinker. Pay someone else. You're messing with the 20% that do.
Boy they sure dont seem to care for those of us who do the work ourselves, thats for sure.
This looks amazing! The recirc door on my 2014 F-150 broke and I have been looking for a fix like this. I am going to purchase the parts and give it a shot! Thank you for the video
Awesome! Let us know how it goes. Thanks for commenting!
Worked! Lowe’s in WA doesn’t carry that tool but Amazon had an extension that was a must. You are a money saver. Took about 4-5 hours because, well, beer. Now please figure out how to replace the rear backup camera and get zoom working again without paying for a $300 Ford camera. Very happy subscriber.
was so freakin pissed to find out that I needed to do that much work and buy another part for this aside from the blower motor. Thanks for making a video on the steps. I found that broken piece in the blower motor just like you did in your video.. silly design
We're convinced this situation is the result of a 100-year old grudge between Ford engineers and Ford technicians that started way back with a Model T when one of the mechanics compared the design of some component on the Model T unfavorably with the engineer's mother. And we all suffer for it.
It's usually a rodent motel
Great video. Thanks for sharing. I was wondering if when 'spreading open' the housing, one of the small Air Wedge Bags would work. I have used them for other projects and they allow you to precisely spread an assembly open with a simple hand pump. You can purchase a set of 3 for around $20.
That's a really good idea! We're gonna order some up and do a video showing how the Air Wedge Bags can work. Thanks for the suggestion and thanks for commenting!
For what it is worth, spreading the cage was not hard to do by hand or stressful on the part. If you remove the 5 screws and stud nut, it is pretty easy to separate. It doesn't spread immediately sideways...you need to pull while lifting to get the lip to pop up. Once mine was spread initially to remove the broken door, it stayed that way more or less until I closed it up again.
Got this same issue on my 2013 3.5 EcoBoost. Gonna save this and show to my mechanic!
Impeller not shroud
So you bought the complete unit just for the door???? You can buy just the Door as well...
You couldn't when we first published this video (or at least we sure couldn't find it and Ford said no when we asked). If its available now, that's great! If you want to share the part number we'll add it to the description!
Thank you for this awesome video. My recirculating does not work on 2012 f150 fx4. I replaced the actuator, and it is still not working (it worked 2 times) after the replacement of a brand-new actuator, and then stopped. The flap door is perfectly fine and moves freely with NO broken parts. The recirculating button on the front control panel lights up when you push it, but I'm not sure if it actually works properly or not or sends proper voltage to the actuator. Right now the flap and actuator stuck on "Fresh Air" and will not go back to recirculating. Any suggestion how to check the connector power into the actuator pins with a meter when pushing the recirculation button? Another words what pin powers up when Circulation is on and what pins powers on when its on off position (5 wire pin connector that goes to the actuator, not sure what each wire/pin does and what voltage goes through each pin when its on or off position). Any help or sugestion, I greatly appreciate. I honestly think the actuator is not getting any power or gets some power but stops....not 100% sure tho.
success here too,
Getting to the 2 screws on the front edge almost stopped the repair but I cheated by cutting out some of the grille to get to them through the fan hole,a hack I know, but its just pulling inside air into the fan. and there is a 10 mm nut on a strap on the top edge, so, 4 screws for the "clamshell",4 screws hold the assy. on top of the "fan box", and the 10 mm nut .sound right?
How did you get that door out of
Did you put new motor for door on old piece
Great question. The motor is not to difficult to change out, so if the part that inserts into the door looks good you are probably fine to use the old one, and it quits working its way easier to change than the door. Its also not a super expensive part, so it might be worth just swapping it for a new one.
using your camera view up into the blower compartment, the exterior intake screen had all kinds of JUNK stuck in it. Would an air nozzle eject that debris back out the exterior intake?
I saw your video on how to clean this out.... thanks
You are welcome! Mine sure needed it lol
After a delay I got to the attempt. All screws removed. I have the dreaded bracket some have mentioned (I cut the plastic free of it). Old door is out but the new door defies me. I need another 1/2" of space to get the darn thing in. This is with the cage spread 3.5", it wont go any farther. The issue is, even with the watermelon spread, the molded plastic circle underneath that marries to the fan wont let the end of the door slip by. How the heck did people do this? I've been at it for a few days.
Ours was a fight but fit. We've heard other guys mention they heat the plastic up to get enough give. So far we've had plenty of people mention its been tough but no one wasn't able to eventually get it to go, so please keep us updated. Thanks for the question!
@@MotorsandMischief Update! The watermelon needed to move up. The two vertical screws facing the front of the truck, loosened through the cage with an 8mm box wrench. The door went in, not a lot of force, no bending required. the watermelon went back together (I videoed the inside to check the seams). The door binds slightly on the left side. I noticed by comparing the video of the watermelon in the truck with the new part they are slightly different. On the top of the cage side with the new part there is a gap at the seam. There are no gaps with the truck watermelon. Will this make a difference? Unsure. I had to stop before attaching the actuator. The gear on the actuator is outside the range of the door. Is there a trick to reset the position? Or is it truck on and off until we get lucky? 🙂
I have a 2015 Ford truck my Bluetooth stop working but everything else works how do I fix it
Just found out this is the same problem on my 2016 Lariat. Think we should all send the broken part to Ford! Thanks for the video.
Thank you greatly for this video. Exactly what I needed to do to my vehicle.
So I bought a used 2018 F150 and i noticed when i turn on recycled air I still get smell from outside etc but everything else like air speeds up and colder works. So, i take it my fresh to recycle door is broke too?
Thanks
Welcome. Thats exactly how I noticed mine. I was behind a stinky vehicle and it still smelled the same no matter what I selected, fresh or rec.
Anybody knows the part number for the new aseembly ?
Its in the description, thanks for asking!
Perfect thank you my EcoBeast just did this exact thing! And I didn’t know what it was at first after digging under the dash I found that plastic nub in the blower motor just like this… and then I was like “Oh Sh*t” how in the world do I fix this? But @Motors and Mischief for the WIN!!! Thank you!
That's awesome! So glad we could help, thanks for commenting!
All I can say is, 'ah shitake!' I'm not looking forward to doing this!.
I have watched this 10 million times and still dont know this: DID you unscrew the 2 screws on the back joint? I failed at this today, but I did not remove the front right side upper nut on the cage or loosen the 2 mentioned earlier.... Gonna try again tomorrow!
3/17/24 SUCCESS! Key for me was removing the passenger seat and the removal of the stud bolt as mentioned above by PBlrmkr. I only had one bolt left, bet you can guess which it was! BTW I did not need to undo the 2 rear screws.
Holy smokes I just saw this. So glad you figured it out! Sorry I didnt see it when you first posted. Love that you found an answer from our community, thats awesome. We are all learning together on this one. Great work!
Very nice work around. Same problem with a 2014 F150 Raptor. We were driving down a dirt road and my GF said what is that noise? Is there someone in the forest driving a motorcycle we cant see. Nope it was that fresh air door that broke. I like the work around, now I just have to do it!! I will!! Thanks to your video. The plastic pieces nowadays, ugh.... I might try something different like somehow locking the door into the recirculation position and calling it a day. Either way, thank you for this video and all your other ones too.
Thanks so much for the kind comments, we really appreciate them! If you decide to lock it into recirc (as a bunch of viewers have said they're going to do), just remember a lot of manufacturers have the computer switch out of recirc after a while to get fresh air into the cabin. We have no idea how well sealed a typical F-150 is, but we can't afford to lose any viewers so please be careful!!
Success! Thank you Sir! 2013 lariat Couldn't find the flex driver but a reversible ratchet 15° wrench worked inverted there was just enough to get 2 clicks out of the 72 tooth but it would have been so much easier with the flex screwdriver. That screwed was an hour out and 45 min back in.
Man good job making it work anyway! That silly little flex driver is gold for this project but if anyone is doing it unexpectedly, good to know there's a ratchet combo that will work. Thanks for posting!
So I just bought a newused 2014 F150 yesterday and noticed this problem today, I was like WTF? So I called the dealer and of course I bought as is. This noise only happens on high speed. Is it possible to just leave the damper on closed position and just have recirculating air? Not a big fan of fresh air coming into the cab. I live in Texas and its rarely has awesome weather. Its either hot or cold. Also is the damper forward or up to be in the recirculating air? Also thank you for an awesome video
Absolutely! You might need to put a screw through the box and into the door to hold it in place. Just use a really small one. For the sound, I would drop the blower down and see if you have pieces in the fan, thats probably making the noise. That where all the broken pieces go lol.
Success for a 2006 Charger too. Thank you. This saved a lot of time by just repacing the actuator, and recerculation door. Tip, 10mm deep socket on the top nut. They used lock tight, making it tougher. Went back together very nicely. Again, thanks.
I have this problem and have yet another idea! The actual switch that moves the “door”. Could that possibly be replaced and attached to the existing door inside? Since all of those can be accessed in this video, I’m wondering if that’s possible… Please please let me know if you think it is possible.
The typical problem is that the door snaps in two, and the little stub area that sits inside the housing and connects to the motor breaks off. That's the little piece we found rattling around in the blower housing. So yes, your idea would work, but would be a great fix for if the door actuator motor was broken and not the door itself. But we love the ideas, thanks for sharing!!
thanks to your video i was able to track down this problem on my 1999,the flap had come loose and fallen down blocking the blower motor resulting in low air flow through the vents of course the local shop wanted 1500 to replace the evaporator
That's awesome! So glad we could help! Thanks for commenting
Were you able to hear the motor trying to open and close the flap before you did this repair? I’m not so sure that my flap door is broken. Im thinking it’s one of the actuators. When I turn mine to recirc I don’t hear anything happening. I also don’t have any broken pieces in my blower
Yes you can hear it but its not very loud. If you lay down under the dash and have someone change it from fresh to recirculation you should be able to hear it. you can even put you hand on the recirc motor and feel it humming open and closed.
Another way you could check is to unplug it under there and see if it makes a difference. If you are not getting that motor to move and thats all you need to change that would be a way easier fix.
@@MotorsandMischief ya I unplugged my fan and can actually hear the actuator trying to move so I guess my door is also broken
Does this effect the cooling affect during Hot Texas Summer; I was thinking I had a low charge and had the evacuated the system and recharged it; but remembered that I had that issue and removed the broken piece out of the blower a couple of summers back; but do notice when I lower the speed it feels cooler but that outside hot air is coming through due to the flapper/ damper being in the fresh air position I would suspect
Its sure possible, when this is broke it usually breaks, or falls, into the fresh air setting. So its always pulling in the hot outside air. You can take out the fan and manually put it into the recycled position, but something will need to hold it there. Some guys are running a small screw through the housing into the door to hold it in that recycled position. Funny enough, a lot of them commenting are in Texas lol.
This is probably somewhere in here, but does anyone have a suggestion on where to buy the replacement for this fix? I have the same issue, and its causing my trucks heater not to work. I need to replace the door. Had the stupid little broken piece in my blower motor.
The part number is in the description and there should be a link to buy it. If the link is missing search eBay or you can buy directly from Ford. Thanks for the question!
Happy to have run into this video..I tried to get mine replaced but was unsuccessful to do because I couldn't get those 2 screws all the way in the back loose. How were you able to accomplish that as it seems almost impossible to reach them. Appreciate any more advice
For the screws on the back, Jake had to go with reaching up behind and going by feel. He says its actually not too difficult once you figure out how it has to go on. There is a shot that shows the piece out of the vehicle so you can see where those screws are, which should hopefully make it easier to go by feel. And of course the horizontal (back right) uses the flex tool we linked in the description; from what we can tell the job pretty much can't be done without it (also available at Lowes if you need it fast). Good luck!
Great video. I appreciate your help. I am having trouble “zeroing out” the actuator motor, I can’t get the motor shaft to go in the grooves of the door on that side. Any suggestions or help?
Man that's irritating for you. No, ours just slid on with a minimum of fuss. Let us know if you figure it out!
I am having a time to get in the door out
We did it when it was nice an hot, and lots of other folks have mentioned to us that its got to be warm to flex the housing enough to get the door out. A couple of viewers have done the job in the cold and used a heat gun on the housing to warm it up enough to get the door out. Good luck and thanks for the comment!
Does this being broken affect your ac? This happened to me over the winter and now summer is here my ac isn't working well. Iv recharged it says it's full. I have the door zip tied to one side
If it breaks, but doesnt fall into the fan you will still be ok, you just cant choose recycle or fresh. If broken it almost always falls open to fresh air only. If that little tab falls into the fan, it will give you a really bad shaking when the fan gets turned up.