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Does your vent selector stick? Have you broken the cables? Read on,

248K views 59 replies 30 participants last post by  Gremlin982003 
#1 ·
So I think I have a solution to this problem. I can't be sure yet, but everything is looking good so far.

But first I want you to answer this question, Do you have a cabin air filter in your car? (if you didn't install it, chances are you don't)



So my blower motor finally died. It had run enough to ware the brushes down to nothing. So I installed a new blower motor.
But first I thought it'd be a good idea to blow the dust out of the vents. Thing is there wasn't much dust that came out. But boy oh boy was there leaves, sticks and other tree debris, all in little bits.
Hmmm.
Seems that leaves and such were chopped up by the blower motor and stuck on the back side of the heater core.
In the process of blowing all this out I rotated the vent selector back and forth. The more junk that cam out, the freer the knob got.
So it seems to me that debris is the main problem as to why things get sticky and break.

Now, I haven't had a cabin air filter in my car ever. That is 11 years. Which time wise seems to fit with others I've seen with similar problems, and no solution has been posted to my knowledge.

To prevent this, I'd say a cabin filter should be used in every car.


To get the junk out you'll have to remove the blower motor. Not difficult, it's only 1 electrical connector and 3 screws. But it's an awkward angle to work at. Stretch before wiggling under the dash so you don't cramp up.
Grab the air hose and blow all the debris out. Change the direction of the vent and blow again. Continue this until you feel you got most everything.
Should be good for another 10 years or so.

Best of luck.


Here is the file on how to remove the blower motor --> http://www.filedropper.com/focusblowermotor
 
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#2 ·
This is great info. All focus's can use a cabin air filter it is located under the cowl by the wipers. I think only the first model years actually got the filters installed from the factory. After that I haven't seen a single one with it, but they all have the spot to put them on.
 
#56 ·
My 2007 ford focus 2.0 L 4 cly. duratec dohc do not have a place for filter hole seal off with a fine wire screen you can moderfy if you a patient and tools, i just cut a heat pump the correct size laid it on top of the screen where the filter would fit in that hole. broke those hooks off that hold the cowl down in place the hood will also hold the cowl down until i can replace the cowl. i am 77yrs old now eyes gotten dim get tired easy in the last 8 yrs. but i enjoy the guys and girls tell how they modify, and repair their cars, could do pretty well with the vehicles 1960-1992 now just change oil, front wheel brake pads rotters calibers, mafs.door handels,rear shocks on my focus.
 
#3 ·
05-07 have no filter- on purpose. An earlier model Foci filter caddy can be substituted in place of the metal mesh screen if you can successfully remove the foam glue holding the screen in place. Something else will have to be used to seal up the filter caddy. Something like automotive window adhesive will work. Adhesive foam rubber should work if it's heavier duty type that will withstand high and low temps. The good thing is that the factory part bolts on the same way so there's no problem with having to drill holes.
 
#5 ·
My 07 has a problem with sticking too.What I found is not in the cables or blower housing but the bled door it self.The rubber seal Ford uses gets sticky over time and doesn't release from the housing where it makes contact.If the center vent and duct is removed you can just get your hand to the top of the blend door and you'll feel it stick.As a short term fix spray some silicone spray on the blend door and work it limit to limit several times.This will last several months then it will need to be done again.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I tried removing the fan and blowing out the debris after replacing the cable,but it still sticks.In time if not fixed the cable will stretch and break again.

I'll have to try what your saying.
To remove the center vent,I'm going to lube the blend door,is it needed to remove the radio?Is there any screws that need to come off?
 
#6 ·
I have this problem also... And it drives me nuts... Never thought to go in thru the blower housing.... I will try this if the weather ever breaks here! Thanks so much!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
#7 ·
Great news.
Mine was sticking and the dealer said that a weak spot of Focus.He have me cables but said to expect the same problem.
Is there a link that shows how to take out fan or is it fairly simple?
If your in a pickle and you need air through the correct vents you can remove partial panel under steering wheel and on the side of radio compartment you can move the lever by hand.Down will force air through vents,up through defrost.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the link.My A/C cools better on the passenger side vents than driver side vents including the middle vents,passenger side is cooler.

I don't know what part of A/C is in front of fan.Was any debris or built up around or on it that reduce the A/C's ability to cool?

On cool days my A/C works,probe in dash 42-38 degrees very well but on hot days 58-64 degrees.
 
#9 ·
I may have to give this a try when I feel like pulling the car apart again. It's having enough problems that I don't even want to look at it and I'm about ready to drive it into Lake Ontario.

Anywho, mine gets stuck on defrost,and I have to reach up inside there and manually move it. As long as I keep it a notch from full defrost, it doesn't stick.

Almost seems like it goes a little further past where it should, and turning the knob isn't enough to rotate it back.
 
#37 ·
Thanks for the suggestion, to keep the control knob turned just a bit away from either extreme of adjustment. Works without problem, now.

The vent control knob was starting to get difficult to move off the full CW or CCW position, on my 2007 Focus wagon (220,000 km), just this summer.
It finally did freeze in the defrost position and I had to access the plastic lever, on the air box, at the floor of the car, and manually move the lever, to free up the vent control knob
 
#14 ·
I got new cable on and I sprayed the door that slams shut with silicone spray.It helped but it's not a repair,door will stick again.
The rubber seal does get sticky,was so in my case,and then door gets stuck if left for over an hour.
I find that leaving vent knob one click from full left or right will keep it from sticking and you can move it to other spots when needed.
If you do go to full right or left it doesn't seem to stick if you only keep it at that position for a few minutes.
Other than that I see no fix,unless you clean out where you can't reach and replace the door you can't reach or tear the dash apart.
I accept it as a one of the weak points of a Focus.
 
#15 ·
Alright guys, everyone here is dead on accurate about the rubber seal on the blend door sticking. Wish I would have known about the silicon spray trick before I did the job, that woulda been nice!

This problem was driving me crazy for almost 2 years. I tried every jerry-rig method I could think of for a temp fix, but I decided it was time to do it for real this time. Pretty big deal considering I live in the midwest where defrost in the winter is a lifesaver.

The only real fix for this is to remove the entire heater core housing and replace. It is a hell of a job - removing the dash, crossbar member and all associated wiring harnesses. But I am an amateur and was able to handle the mechanics just fine; it just took a while. Took me a solid 3 days to get the job done. Get the Haynes manual - it is a must have.

What I did was practice ripping one of these cars apart at a pick & pull junkyard - that way you get to screw that car up instead of your own so you can learn what works and what doesn't. Pick a decent looking car, the idea being if it looks nice, it probably has lower miles on it, increasing the odds of getting a fully operable heater core housing. I lucked out in that area.

The part is I think in the neighborhood of $450 new but I got it at the junkyard for $60. You'll be able to inspect the blend door operation before you take it home obviously so make sure that checks out.

This job requires you to unhook your A/C hoses which will leak freon which is why its a good idea to vaccuum it out or have a shop do it. Reinstall heater core and have a shop recharge A/C unless you can do it yourself.

I'm almost positive this problem is created by excessive heat melting the little rubber flap that seals the blend door. Obviously it is designed to withstand the heat coming from your HVAC system, and I'm not sure of exact temps here, but I park outside usually and I'd notice after a couple days of inactivity things in my car (stickers, plastic, etc.) would be noticeably melted and I think that's what has happened here. Just speculation. I got one of those sun shades to keep the temp down in direct sunlight. Wish I had time and motivation for a full write up. In the mean time, good luck guys.

-Brad
 
#16 ·
mine started doing the same thing about 2 years ago, 2007 zx3, at first it would just get stuck on defrost and i could put a little force and it would free up until one day the cable just snapped... thinking it was just the cable i went to the junkyard and pulled 4 extra cables out of earlier model foci which have the same cable and connections and same blend door and door track, i also went ahead and got another track and 2 or 3 extra switches of each kind, i replaced the broken cable (hint: don't move any of the ac control switches after you disconnect them... it makes it slightly difficult to reattach them) and that fixed the nothing at all problem but the door still sticks to this day. i've thought that you could buy some AC cleaning foam that you inject into the blend doors and it fills up with soapy foam and drains out of the drain plug, my friend uses it at toyota occasionally, but i have yet to actually do anything about it, i rarely use my AC. Might try spraying a little silicon spray in there but i think a more permanent fix could be cleaning the entire blend door with the AC cleaning foam, however it may or may not work with the deteriorating rubber seals... only one way to find out for sure. has anyone tried cleaning the blend doors with AC system cleaning foam?
 
#17 ·
I discovered a few things that may help with sticky cables,it's just a weak spot in Focus's with high milage,even if you replace cables they may still stick.Mine did and this seemed to help.If you force it cables will stretch again then you have to replace cables.

If it's cold in morning,you used air the day before and your knobs are set to cool,let car warm up before moving knobs to full right or left.Just add enough warm air to loosen up that foam seal that seems to stick if left at full left for coldest air or for just vents in dash
Opposite if used heat day before.

If I don't forget I don't leave knobs full left or right when I park car or shut down for that day.

That foam-seal when door shuts to control air flow seems to stick when it's very hot or cold in cabin.Let car cool or warm up before moving knobs to extreme settings.The temp knob can get sticky or stiff also.If car warms or or cools down it will move easier also.
 
#19 ·
I can hardly wait to get mine fixed. I forced it and now I only get air out of the dash and floor vents, No defrost vents at all. Since I live in Ohio I need to get this fixed before the snow flies. Ford dealer probably wants $500 to fix this problem.
I would try fixing it myself, but I live in an apartment and since it's my only car, I don't want to break anything else in the process or be stuck trying to reassemble the dash.
 
#21 ·
Flap fix

Ref. Sticking vent selector heater controls on 2006 ZX5.Remove drivers under dash panel,loosen hood cable nut and slide off, unclip data connector and set panel aside.Remove 4 screws from selector control ,cables attached, and let hang down. Unhook the black selector gate and feel the action of both front and rear flaps.The main culprit is the flap closest to the radio so as you move that flap you should feel the sticking or stuck condition at both of its far end positions.A deformed internal flap seal causes this jamming effect, so here follows my humble solution, that involves adjustable end stops.I used a 1/16" aluminum strip 3" long and bent up one end about 1/8" at 90 degrees and mounted it on the heater box with short self-tappers against the link of that flap to provide a forward stop.This stop should be carefully positioned so as not to allow the flap to drop into its sticky resting place.If you are close the aluminum is easy to bent so as to get a finer adjustment.The next step is to remove the radio surround panel,disconnect cigar lighter,remove the radio, pull two cables and set unit aside.Drill a hole in the heater box and install adjusting bolt bracket as shown in the photo. It is important to adjust these end stops as minimally as possible or the mechanism will bind. After the two stops are mounted a final check before reassembly is to install the black selector gate back in position and work "by hand" the mechanism through its full motion to confirm that no stickiness occurs in either of its end positions and that it transitions smoothly through its various modes.Although the flap is not technically as the designer intended, my air flow is normal and the cable controls work properly. The cost of materials is negligible and the labour maybe two hours work .The Ford car company does not need any more of our hard earned money so I hope this helps some other physically challenged heater boxes. The cost of materials was negligible and took maybe 2 hours, with a low difficulty scale.




Automotive exterior Bumper Auto part


Auto part Suspension Metal
 
#52 · (Edited)
Ref. Sticking vent selector heater controls on 2006 ZX5.Remove drivers under dash panel,loosen hood cable nut and slide off, unclip data connector and set panel aside.Remove 4 screws from selector control ,cables attached, and let hang down. Unhook the black selector gate and feel the action of both front and rear flaps.The main culprit is the flap closest to the radio so as you move that flap you should feel the sticking or stuck condition at both of its far end positions.A deformed internal flap seal causes this jamming effect, so here follows my humble solution, that involves adjustable end stops.I used a 1/16" aluminum strip 3" long and bent up one end about 1/8" at 90 degrees and mounted it on the heater box with short self-tappers against the link of that flap to provide a forward stop.This stop should be carefully positioned so as not to allow the flap to drop into its sticky resting place.If you are close the aluminum is easy to bent so as to get a finer adjustment.The next step is to remove the radio surround panel,disconnect cigar lighter,remove the radio, pull two cables and set unit aside.Drill a hole in the heater box and install adjusting bolt bracket as shown in the photo. It is important to adjust these end stops as minimally as possible or the mechanism will bind. After the two stops are mounted a final check before reassembly is to install the black selector gate back in position and work "by hand" the mechanism through its full motion to confirm that no stickiness occurs in either of its end positions and that it transitions smoothly through its various modes.Although the flap is not technically as the designer intended, my air flow is normal and the cable controls work properly. The cost of materials is negligible and the labour maybe two hours work .The Ford car company does not need any more of our hard earned money so I hope this helps some other physically challenged heater boxes. The cost of materials was negligible and took maybe 2 hours, with a low difficulty scale.
This ^ right here looked like the easiest fix that I have found, so... To see if the fix would solve my problem, I simplified this even more.

I drilled a hole in my plastic heater box in the location shown. Then I put a fine thread bolt (big, like a 3/8-24) up against the hole and drove it in with a socket, extension and ratchet. It's only plastic, so the bolt can cut its own threads. That's it. No bracket, no locknut. I figure if the bolt works its way loose, I can always pull the bolt out and make up a bracket like shown.

Meanwhile - I screwed the bolt in until the control lever started moving and stopped. That was not enough. The door stuck after a little while. So I pulled the radio and gave the bolt a few turns. Since then, the door has not stuck.

I consider it SOLVED.

Thank you! [headbang]
 
#23 ·
There are a lot of post about the door sticking at the extreme ends but none for in the middle. I keep mine in the blend setting most of the time and mine will stick there. It is very difficult to get it to switch to vents or feet from there. Is the door sticking or does it have to do with the track? Same fixes as mentioned or different?
 
#24 ·
Posts about sticking at the ends refer to the heat control blend door, not the multiple doors controlling defrost/vent/floor.

Center position on the knob (floor) isn't QUITE exact on mine for example, there's a transition there between defrost settings & floor/vent settings that's often sticky because a lot moves at once there.

For myself, just keeping it on either side of that position avoids leaving it right at that "sticky" transition point - either in the defrost/floor side or the vent/floor side. Not being heavy handed when moving it through that point has avoided troubles with it so far.
 
#26 ·
I'm new here
but having bougth a used 2005 Focus in the summer
the heat selector moved normal till winter set in.
one ford dealer wanter a $1000 plus to fix it.



So we took it to another Ford dealer, they charged $40 to find the problem, they
charged us $450 to replace the cables, for 73 min of work it worked when we drove it home, the next morning it was stuck.
I first thought it might be moisture issue of water not drainging from AC coil.
I set a elec heater on the pass floor, in 45 min it freed up. convincing me
it was moisture freesing
the Ford dealer said the drain was open. I went home and used the elec heater
again and in 40 min it freed up.
Losing comfince in that dealer, i went to another deal parts department to get
a print out of all I could find in that heater area. I found the wanted $586 for just the heater box. they couldn't give me any break down of that box. I want to get a view of what's inside so i might get some ideas as to how to fix.

Might I say I've worked as an autmotive machist 50 yrs ago and knew many mechanics worked by guess work rather than investigating and fixing what didn't fix the problem charging the customer and charging the customer again to get another imiaged problem on and on till they found the real problem. i also found auto machinist weren't machinist either, I was critixed for using a dial indicator.I moved on to a tool and die shop.
And I also know a lot shops pay the mechanic a comision on the parts they sell
including the service forman. So this game of fix and refix goes on and on.

I'm lookin for warmer weather comes when I can find the time to crawl in trouble shoot for my self.

I would like to find an old heater box from a 2005 focus someone took out and
cut into it to see for my information just how the inside is constructed.

Also would like to find a small cambra for my lap top.
 
#27 ·
The fix outlined in post 21 works. I used this fix and it has worked for over 1 year. Don't bother with the dealer. I'm sorry you paid $450, but your control cables may have been shot and needed to be replaced anyway. You will strip the cables due to excessive force needed to move the sticky damper doors.
$1000 is to replace the heater box. That will also fix the problem.
All cars have these kinds of weak points that create pattern failures. No dealer is going to mess with this finicky repair, but I was willing and can verify it is effective.
 
#28 ·
I'd like to try this fix. That appears to be a jack lock threaded insert. What are the sizes of bolt hardware used ? Measured distances to drill the stop hole would be helpful. it appears approximately centered, though the bottom one seems a bit offset upwards. Why not just use the jack nut alone or with a washer to spread the force. Thanks
 
#29 ·
To dhouse....Because of a lack of welding equipment I was forced to use a front licence plate captive nut arrangement off a car, to provide a workable adjustment device.Before fitting the device on the heater box ,a tight hole was made for that nut to fit into the bracket,the nut pushed in and then the adjuster bolt was fully bottomed out to crush the cage so as to provide as flat a surface as possible and then to mount the device flush on the heater box. The offending flap runs the full width of the heater box and butts up against that one inch flange where the bracket will be mounted. The adjuster when fitted will stop that flap from jamming into the flange area.I used a metric licence nut,bolt and lock nut but you could use 1/4 inch pieces just as well. Drill an exploritory 1/8 inch hole in central position on that flange and put a straight wire through the hole and work the flap against the wire to grasp the concept.If you cant envision this idea then fill the hole with a old screw.Hope thats clear as muck.
 
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