Strange problem with Heater - 2003 Ford Windstar

[sarity945]

Vehicle : 2003 Ford Windstar

Hey Guys,

First things first, the van had a great heater which would warm up the car in couple of minutes even when started cold in the mornings. The heat was so intense i would have to reduce it to half the temp in about 10 min. Heater was working fine last night but has stopped working this morning. Historically i never used to leave the controls/knobs from the fan and the heater on but in the past few weeks i forgot to turn them off (which means they would kick simultaneously as i started the car, as opposed to me turning them AFTER the car had started)

Here are some observations from some testing:

1- The force of the fan has decreased by half.
2- There is a ticking sound like a clock when i turn the heater controls on. This stays on for like 30-45 secs and then goes away.
(a) The ticking sound is most noticeable when i slide the temp slider from hot to cold.
(b) It also happens briefly when i slide the controls back to hot.
(c) It also happened couple of times when i put the key in the ignition and proceeded to turn on the car.

Any suggestions or advice based on the above info?

Thanks

 

[Rand]

sounds like you need someone to investigate. a bunch of unrelated actions now an issue pops up.

 

[Propflux01]

Sounds like the blend door is fixin' to take a dump. The clicking gives it away.

 

[Kansas_Ron]

1. Check anti-freeze level
2. Check blower motor relay

 

[Wrenchturner44]

This video might help.

 

[sarity945]

@Propflux01

Sounds like the blend door is fixin' to take a dump. The clicking gives it away.

I think you and @Wrenchturner44 nailed it on the head! Thanks gentlemen!.

The question is, will this problem also affect the fan efficiency? The air force seems to have reduced.

 

[4wheeldog]

@Propflux01

I think you and @Wrenchturner44 nailed it on the head! Thanks gentlemen!.

The question is, will this problem also affect the fan efficiency? The air force seems to have reduced.

Does the wind still blow through your house if you close the door? A closed blend door will block air flow.

 

[sarity945]

Does the wind still blow through your house if you close the door? A closed blend door will block air flow.

You mean does the wind still blow after i close the vents? Yes it does.

The wind blows but just not with the same force like before. If i was to guess there is probably like a 50% reduction.

 

[4wheeldog]

You mean does the wind still blow after i close the vents? Yes it does.

The wind blows but just not with the same force like before. If i was to guess there is probably like a 50% reduction.

Blend doors tend to stick in the middle of their travel.

 

[dnewton3]

Fix the blend door actuator first.
If the blower problem persists after that, it's probably the blower resistor control board.

 

[D60]

If the blend door issues don't resolve everything drop the blower motor and look for rodent parties. But I wouldn't necessarily worry about this just yet

 

[sarity945]

Fix the blend door actuator first.
If the blower problem persists after that, it's probably the blower resistor control board.

Sound advice. I will fix the actuator first and see if it resolves the fan issue. If no then will look at the other options folks have suggested.

 

[michaelluscher]

Sound advice. I will fix the actuator first and see if it resolves the fan issue. If no then will look at the other options folks have suggested.

Do fix the actuator first, Ford radio removal tools are stupid cheap on eBay/Amazon

You do also have a cabin air filter, when was the last time it was changed?
If you're still having airflow issues after, check for leaves/nests

 

[97prizm]

Vehicle : 2003 Ford Windstar

Hey Guys,

First things first, the van had a great heater which would warm up the car in couple of minutes even when started cold in the mornings. The heat was so intense i would have to reduce it to half the temp in about 10 min. Heater was working fine last night but has stopped working this morning. Historically i never used to leave the controls/knobs from the fan and the heater on but in the past few weeks i forgot to turn them off (which means they would kick simultaneously as i started the car, as opposed to me turning them AFTER the car had started)

Here are some observations from some testing:

1- The force of the fan has decreased by half.
2- There is a ticking sound like a clock when i turn the heater controls on. This stays on for like 30-45 secs and then goes away.
(a) The ticking sound is most noticeable when i slide the temp slider from hot to cold.
(b) It also happens briefly when i slide the controls back to hot.
(c) It also happened couple of times when i put the key in the ignition and proceeded to turn on the car.

Any suggestions or advice based on the above info?

Thanks

Many years ago a co-worker and Aunt had a ford windstar with a very similar issue. My dad looked at it and found the blend door or or actuator had failed. From my understanding it's a common problem with the windstar.

 

[Propflux01]

Be careful when you buy a replacement. Some replacements are worse than the ford part. Research.

 

[sarity945]

Do fix the actuator first, Ford radio removal tools are stupid cheap on eBay/Amazon

You do also have a cabin air filter, when was the last time it was changed?
If you're still having airflow issues after, check for leaves/nests

Will do.

 

[sarity945]

Be careful when you buy a replacement. Some replacements are worse than the ford part. Research.

Well i will be buying the part from O'Reilly Auto Parts today.

It would help if you can clarify why some parts are worse so it will help me to avoid that mistake.

 

[wlk]

Well i will be buying the part from O'Reilly Auto Parts today.

It would help if you can clarify why some parts are worse so it will help me to avoid that mistake.

For a front blend door actuator it is probably best for longevity sake to use oem as some aftermarkets do not last as long. With this part, if a pain to replace like in my 04 Expedition, I would go oem. In my Expedition it took a long handled flex head 8/10mm ratcheting wrench and lots of hand cramps. But if easy access, then an aftermarket part I would not mind.

 

[sarity945]

Update : The heater is working now but the fan is still sluggish.
Will be looking into the filters and the blower.
Thanks guys.

Edit: Its amazing how the fan was working one day and next day it stops. I wonder what's the possibility of the problems being related?

 

[ripcord]

Update : The heater is working now but the fan is still sluggish.
Will be looking into the filters and the blower.
Thanks guys.

I've seen heater motors start to slow down while pulling a lot more current than they should. A new motor fixed the problem.

The squirrel cage fans can get brittle and be hard to remove, so make sure you can it it off your old motor before you buy a new one, if needed. You can usually buy them with or without the fan.