I drive a 2007 GT. a few weeks ago I started the car and heard a terrible knocking noise in the dash. I took it to the shop and they told me it was a blend door actuator. They ordered the part and fixed it. It worked great for a week, and today it started making the noise again, only this time it was much worse. I took it back to the shop and they told me that the one they replaced broke and that they would warranty it out and put a new one in. They also said that if it broke again that the likely cause would be the control module. what is the control module and where is it located? is it expensive?


also, they disconnected the bad art until the new one gets here, so I only have A/C through the defrost vents for now.

 

I hate to ruin your day but I hope it isn't this. https://themustangsource.com/forums/...lution-541221/

 

How in the heck is this guys PCM issue in any way related to his blend door motor? That's just silly.

OP, these door actuators (theres 4 of them under there) have little plastic gears in them. They are flimsy and cheap. Basically they either strip or the stop on them goes out and you get that clicking noise. Did you get a Ford replacement or a Dorman or some other off brand?

I have one that needs to be replaced but it's been just sitting there. As long as I don;t turn my temp **** all the way to cold it doesn't make any noise. Depending on which door it is, it will only make noise when you have your AC set to a certain position. Though it may make it everytime you start it as the doors cycle. I've had my issue for years without any ill effects.

 

I'm not sure if it's a Ford part. I think it might be just an aftermarket part. Do you think it could be the control module?

Sucks that my ac is only coming through the defrost right now too lol

 

To be honest, no. But it might be. I would think if the controe module was out it would not try and move the doors at all. Since it is trying to move but the gears are jumping teeth I would think it was getting a signal from the module. Usually when these control modules go out it will default to a certain setting but that doesn't sound like your issue. I would replace the motor and see what happens.

 

The dealership told him 'control module', not me. Did you read his whole post?? I just wanted to alert him of what the dealership might be thinking. Let's hope not.

 

Yes I did read his whole post. Did you not read the link you posted?? That thread you posted is talking about the PCM (Power Control Module for running the engine sometimes referred to as the ECM or Engine Control Module), not the HVAC control module. One runs the engine and one runs the HVAC system. Two completely different things. I mean if your power windows stop working properly, are you going to replace the PCM to fix it? C'mon McFly, if you don't know what you are talking about please don't chime in and confuse or worry the guy for no reason.

Anyways OP, depending on which door or actuator it is, it may be one of a few different control modules as I believe all 3 functions of the HVAC system might have separate control modules. This I'm not positive on but If I remember correctly when I had that panel off there were three separate units back there. I few months back I had to replace the HVAC module on my Pontiac and it had one module controlling all of the functions. Having three should keep the cost down but you have to figure out which one it is.

Have you replaced the actuator yet? If you do need to replace one the control modules they are located directly behind the controls on your center stack dash panel.

 

yes they replaced the bad actuator and a week later it broke. I took it back in and that's when the dealership told me it could be the control module. but the mechanic said that it could've just been a faulty part. they are going to fix it again this weekend.

 

07BOSS, now you're telling me not to post when I'm just alerting people to possible bad info from a dealer?? Sorry, ALL info is good. it's up to the OP to digest it all. How do YOU know what the dealer told him? Are you a mind reader too?
I bow down to your superior intellect and complete control of this site.
I think I'll keep posting anyway. Feel free to 'ignore' my posts.

Anyway, OP, I wish you the best with the situation. As I said before, let's hope for a minor bill.

 

Wait, The OP said the shop he took it to said it might be the control module that is making his actuator break. That control module is NOT the one you posted up. You don't have to be a mind reader to know the shop is talking about the control module that controls the motor in question. That just takes some simple logic and deductive reasoning. You must be some kind of crappy mind reader if you posted up info on the PCM. And ALL information is not good especially if it is wrong or misleading. He asked where the module is and you leap to some conclusion that it must be the engine management control module. How you came to that conclusion baffles me but obviously in some twisted way you made that connection.

You must have some comprehension issues. I didn't tell you not to post up, I told you not to if you didn't know what you were talking about which obviously in this case you don't. And how are you alerting people that the shop, not the dealership (again another comprehension issue), is giving out wrong information? No where did you state or imply that? Again I don't know how you got PCM out of the shop telling him it might be the control module for for the door. It must have been that mind reading thing you were talking about except you were reading the wrong mind. And you can bow down to my superior intellect if you want. It doesn't bother me, I'm actually used to it. As far as controlling the site, don't have a clue what you are talking about there. Telling one person to STFU because they don't know what they are talking about or can't convey his thoughts properly, is not trying to control the site. It is trying to get the OP some useful and pertinent information on his issue, not a bunch of rubbish for something completely unrelated. And I will not ignore your posts. In fact, I will take special interest in your posts now so I can hopefully prevent more misleading and wrong information from being spread among our fellow stangers.

You jumped to the wrong conclusion when the OP asked about the control module and thought he was talking about the Power Control Module. You posted up a link to thread talking about the PCM. You were wrong, but now for some reason trying to justify it as some kind of warning to the OP when you got called out on it. That pretty much just illustrates who you are.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I wonder how common this is?

 

It's pretty common. There are four door/blend motors under your dash with cheap plastic gears. Those gears will strip over time and start making a racket as they skip and grind.

 

So they fixed it a second time today and it's already making the noise again. I don't know what to do, I dont know why it keeps breaking

 

Are they using brand new genuine Ford parts?

 

I'm not sure, they might be using aftermarket parts.

 

one more thing. I took it back in earlier for them to look at it, the guy tells me that the control module on the dash is what needs replaced. he says since its a Ford part that it will be 600 dollars plus labor. that sounds outrageous. by the way ive been having the people at Best One tire and service fix this. I haven't gone to an actual Ford service yet.

 

It may be the control module. It should cut the signal when the motor reaches it's stops but for some reason yours wants to keep going. And yes the modules from Ford are expensive but there are other places to find these. I will have to look but I think that there are 3 different modules and maybe Ford sells them as a set. If this is so you can figure out which one it is and get just that replacement. Salvage yard or online for the individual ones. When does the clicking actually occur? I mean which way do you have the panel configured that the clicking happens? Mine clicks when you turn the temp **** all the way to cold.

I'm wrong, it looks like the control module is a one piece unit. But it can be found pretty easily and you can replace it yourself without too much difficulty.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HEATER-AC-CLIMATE-TEMPERATURE-CONTROLS-MUSTANG-05-09-BRUSHED-ALUMINUM-FINISH-/361551278429?fits=Model%3AMustang
It's used. If you want a new off brand they are going to be a lot less than the Ford parts, I would guess in the $100-$200 range.

 

I have it set to the cold side and on the center vents. I unplugged it so that it wouldn't make the noise. would I be ab;e to just buya used module off of ebay? or do you recommend buying a brand new one? Im almost certain I can do this myself to save money.


thanks for your help btw

 

Oh, I know you can do it yourself. it's like 8-14 small screws or bolts tp remove the center console and sail panels to get at the center dash and then a couple more screws and a couple electrical plugs. it's pretty easy. Anyways, I think your always better off with new parts but there should be no reason why a used part wouldn't work. Even an off brand part I would have more faith in than a used one, but it all comes down to what you wanna spend.

Before you do that you should see if there is some kind of reset sequence you can do to reset the factory module. I recently replaced the same module in my Pontiac but before I did that I tried to do their reset procedure for the module. I ended up having to replace the thing anyways but it's worth a shot. When I get home I'll see if there is anything I can find on it.

You might try and see if cutting the power to the system will let it reset. Either pull the fuse or unhook the battery and the module should try and set up it's stops for the doors when you reconnect the power. Turn the key on for at least a minute after doing this. If it doesn't have a reset procedure it must go to some kind of default calibration set up when you turn on the car. Since I can't seem to find anything on a quick search I'm going to assume it does this on it's own. At least it's worth a try before buying a new module.

 

The one for my Pontiac was like $390 something. I bought a new off brand one for like $125 but there were a couple of used ones for less than $75.

Dealerships charge a stupid amount of money for their ****. I installed a button on my steering wheel spoke cover and then ended up going in another direction and wanted to get a new little plastic cover and they wanted something stupid like $80 bucks. I said I just needed the one, not all three. He said that is the price for just one. I laughed and left. I still have a little red button on there, I just tell people it is an eject button.