How do you install a temperature blend door actuator motor on a 1996 or newer Sable - Taurus?

Answer 1

I'm am just now doing this for my 2001 Sable. You will need an 8mm socket and probly an 8mm open/box end wrench. This is list does not have the specific details of "how to" for each item. But you should be able to find more references on the internet here and there. And the other thing is that my reference told me just two screws for the actuator, but I actually found three. All this stuff is plastic - careful pushing and pulling. Do the following:

1. remove the center dash Radio/climate control panel. it requires the $4 Ford radio tools (don't waste your time with being cheap and trying to make your own - go to Walmart, any auto-parts, etc etc and buy the right tool)
2. Disconnect the two wire connectors from this panel and put it in the back seat out of the way.
3. remove the screws along the bottom of the glove box and then remove the glove box.
4. remove the plastic panel beneath the glove box

Now it gets harder - most of this work will be done thru the hole where the radio console was, but you might also need a hand up from beneath the glove box area. Access to some of the screws is difficult inside the cramped dash area, and its really dark and hard to see.

1. remove the two screws that hold the Remote Climate Control Module (RCCM) in place
2. push the RCCM a little bit out of the way - you don't need to disconnect the vacuum lines or remove the RCCM itself.
3. remove the two screws that hold the blend door linkage shield. the shield can just kinda lay there loosely - you do not need to remove it.
4. Pull off the electrical connector from the actuator
5. remove the three other screws that now hold the actuator in place.
6. slide the actuator backwards and remove it.

It took me about 2 hours to go through all this and finally remove the actuator from the vehicle. It will probably take at least as long to put it all back properly.

take glove box out,pull ash tray open. Look to left of glove box opening, 4 8mm screws. Not a big job 30-45 minutes tops