Climate Control...Help!!!

[Steveyal]

hello all,

this is my very first post. i have a '98 town car. i went through winter with no heat, which stunk; but i lived with it. no matter how high i set the thermostat, the vents blew the same temperature air. now, i'm not getting any AC. the compressor feels ice cold to the touch, so i know i'm making cold air; but no matter how low i set the thermostat the air blowing in remains about street temperature. BTW, the blower is working fine. i'm assuming it is the mix control door; but how can i test for it? could it be that the climate control box in the dash is faulty?

any ideas would be greatly appreciated. thanks - Steve

[Shrewsbury]

Hi Steveyal!

Welcome to LoL. This is one of the best stops on this interweb thingy one could have ever stumbled across. I think Dereck (one of the TC moderators) has a post that will help you. See this thread below, and try the link to the Tech tip at the end of his post. Let us know what you DTC's you get when running the test. Best of luck...

http://www.lincolnsonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41111

:)

[Steveyal]

Hi Steveyal!

Welcome to LoL. This is one of the best stops on this interweb thingy one could have ever stumbled across. I think Dereck (one of the TC moderators) has a post that will help you. See this thread below, and try the link to the Tech tip at the end of his post. Let us know what you DTC's you get when running the test. Best of luck...

http://www.lincolnsonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41111

:)

thanks so much for your help. i ran the diagnostic and it displayed 24 and 81 over and over again. dp you perchance know what this means. thanks again - Steve

[Steveyal]

i see from the write-up about the EATC that the 24 means Fault in blend door calibration during self test; but there is no explanation of 81.

[Shrewsbury]

Sounds like it's new blend door actuator (BDA) time for you. Bummer, as this means pulling the dash to get to it. Not really that hard, just time consuming. You can get a new OEM BDA off eBay for about $30 shipped (Ford part no. F8VH-19E616-BB). See the following Tech article. There are enough similarities between the model shown and your car that a lot of this information relates to your situation.

http://www.lincolnsonline.com/tech/00175.html

And see this recent thread, which is about replacing a heater core in a '96, but is pertinent as the BDA turns the blend door that controls air flow through the heater core. The BDA is mounted on top of the heater core plenum.

http://www.lincolnsonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50925

Also, here's a link to a thread at fordforums about a 2000 Merc Grand Marquis. Same system. Take a good look at the dude's pics with the dash out. BTW, you don't have to go as far as he did.

http://www.fordforums.com/showthread.php?t=138405

I have an older TC with the old analog controls and no experience with the EATC, so unfortunately I can't help you with the code 81. PM Dereck and/or Tman70 to get their attention. These guys are awesome. Finally, go to www.fordcds.com (http://www.fordcds.com) if you haven't already and download the shop manual for your model.