Has anyone worked on a Ford/Mercury Auto Temp Control unit?

[many944s]

I'm working on a '94 Ford Taurus, and adjusting the "hot-cool" knob does nothing. I pulled the control face thinking the cable had slipped free to find that it is the electrical "automatic control" type. Does anybody know if these fail often, or am I looking at replacing the whole heater core with a new one just to replace the flapper?? I already checked the Haynes manual, which was no help (go figure) they state "The automatic temperature control unit is beyond the scope of the home mechanic"... Bastards!

I'll probably jump back into it tomorrow and see if I can figure out the control dial portion, at least try to ohm it out to see if the dial is dead.

TIA,
-Nick

[legion]

My '97 F150 had that unit fail. I replaced it (something like $20) and it fixed the problem. (I could adjust the temperature again.) The old one did not spin freely, but the new one had noticably more resistance when turning it.

I was told that these did frequently fail when I bought the part.

[RickM]

When ready for parts this place has excellent prices and great service:
Mike La Dow mladow@gaudinford.com
www.directfordparts.com/

[many944s]

Thanks for the info!
The current knob turns with no resistance at all, so I am guessing that's what's wrong. I'm waiting for tax time to come and go before we dive into getting the wife a new Sienna, so this is a temporary car since I'm not real happy with the idea of her driving on a spare since her wheel was stolen

Oh ya, anyone looking for a replacement Saturn alloy rim be prepared for a little sticker shock, OMG!!

-Nick