Heater stays on defrost

Tiny
ANONYMOUS
  • MEMBER
  • 1997 FORD AEROSTAR
  • 110,000 MILES
Heater stays on defrost
Saturday, October 27th, 2012 AT 2:48 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
Most likely a vacuum leak under the hood. Have it checked to verify.

Roy
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Saturday, October 27th, 2012 AT 2:51 PM
Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,757 POSTS
The mode selection is done through a series of air doors that are operated by vacuum. When there is either a partial or total loss of vacuum, the system will default to either defrost or on some vehicles, heat. Acceleration can also have an effect on the doors for the same reason.

Look under the hood for a small black plastic hose coming through the firewall. Follow it to the vacuum source looking for any breaks, cracks or leaks. Also follow any other lines that branch off because they may go to a vacuum reservoir (storage tank) and a leak there will cause the same problem. Using a vacuum gauge to determine if you have full vacuum at any given point is the best way to find it. You can cut into the line anywhere and splice it back together with a piece of vacuum hose. Find the broken line, you found your problem.
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Saturday, October 27th, 2012 AT 3:13 PM

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