I had trouble getting the lever for the top door and the direct drive female sprocket to line up.
There is a notch on the male gear blend door actuator that has to be positioned in a certain angle or else it will not go in.

I had to open the unit to realign it a few times to make sure that it was lined up properly.
Finally got it and still got the skipping gear noise.
I'm going to remove it again, clean off the grease on the electrical contact component and then reassemble.
Hopefully that will solve the issue.
I'll post my results.
Thank you

 

Ok, so I replaced the unit again after cleaning the brushes of too much grease.
It seemed to work for a bit as the top door would open and close without the noise but then it started making the noise again the next day...
The part is a new one from Dorman... Possibly defective???
Not sure where to go from here.
Can I just remove it for now and leave both doors open until a fix is found?

 

Hi Dawey1: How did you resolve the Dorman blend door issue?? I ran into the same thing! The thread stopped at your post of course!!! I stuck the old one back in which works intermittently and it does not make the ratcheting noise like the Dorman. I am thinking the splined shaft is not fitting into the second receiver in the plastic housing body all the way since I am not putting in the inner third screw.. I am under the impression there are two doors from one of the threads and maybe the Dorman shaft is shorter or?? I will check that when I get off work tonight.

Thanks for any help or insight! I am frustrated to say the least.

 

Hello Wrongdog.

Ok, so I took it apart again...
Took apart the blend door actuator and rotated the sprocket so that the arrows line up (this is on the OEM part).
Put everthing back together...
Both of the doors where half open once assembled.
I took it for a test drive to ensure proper function and cooling during driving... It worked properly.
That is probably the reset position that it needs to be in when re-installing or something to that effect.
I've had no issues with it thus far and it's been three days.
Hopefully it's fixed.

I'm going to try it again but with the replacement part from Dorman at some point but not right now.

 

Thanks for reply. Yeah I did that too. I took it apart and realigned to arrow but I always replaced it with door fully closed to AC recycle and that may be my problem. That is how the other one failed so I figured (wrongly) that is where it should be. I put the old one back in with arrow aligned and so it wouldn't make the god awful noise.

I can disassemble and put it back in 10 minutes now....

So you are using your old O.E.M. unit? Did you solder the motor contacts after cleaning it up??? That looks suspect to me.

 

Okay so about 10 attempts at pulling it apart and syncing gear, keyway shaft and doors with the Dorman 604-219 unit I gave up. I ordered another one. Same thing. Rockauto refunded me but I am at square one. The Dorman uses a nylon pinion gear. Both seems to be getting a signal to continue closing the flapper doors that are already shut and the nylon gear slips on other gear and emits a ratcheting sound. The O.E.M. unit uses a brass pinion gear. Anyone have an advice or run into the same thing as me and Dawey1

 

How about buying the proper Ford part from your local dealership? If too expensive, go here http://www.tousleyfordparts.com/ and buy them. Tousley Ford is one of the cheapest and has a great service reputation on the SVTPerformance forums I'm on (I own a 2004 Cobra) -- in fact they beat all quotes for my intercooler pump (like our Escape MECS pumps).

 

Rob: Thanks for response. The reason for trying Dorman, a reputable company, was that the FoMoCo part is known to be problematic. But I am going to check it out now that that theory was blown out the window.....

 

Fixed. Do NOT use the Dorman unit. Junk. Nylon pinion gear strips and is not a good design. I put the OEM ford unit in from Leif Johnson ford parts
FORD 8L8Z19E616E GENUINE OEM FACTORY ORIGINAL MOTOR

I also replaced that hard to reach third screw with a 3/4" #10 stainless sheet metal screw with a 5/16 hex head so I could use my handy dandy ratcheting box wrench to remove and install. Popped it right in ( I am an expert at this now!) without a hitch!

I can't believe Dorman made such a shabby product. I usually think of them as a quality company.

 

I ran into the exact same problem with the replacement unit Dorman 604-219. It is cheaply made with plastic pinion gear and regardless of efforts to re-align, I kept getting the ratcheting clicking noise. I cleaned up the OEM part and put it back in. So far so good, but I expect I'll need to order another one and I'll be sure to get a Motorcraft unit (OEM).

BTW - Rockauto gave me a full refund when I called - not need to send the junky Dorman unit back.