How do you trouble-shoot and repair REAR heat and AC problems in a Windstar?

Answer 1

Yes.

See "Related Links" below to the Autzone.com repair guide with detailed instructions and photos for replacing either front or rear heater cores.

NOTE: Autozone now requires free registration to access the repair guides. More than worth the extra effort for these photo/illustrated instructions.

Rear Climate Control ProblemsBe sure to visit the Automotive Forums linked below - an awesome, in-depth review of trouble-shooting rear climate control problems. AnswerReplace the rear control switch on the front panel. It's easy to fix and is the problem. Is about $27 from Ford. Pull out the cup holder, remove the two screws, the cover pops out and more screws remove the panel. One screw holds the switch in, remove the electrical and vacuum connectors.

That is one possibility. Another is a vacuum leak. Personal experience with help from someone in a forum: Check the plastic hose in the engine compartment on the firewall side of the passenger-side hinge. It can rub against a metal tube (for instance) and eventually wear a hole in the hose. I didn't want to tape it, afraid it might not last in hot engine compartment, or that it might block vacuum. Sales staff at AutoZone gave me ~1" piece of connecting hose. Cut vacuum hose at leak and install connecting hose. Leak wasn't bad enough to affect the front A/C.

Answerif the blower is working it is not either blower control you will more than likely just have to replace the climate control directional switch, this switch allows hot or cold air to be directed to the places you want it to go

try changing the rear air control switch on your das panel. this happened to me on my 96. or it could be a vacuum leak. more than likely the switch. about 30 bucks at ford

AnswerI just purchased a used 96 Ford Winstar and it had the same problem. Turned out to be a bad switch in the dash. Also, the switch on that model is run using a vacuum line, mine also had a hole in it contributing to the problem. I'd check that first as it was the entire problem with my air.

Hope that helps!!!

blender door not working

Ours did the same thing in blowing hot air to the floor even when the AC was on.

It is a bad switch on the front of your van- the switch where you can either control the rear climate or switch it to rear control (the one all the way to the right if I remember right). If you are in a pinch and don't want to buy a new switch you can manually manipulate the vacuum lines on the back of the switch. If you take your console cover off and unscrew the plate that fastens the 4 switches to the dash you have access to the wires and vacuum lines. If I remember right there is a yellow and a tan vacuum line that you can pull out from the switch. If you use a piece of small flexible plastic tubing you can put a "jumper" on those two vacuum lines for the summer. I found that a piece of wire insulation works great (strip a piece of wire and use the piece you remove from the wire). For the winter just remove the jumper and the heater will work. Doing this just affects the setting of hot or cold and has nothing to do with the fan speed so everything will work as normal except you have to switch the jumper as applicable for hot/cold.

my 1998 windstar was blowing hot air from the rear vents when i turned on the ac and turned on the rear fan from the front controls , the rear fan control the one right behind the drivers seat next to the ear phone jacks did not function so i disconected it and it started to blow cold air.;.; so i have to think it was a broken switch;..;.;wierd huh

Answerthe vents might be pulled apart and some cold air is being mixed in.

if your vehicle is using dual aircon meaning to say a separate evaporator for front passenger and a evaporator system for back passenger then possibly the problem is the expansion valve of the back passenger evaporator system. it is not any more functioning properly and it has to service by a qualified aircon technician to properly removed the refrigerant ,full down the said evaporator system to be able to replace the defective expansion valve. They will have the evaporator clean and install new expansion valve with same capacity as the defective one. After they have installed it and charge the system then you will enjoy a cold ride.