My reasoning: If I CAN move the lever, the new actuator is "wrong," for some reason--but I have heat long enough to work on it and figure it out in last night's 24 degree temp! I CANNOT move the lever, so why?--because the actuator's OK--or is it? That's what my guts tell me, that either it's installed wrong, it's installed wrong, or it's installed wrong.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Forget moving the blend door tab behind the dash with your hand once you installed the the new actuator. If you installed the new actuator correctly, just turn the temp control knob on the dash to heat/hot. If you get heat, you installed it right. If you didn't get heat, you either installed it wrong, meaning the actuator arm is in wrong temp setting when installed or you got the wrong part/actuator or the blend door itself is bad.
>>>>>>>>>>>> When I installed the actuator, I did not move the lever, as I didn't know it existed until last night.>>>>>>>>>>>>>
If the tab/lever to the blend door behind the dash was in the cold position at the time you installed the new actuator, that is fine, thats where you want it during the install. IF you had the blend door flipped by hand to the hot side when installing the new actuator, this is your problem as to why the new actuator isn't working right.
>>>>>>>>>>>When I installed it, I started the engine, turned the temp to cold, when the new actuator was stopped (in the cold position), I turned off the engine, installed the actuator,>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As long as the actuator arm itself that turns the blend door was installed in the cold position you are good here.
>>>>>>>>>>>THANKED GOD (mostly for forgiving my "evil thoughts toward Ford for doing this to me"!),>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ford did it to all us with this problem. Now you know why Ford never need a cash bailout from the Gov't, because they knew they built their vehicles wrong with parts that would break in a short period of time and the cash would coming rolling back into Ford for replacement parts.
>>>>>>>>>>>But "Exprob," I gotta tell you, if it weren't for y'all--Rondo's excellent photo assistance--all the encouragement and willingness to help a true novice in plain English,>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Your welcome.
>>>>>>> Even my dad said to take it to the shop>>>>>>>>>>
Just don't take it to a Ford dealership, they want $600 for the labor part of the job.
>>>>>>>>>> (Why don't more women opt for careers in mechanics? <<<<<<<<<<<<<
Because you make better cooks?
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>>>>>>>>>I'll tell you what's going on>>>>>>>
OKay, keep us posted on the outcome. Good luck.