How To: HVAC Electric to Vacuum

Kealel · #1 11-02-2015, 07:36 PM

So you got a cool HVAC panel at the junkyard only to take it home and realize it is an electronic temperature control and your truck (2002 and older) is a vacuum temperature control. I am going to show you how I got around that!

Disclaimer: Neither I nor FordRangerForum are responsible for something you may mess up or hurt yourself on, and only you are to blame.

Thanks to TheArticWolf1911 for letting me know this can and has been done, along with describing how to do it.

So for this you will need a few things:
1. An electric HVAC Panel
2. Your old Vacuum HVAC panel for parts
3. A Dremel
4. A 1/4" socket
5. A 7mm socket

Test subject:

~Your socket sizes may vary, but the size is around 5mm to 7mm generally.
~I got the vacuum part out of the junkyard by itself, but removing it is just like removing the electric knob that I will show.
Let's get started!

First, remove the knob from the middle of both panels - it pulls straight out:

Next, take out the screw that holds in both the vent selector and temperature mixer in the back - this is the only screw you need your sockets for:

Then, twist the the reader clockwise (same on both panels):

And Remove:

Then, find the places where your new unit interferes, and dremel them down - Be careful dremeling, on the HVAC a single twitch could wipe away something important, and on the Vacuum unit, the inside spins and you don't want to nick it, I suggest spinning it by hand before dremeling:

After Dremeling:

I also dremeled the HVAC itself, be careful doing this because with this you only have one shot and it is a lot more expensive to replace - you can see where the light goes in at I hit metal:

Put the screw you removed earlier back in, this is how mine fit:

As you can see, the place you plug in your lighting wires is interfering with what you just added. You may find a better way around this, but I cut the corner off of the plug and snapped it in (doing this you may also have to remove the vacuum sensor).

After doing this, I noticed the dial went from spinning smoothly (because it was electric) to having notches in it that you can feel as it turns (Because it is doing its own adjustments) and I like this better.

Have fun modding!

Savage03 · #2 11-02-2015, 11:33 PM

Thanks for this! I agree on the temp knob having those indents very nice....even tho it was dark and late I couldn't refuse

Even lucky and found a couple buggman leds, nice about the silver is it used the larger led and not those tiny ones mine had.

Speedfreak · #3 11-15-2015, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Savage03

Thanks for this! I agree on the temp knob having those indents very nice....even tho it was dark and late I couldn't refuse

Even lucky and found a couple buggman leds, nice about the silver is it used the larger led and not those tiny ones mine had.

Yea, much better with 194's that the little ones in the stock R. LIght up real nice.

Kealel · #4 11-15-2015, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speedfreak

Yea, much better with 194's that the little ones in the stock R. LIght up real nice.

I really love the increased output of 194s and LEDs too! Looks really nice!

Speedfreak · #5 11-27-2015, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kealel

I really love the increased output of 194s and LEDs too! Looks really nice!

Seems stupid but this is one of my favorite MODS. I have a slight angle on the shaft so I got to pull out and clean up a bit more but have to pull my deck out anyway this weeken
put in buggman fog harness and it isn't working..........must have a wire wrong although I could swear I dbl cked them

Kealel · #6 11-27-2015, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speedfreak

Seems stupid but this is one of my favorite MODS. I have a slight angle on the shaft so I got to pull out and clean up a bit more but have to pull my deck out anyway this weeken
put in buggman fog harness and it isn't working..........must have a wire wrong although I could swear I dbl cked them

Glad to hear it! I am loving having it in both of my trucks, changes the whole feeling of the atmosphere in the truck and makes me smile when I see it (along with the rest of the stuff I've done)

I hope you get it aligned better and figure your wiring out!

Speedfreak · #7 12-06-2015, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kealel

Glad to hear it! I am loving having it in both of my trucks, changes the whole feeling of the atmosphere in the truck and makes me smile when I see it (along with the rest of the stuff I've done)

I hope you get it aligned better and figure your wiring out!

Turns out the relay sent with the harness was bad

should have check that first.

Kealel · #8 12-06-2015, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speedfreak

Turns out the relay sent with the harness was bad

should have check that first.

Where is the relay / what's it for?

sheltonfilms · #9 01-15-2016, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kealel

So you got a cool HVAC panel at the junkyard only to take it home and realize it is an electronic temperature control and your truck (2002 and older) is a vacuum temperature control. I am going to show you how I got around that!
\

Good write up.

Correction to your statement above. The blend door is either electric or cable driven. Blend door isn't vacuum operated like vent selection or re circulation doors.

Also electric blend doors have been around since 95 on the Rangers. My 2000 is electric. Some have cables some don't, I have no idea what the correlation is.

Speedfreak · #10 01-15-2016, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kealel

Where is the relay / what's it for?

buggman fog harnesss. I put in a new one and works fine.

sole · #11 01-15-2016, 09:48 PM

Is there a reason to swap? Does it fix an issue or upgrade it? Or is it just if you pull the wrong and you want to convert

Kealel · #12 01-16-2016, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheltonfilms

Good write up.

Correction to your statement above. The blend door is either electric or cable driven. Blend door isn't vacuum operated like vent selection or re circulation doors.

Also electric blend doors have been around since 95 on the Rangers. My 2000 is electric. Some have cables some don't, I have no idea what the correlation is.

Well for bsome reason I can't edit my post, but if someome reads a little farther down and finds it, thank you! From my research it sounded like 2002 was the year everyone agreed the two switched and it made sense to me as my 2002 needed this but my 2003 did not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speedfreak

buggman fog harnesss. I put in a new one and works fine.

Glad to hear it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sole

Is there a reason to swap? Does it fix an issue or upgrade it? Or is it just if you pull the wrong and you want to convert

For many trucks the temprature selector is mechanical rather than electric and if you get (for example) a silver HVAC panel from a Explorer it will be electric, as that was the only way they came.

Many people (me included) would like to have the panel in their trucks but not many people knew how to do it or were willing to possibly destroy their own equipment looking for a way to have it work out.

An easy way to say it is of you turn your blend dial and it clicks, this write up is for you. If you turn it and it flows smoothly, you can just plug and play as you have an electric system.