Freestar (2006) Not Providing Interior Heat
 

My Freestar is not providing interior heat. Instead of the heat control knob rotating from cold on left to hot on right, the knob can spin continuously. I pulled off the knob to verify that the shaft is rotating with the knob, and it is. There is little resistance to rotation - spins easily. Could it be detached from the blend control? Is it electric or mechanical? Anyone have this issue? I need some heat; thanks.

You might want to look at the back of the control knob. . There is usually a flat side on the shaft of the control that indexes with the flat side of the knob. If the knob is cracked it will rotate easily and not move the shaft of the control.

hanky:

Thanks for that; I did confirm that the flat of the knob (not cracked) is on the flat of the shaft. When I pull off the knob, the shaft is very easy to rotate without the knob. It seems odd that the shaft rotates continuously; I think typically there are stops at full Cold and full Hot.

You may need to replace that control.

Replace how much?
 

Can I replace just that temp control, or the whole unit including the fan control and the heater/defroster selector?

The control is usually available at a dealership parts dept., but some auto supply stores like NAPA may have one available also, need to call them and check.

How much needs to be replaced? On Rockauto, I see this part. Is it what I am looking for?
FORD > 2006 > FREESTAR > 3.9L V6 > Heat & Air Conditioning > Heater Air Door Actuator

The control is a separate part from an air door actuator.

Suggest you call them and verify that you both are talking about the same part..

That is the benefit of going to the place and see just what they try to sell you If you buy on line and get the wrong part, happens often, been there now you have more problems than when you started. If you have no experience taking a sash apart,might consider having a good shop do the job.

I am no stranger to tearing into dashboards, I was just hoping to determine if that is needed. The blend door actuators are above the accelerator pedal, but the heat control is in the dash. This problem has become intermittent, so I may be searching for a loose connection.