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Heater Core Replacement

theres other how to's with real pics too. take a search for them.

what the whole crappy job amounts to is removing every gold bolt you see around the bottom of the hvac box there, theres 2 layers.

and of course, leap frogging from one side to the other removing these bolts.

a good flash light or small drop light is a huge help, as you cant see jack for a lot of the bolts.

a beer or two to loosen yourself up helps, as well the aspirin for your back when done.


i dont know if it said so in this how to. but take the hoses off the alt bracket, and blow the core out, this way you dont spill any in the car when taking the core out.

and on the firewall from the inside is a screw holding the two tubes to the wall. you can see it sticking out on the outside of the fire wall between the in and out lines. thats the last bolt you'll get out. then the core will come out.
 


Jerseydoggs:

Interestingly enough, on my 2004 Grand Prix there wasn't a screw on the firewall holding the two tubes
in place. Once the heater core was exposed and the hoses removed, the unit slipped right out.

All:

What brand heater core do most people use as a replacement. I bought an OEM AC Delco Heater Core
from Amazon and I'm a little concerned that the two crimped on tubes can rotate with not a lot of effort
(they aren't loosey/goosey). The tubes on my original heater core are crimped rock solid into place and
don't rotate.

Is this normal? Just seems like obvious place for a new leak.

I'd hate to get it all back together and have it leak again right away.

BB
 
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Do you need to remove the complete dash to do this job? I'm part way into it and working on chiseling the heat stakes now. I took a break and looked on YouTube and there's a guy that completely removed the dash.
 


LOL. The worst thing about that day is I was struggling with a sinus issue as well as a migraine. I crawled out from under the dash one time and thought I was going to vomit due to the caused disorientation.
 
Okay thanks. I took the seats out so it would be easier to lay under it. What a pain in the ass. I chisel the heat stakes and then have to heat them up with a lighter to get them to come apart.
 
that looks about right, left side get in undo stuff, right side find and remove more stuff, back to the left side over and over again lol
 


Must be for applying heat to them stakes, ha ha. Mmm steak. There should be no chiseling required on a heater core replacement, I'm puzzled.
 
On 04+ the covers are held in place by plastic stakes that are melted. Dumbest design ever, but then again it is GM.
 


Damn, I've been procrastinating on this job for months. I guess I have to do it now since winter is approaching. My neighbor asked me to help replace the core on his '02 Taurus as well. This week's gonna blow
 
i looked the taurus one up, and wow. thank god moms didnt need one. but the dumb ass heater core water line circle aka by pass lines rusted out, now thats no fun to change.

what a crap idea they had. ford at its finest......
 
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