harris350

heater core went the other day coolant is leaking inside and sometime dripping on engine, i would love to do it my self but have no time at all to take on a job like this. i took it to the shop they wanna charge me 1xx.00 to bypass it and 550 incl tax and labor to install a new one sounds kinda high for a shop who claims to have the lowest price in town or theyll beat it, i looked on ebay and they have new H.C for $35-$55. i am from the north (maryland to be exact) i know prices may be diffrent in each state...thanks in advanced

car is carbed 350 no a.c

z28romance

its about a 4 hour job depending on the skill level of the technician. i would sell this heater core at around $48.00, the shop will mark this item up to around $50.00, given that wholesale is around $38.00. i would price the job around $450.00 and im in boston.

torque_is_good

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_101...&blockType=L12

buy that set for $15

also you need a 12 inch extension so if they don't have a 1/4 inch drive long extension then get a 3/8 and you'll need a 1/4 to 3/8 adapter as well as 3/8 to 1/4 adapter

So you will be into tools for about $35

heater core at adv auto is about $35 ( i just bought one)

a gallon of 50/50 pre-mix at walmart is $8

you may as well replace the heater hoses and that's 3/4 and a 5/8 section of hose. Get some clamps too. You are now sitting at about $88

Do you have time to watch 4 innings of baseball? If so, you can do the heater core. 4 innings is about 90 minutes.

You will be working on your back laying head first aimed at the dash board

if you are nervous, then don't do it. No matter what you say about not having the time, it tends to be nerves, not time which is the issue. You can find 2 hours to save $350

not to promote another site but i wrote instructions at camaroforums.com in the 3rd gen section

it's only a 4 hour job if you don't want to lay on your back and can't undo 1 screw by touch vs sight.

1ADan

iTrader: (4)

this car has probably the easiest core to change that i've owned. yes, there are easier, but not by much. there are 4-5 small screws holding the heater box together. some of it is going to be by feel, but don't let that intimidate you.

as for bypassing - $1xx is waaaay too much for something you can do in 10 minutes top. head over to any local autopart store and grab a 5/8 to 3/4 heater hose adapter. unhook lines from heater core, connect both to the adapter, tighten down clamps, and you're good to go. just make sure you have the hoses supported up in some way to avoid them falling on anything hot

astrosurfer

In My Opinion...And Only Mine.
NOT BASHING MECHANICS HERE .....at all.... because I've always done my own work. So all you time served pro's out there please don't be hatin'....
A 4 hour job for a low level technician perhaps. However I'd be hesitant to give $100 per hour for that, considering he's getting maybe $15 or less don't know what the going rate is for entry level. So about $85 to the shop per hour. I would not pay that...sorry.
A skilled technician could probably do it in 2 hours or less. Whether that's now worth $200 per hour is debatable to me. But that's just me.
I do also understand that shops need to make money.
Maybe I should have went through mechanic school instead of greenskeeping. It sounds more profitable...haha.
Based on what I can charge for my services I wouldn't pay that much for such a small job on my car. However I am very car savvy.
This job is not that difficult or technical.
I would do the quick bypass for now and work slowly changing the core. There's no rush when you've already fixed the leak so to speak. Assuming you have no mechanic skills that is.
Torque is good makes it quite clear what you need. You'll be quite surprised what you can accomplish if you apply yourself and follow directions. I get a kick out of new challenges I overcome.
I have no intent that any mechanics be offended. I'm just stating my take on things to the OP.

LarryL

I went through same problem 12 years ago and local shops wanted 700+ to do the job. The book says have to remove console and most of dash stuff. There was no way I was paying that much money for that job. I started to talk to all the different auto parts stores (guys that worked there), few days later I got a call from one. He said to call this guy that work for a shop that did this stuff, he did work on the side but did not want his boss to know. To make a long story short, he came to where I worked nights. He charged me $50 and I supplied the core. He did the job in 1/2 hour.I could not belive it. I watch him do it on my dinner brake in parking lot. He said it was a matter of twisting it at the right angle and it comes right out. He claims it is one of shops biggest money makers because the books claim everything has to come apart. Just do some reading and do it yourself. I did my son's camaro 2 years later took me 2 hours.

JamesC

iTrader: (5)

Maybe some help/encouragement here:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...e-82-86-a.html

JamesC

fireturd350

iTrader: (8)

Mine went out the first week I bought the car. I think PO hide it and when I went to turn on the heater poof pool of antifreeze on the floor. Anyways no mechanical experience before it only took me a weekend to change it. I didn't have directions or anything so I pulled the dash apart. I learned a lot from that experience so when the heater core went out in my dad's pickup I changed it out in 10 minutes (pulled cardboard out of glove box and new core went in then reinstalled cardboard).

Lots of little things like this shops charge way to much for because they go off what a book says and there a business so they're usually in it to get what they can to make money too. Another example MAF sensors a coworker paid 100+ for the sensor and 120+ in labor. He was a little ticked off when I told him I could have done it for $50 for lifetime sensor on his car and it would have took under 5 minutes with me in my khaki's in the parking lot to install.

J91

4 hr job? No. Alldata says 2.2 hrs, changed mine in an hour. $550 is way to much to pay for that job.

z28romance

HEATER CORE- REMOVE & REPLACE
Add DOES NOT include system charge.B3.00
Add Combination: HEATER HOSES - R&R One or BothB0.20 HEATER HOSES- REMOVE & REPLACE
Add w/o Air Cond,All NOTE: Deduct .2 when used in conjunction with Radiator Hose - R&R.D0.60
Add V8 w/o T.P.F.I.,w/Air Cond,All NOTE: Deduct .2 when used in conjunction with Radiator Hose - R&R.D0.90
Add V8 w/T.P.F.I.,w/Air Cond,All NOTE: Deduct .2 when used in conjunction with Radiator Hose - R&R.D1.90 TEMPERATURE CONTROL ASSEMBLY- REMOVE & REPLACE
Add All Applicable ModelB0.50 WATER VALVE- REMOVE & REPLACE
Add All Applicable ModelB0.80

Mitchell labor guide

about 4 billable hours including r&r hoses, inevitably frozen heater valve, and refill system.

how long it actually takes....................well, u know.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

I replaced a friends heater core in 45 minutes. It was mainly luck because in my IROC it took about 2.5 hours to replace mine. The BIGGEST problem is removing the top screw and lining up the tubes in and through the firewall. And guess what,,,,, I did it without removing or loosening the dash. It was the worst fustration ever encountered in my life. But hey,, I saved hundreds of dollars!!!! Determination is key here. Dont give up.

FSTFBDY

iTrader: (33)

Our shop charged 78.xx /hr mark up depends on parts.
$100 on heater core. $312ish on labor @4hrs per mitchell
$156 per 2hrs Alldata

add in the usual shop supplies fee , etc.. $500 is ballpark.
Shops are there to MAKE $$ and fix cars.

Mt techs get paid what the books call for. If it takes My A tech 45 min. awesome for him. He just made everyone $$ My C tech (new ish guys) takes over 4hrs thats not to good for anyone.

to the OP.
get a chiltons or a buddy who turns a wrench and make a saturday out of it. Save some $$ and learn something new.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Cheltons and Haynes are good books. BUT, my 86 Camaro shop manual is far better. Forget the shops. My thrill is to get my hands dirty in my IROC. There's nothing better than saying "I did all the work myself". I take pride in fixing and repairing my IROC.

88fastgta

iTrader: (9)

they charge that much for that job.. WOW... it only took me about an hour to get to mines from start to finish.. there is one bolt that is a bitch to get at and its the very top bolt... but i left that bolt out so i dont have to take the dash pad off to get at it.... so its three bolts for me and its all very easy to get at once i take the passenger side under cover off (which is held on by three bolts and only takes a minute to take off).... its all right there for me and it literally takes me about 10 minutes to expose the heater core... but i guess doing it three times you know where to get at...