i dont know if this is exactly a cooling question, but PLEASE HELP ME!!! theres radiator fluid leaking into and pooling in my passenger side floor. Im guessing the heater core is busted some how, but i dont know how to get to it. Can someone please tell me how to get to the heater core and if i can just plug up the inlets until i can get a new one?

 

To access the heater core, you need to pull off the lower dash panel and examine the plastic heater box cover. You may or may not be able to remove most of the cover bolts and pull the plastic cover out enough to reach in and get to the heater core. On my 86 firebird I was able to do it. On my GTA I wound up breaking the cover (which actually made life a lot easier). Some guys have been able to access all of the bolts without removing the entire dash, some have not. It depends on how crafty you are.

 

okay, well is there any way i can just bypass the heater core for now, so that i dont keep having fluid pool in the passenger side floor?

 

Sure, As I look at my 88 gta it will be the passenger side where the big hoses run into your firewall. Remove them then put a junction of somekind (pipe, tube etc.) and viola! you have just bypassed the heater core! No more heater 4 U !

1988 GTA
700r4 Rebuilt w/ Shift kit
Corvette servo/Pump
Transmission Cooler
Rebuilt 5.7 - No mods (yet)
Air Foil
K&N Air Filter
Flowmaster Catback
level 1 chip
Hypertech coil
3.70 9 bolt posi
New Supension/Brakes

 

great thanks!

 

you know, before you rush to yank out the heater core..many times that leak is from leakage around the clamps on the hoses in the engine compartment. if the clamp leaks, the fluid shoots into the passenger compartment through the firewall opening...the fluid is under pressure! tighten the clamps and see if it still leaks...if it still leaks then tear out the core. i siliconed around the core inlet and outlet just so this leakage won't happen.

 

yeah, i checked around there and they were dry as a bone, so for now im just gonna bypass the core. Thanks for the help though!

 

Add some "Bars Leak" or "AlumaSeal" first. It is a cheap quick possible fix. It may or may not work.

 

hm... i always heard those leak stoppers did more harm to healthy components than good. I just installed a new radiator and dont want to clog it all up... can anyone give me a second oppinion on the leak stoppers? Thanks for the advice though.

 

IMO i would just fix the problem.

 

I'm with brody, just fix the problem.

 

is it a pain to get the dash off and get at the heater core? ive never taken the dash off, but maybe if i have to take the whole thing off, ill replace my blown speakers too lol.

 

the dash pad?...look at your defroster vents and theres like 6 or so phillip screws take those out and then look under the dash pad at the edge and theres more screws...as far as the rest of the dash goes...mmm try chilton manual

 

I didn't read all replies, but on my '86 I only had to take out a small black panel under the pass dash.

 

mark i read the same thing on the chilton manual, just remove the acces panel

 

and just to note....it would also be a good thing to dry the floor pan; to prevent future rusting.

 

k, im trying to get the dash pannel off. Ive taken out the philips screws on the dash pad, and tons of screws elsewhere, under the pannel and on the upper part of the pannel, but it still refueses to come off, im gonna take out the rest of the screws on the dash pad, the ones up near the windsheild. I have a chiltons manual but i cant find out where it explains how to get the dash off. Can anyone tell me where it is in the manual? or if theres some secret in getting this thing off?

 

ok, remove the four screws along the windshield..these plus the six or so srews onder the dash edge will remove the dash cover..now you can replace those speakers! for the core, you'll need to crawl under the dash on the passenger side and remove the four screws along the front edge of the lower dash. once you do this..i think there is also a screw or nut on the back edge, you can remove the lower cover. you'll see the ECM on the right side and you'll also see the heater core cover stareing right at you. remove the screws along the edge of the core cover( the last one is a bitch 'cause it's in a spot only your little sister can reach! ). once you get the cover off you can see the core. remove a few more screws on the inner plastic piece and the core comes right out! see...wasn't that easy? stan

 

heh, thanks stan, ill see how easy it is today, i looked up under that access pannel before and i thought it would be too tight a squeeze, but ill give it a shot. Thanks.