what tools do i need and is it hard to get to.

 

http://www.knightfoundation.net/foru...pic.php?t=2268

 

the heater core is a breeze. You just need a 9/32 socket or a 7mm socket for the heater core cover and thats it. You might want to pull down the computer . And a big tip is to pull the passenger seat out, its easier to lay down without the seat there. then disconnect the two heater core hoses and pull the heater core out with its bracket. Remove the bracket and vuala , shouldnt take you more then 3 hrs to do

 

also do i have to empty my coolant to change my heater core. The coolant is about 1 month old. if so can i just open the draincock and empty it like that and empty my recovery tank to. or do i have to flush it. I never empty my coolant before myself donno how.

 

yeh just open up the plug and let it flow out. regardless you are still going to have some coolant leak out on your carpet from the heater core but its not much at all.

 

Thanks for that bit of info lol. I know I am not the starter.. but I will be chainging my core soon as well.. Mine will be nice in that it has no coolant left in it to leak out.. I am sure it has all evaped by now (took the hoses off of it about 4 months ago and basically took one hose and put it on the inlet of the other hose to make a loop to conserve what Coolant i had left after i noticed a huge puddle under the car). Works just fine and dandy.. and since no winter driving for it I was not to worried. but i like to be prepared jsut in case.

 

when I changed mine I took the whole dash out. Than I realized that with some smaller tools you can get the whole thing out without removing much.
So get a smallest screwdriver on which you can mount a 7mm socket and go to town. Removing the seat will let you lay down while you do the job.

Replacing the heater core is very easy even if done the right way. If you don't want coolant to flow let the car sit for few hours after driving, than a minimal amount will flow through the core.

When I did it, none really came out!

 

yes its replaced and running good. man the two hoses took me and my brother to get them off. it was the only hard part

 

When I took mine off I just cut them with a razor right at the end of that nub...... they came of real easy then lol...

 

NEVER MIND ITS NOT WORKING i put it in and it was perfect yesterday and now its leaking again. DAM DAM DAM what do you think it is the hose? we almost riped are arms off to get it off or what it looks like it leaking from there. do you know if they have replacement hoses out there.

 

You can buy the hoses that go there in Bulk form from you parts store... Just make sure you get the right diameter heater hose... else you are going to have even a harder time gettting it ont there.. Also if you are putting a bit of preassure on the hose ends on the heater core you could have broken the solder point on it.. which wil cause it to leak... I never liked how they used solder to do that.. why not jsut tig the friggen thing on...

 

Same here, I couldn't get at the clamps, so I just slashed the hoses.

Now, as for the core still leaking. Where is it leaking from? If the core itself, the original, was bad, it would have leaked into the car and you'd have a huge puddle on the passenger floor. If the water was leaking on the ground, unless you've got a massive rust hole in the passenger floor, it will be one of the hoses in the engine compartment. You should replace both inlet and outlet hose from the core. I don't know exactly, but you should have one hose going to the engine and one to the heater valve. I think that's where they go at least. Also check your heater/diverter valve. Mine broke into so many pieces when I replaced it. If it's damaged, it could also be the cause. Also, make sure you have clamps properly clamped on all those hoses. If you didn't get the clamps up far enough, you could have just clamped the hose itself and that wouldn't do you any good at all.

 

is the heater divider valve in the same spot? also hears what happen. I drained the coolant I unplugged the heater hoses. I took the heater core out. i put a new heater core in put the hoses back on and flushed and filled the radiator. i drove for 2 hours it ran perfect and the heat work good. so i parked it next morning was going to work and then after 5 min it started leaking on the passanger side just like before. I AM GOING CRAZY Y WAS IT NOT LEAKING AFTER I INSTALLED IT

 

Ok, first, here is the diverter valve. This controls where the water goes. Off, it bypasses the heater core, on, it goes through the heater core. (picture at the bottom)

Now, when you say passenger side leaks. Is it leaking on the ground outside the car or inside the car?

Next, it did NOT leak when you originally bypassed the heater core, right? Meaning, there was a leak, you bypassed the core and the leak stopped. Correct?

Next, is it leaking from the front, middle or rear of the engine? Can you see any potential places it's leaking from?

Have you tried running the car with the hood open and watching to see where water is coming from?

Next, when you bypassed the core, did you use the original hoses or buy a new hose for the bypass? If a new hose, did you reuse the original hoses when you installed the new heater core?

And I know it's obvious, but I just wanna make sure, you did install new clamps on all the hose ends and they are installed correctly, right?

Sorry for all the questions, but since I can't see the car, this is the only way I have at getting a good mental image of what's going on.


Lastly, if there is no water inside the car, and it's all outside the car, I would highly doubt the new or old heater core was/is bad. I'd lean towards hoses. But I'll know more when you get through my question session above, lol.

 

bah, forgot the valve. Here it is.

 

thanks for the picture. I replaced the heater core but it has the original hoses on and i did not replace the hose clamps. the leak is coming from the back of the engine right by the passanger side. it is leaking out of the car but my carpet is soak with coolant. should i empty the system and replace the hoses and clamps or you think i broke the heater core. it leaks on my exhaust and it hard to see where its coming from.

 

Hmmm, well it is leaking on the exhaust and I can't see the heater core doing that. I would guess one of the hoses is bad or not clamped right. Best first bet, get new heater hoses and 4 new clamps and thriple check to make sure the new clamps are actually on right, not just squeezing rubber. I would guess you either have a hole in a hose that's spraying the coolant towards the firewall or the hose isn't clamped right causing the water to spray past the hose connection. You might wanna get some sticky sealant/insulation and wrap it around the inlet/outlets on the firewall because there's gaps there that the coolant is going through instead of just splashing off the firewall and down to the ground. Basically, the outside of the holes where the heater core pipes go through.

 

When my heater core began to leak it was actually leaking down the outside of the firewall and then was leaking onto the exuast system itself.. I know it was the heater core since i removed both hoses and checked them (after i checked to make sure the clamps were where they should be and nice and tight), And once i looped the hose to the heater core so the core was no longer getting fluid it no longer leaked.. If you break the solder weld that holds that hose end into the heater core it can possibly leak down the firewall and onto the exaust.. If you really were putting some stress on one of those hose ends in order to get the hose on it.. u may have broke it.

 

yep it fixed for good this time{i think} the two hoses were badly damaged by age and stress from the clamps bought new hoses and no leaks to report. thanks guys

 

Excellent, I had a hunch it was the hoses. I always try and replace any hoses I detach from an old part. Unless I just replaced the hoses of course. Glad yours is fixed, and hey if the heater core wasn't bad before, at least you got a brand new one and it likely won't go bad for a loooong time, lol.

 

on the weekend im going to replace every hose i can. better to do it now then on the side of the road. it a daily driven 350tpi. i have to say it a good idea. and hoses are very cheap

 

Excellent idea. There are quite a lot of hoses too, try and get the right replacements. Be careful of plastic fittings. Sometimes those are just old and worthless and break. Other than that, make sure you use new clamps the proper size. Try to use a size close to the hose diameter and not some huge one you need to spend 5 minutes screwing on, lol. Get a larger variety of clamps from the tiny sizes to some mid size ones. Careful of routing, try to use the same length, definately not shorter or you may cause some of the new hoses to stretch too much, or rub up against something like a hot exhaust. Use the original hose routing devices if you can, use replacement ties on the rest. Make sure ALL the vaccuum hoses are connected or you're likely to wind up with a rough running car, one that doesn't start or some other problem. The majority of hoses under the hood are connected to either the windshield wipers, the intake/vacuum lines, the hoses to the emissions canister and the various heater hoses to and from the intake and engine. There's a few for pcv, brake booster, some for the AIR system which you might just wanna avoid and of course the radiator hoses.