so cooling fluid is leaking in the passenger side of my car and im guessing that its the heater core thats finished.

i dont know if its the heater core, or maybe one of the hoses cracked.. ill have to find out soon!

but how do we go about bypassing the heater core??
are there any downsides?
does anyone have a tutorial possibly with pics?

i was just thinking.. a heater core heats the interior of the vehicle right?
well i live in canada.. and even sometimes summer nights could get a little cooler than you guys would normally have in the states..

would it be better for me to just replace it? (175$) or bypass it?

thanks alot

 

If you enjoy freezing your butt off then bypass it. If... nevermind! Just fix the damn thing!

 

Also, if that $175 includes labor it's a good price.

 

yes it includes labor

 

Then have a little pride in your car and do the right thing. Don't cut corners and start half ***ing repairs and your car will be around for a long time. I currently own a IROC vert that the previous owner hacked up. It's a shame. It will take me years to undo all the damage.

 

What do you want to go about doing? You bypass the core by getting a hose connector(remember one hose is larger than the other, so make sure you get the right one.)

Disconnect both hoses going into the firewall on the passengers side, and simply clamp it in.

Heater cores aren't too difficult to do yourself, just frustrating.

 

The heater core typically cracks where it goes through the firewall (The part the hoses clamp on to) because it moves a little and cracks where it meets the main frame of the core inside the car. $175 parts and labor is very generous and I would do it. If you bypass it, you won't have any heat inside the car in the winter. NOT a very good option for Canada I wouldn't think.

 

It also provides defrost to a windshield if needed on cool, rainy nights. If you do decide to bypass, pull the hose fittings in manifold and water pump and install plugs. Look better then a hose coupled together or clamped off .

 

haha no our winters are pretty bad and i wouldnt be caught dead without a heater on a winter car... but im not planning on using this car for the winter anytime soon!
car hasn't seen a winter since 86 and i dont plan taking it out during the winter.
as for the heater core cracking, would you be able to show me a picture? i dismantled the passenger dash and i think i see the box where the heater core is, theirs cooling fluid everywhere
is it possible maybe its just a hose that cracked? or its 100% the heater core

 

I don't have any pictures.

Take the two hoses off (make sure you remember which one goes to which), disassemble the underside of your dash and remove the core. Mine cracked where the metal tubes are joined to the main body of the core (2005). So it's been a while since I've had to look at the heater core itself.

It's "Possible" that it's the hoses, but those will generally leak in the engine bay. The coolant won't generally make it through the small opening into the car. You can feel around by where they are clamped in the engine bay to verify. I'm going to say 99% it's the core itself. Just on my personal experiences and what you've described.

IIRC, there is one nut/bolt that's kind of a pain to get to. If you do a search here on the site, you should find instructions on how to take it out.

 

Do you guy's know if a 4th gen heater core will fit?


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it wont

 

i disassembled the dash and i can sorta see the core, but i cant get that plastic cover off
i might have to search around and find that bold your're talking about

oh and.. don't i have to flush all the cooling liquid if i want to take the hoses off?

 

You can drain your radiator to lower the coolant level. This should pull some of the coolant out of the hoses. You won't get all of it though and they may leak a little.

 

It looks cheesy if you just use a hose bypass. I would just fix it man. Well worth it.

 

I don't see where you guys are getting $175. I bought one for $30 off Amazon and fixed it myself in an hour. If you need step by step let me know. It saves alot of money and it's a really easy fix.