anybody ever changed a heater core on our cars? i bypassed my speed limiter today and when i pulled down t he panel there was coolant on it so i asked my shop teacher and he told me it was the heater core. how do i change it?

 

I did one with my friend Jeff on his 84 Corvette. It is a nightmare!
Better have some time on your hands for this one! It is an all day project.
I would take it to the shop and get an estimate. It might be worth it to have a mechanic do it. I don't think I'd like tackling that one again!

 

Haynes Manual ($15.00) .... about a 3 page detailed description on how to do it.

 

I don't know about a vette, but it's not that hard on a bird. I did mine and it only took maybe about an hour. Just get a Chiltons or I could try and scan the pages you need ( I don't know if it will work or not ) but unless you have a mechanic you trust that will do it cheap I would do it myself.

 

can somebody scan those pages for me if u have them and email to camaroguy72@aol.com ? i had a haynes but ive been lookin for it and cant seem to find it.

 

Chiltons manuals are better. The heater core is at the bottom of the dash above the passanger's feet, if I remember.

 

Yep that where it is, kind of over more towards the center console

 

yea... i know where it is... i just gotta know what to take out to get to it... i dont wanna take out more than i have to

 

It's on it's way, I'm still trying to get use to this scanner so I'm sorry if it comes to big and takes long to download.

 

thanks floridabird... its gonna help me big time

 

There is an easy way to change the core in about 1.5 - 2 hours instead of the whole day without removing half the dash, but it requires making a few cuts with a dremel. A core will cost you $20... to have a shop install it would be about $300 (last quote I got). You REALLY don't wanna do that. If I can get my digital camera back I could post some pics of the easy install if you'd like, but I may have to just describe it the best I can.

 

I've never done a core on a Camaro just my bird. I'm wondering why you had to take apart half your dash and use a dremel tool? All I had on my bird was a couple of plastic panels and the core was right there it took me about 5 min. to get to it. and you take off the heater hoses in the engine compartment and the core came right out. Now when I put it back in I had to gently bend the tubes on the new core just alittle to get them to fit, but I didn't have to cut anything... Just wondering if the two cars are that much different?

 

What year is your bird FLABird??? It should be the same as third gen cameros I believe. How did you get to it in 5 min. without cutting that panel away?

 

For some F-bodies, this is a simple operation. For others it is not. On my 88 IROC, I decided to ignore the Haynes Manual and take some shortcuts. In the end, the Haynes Manual was correct - I had to lower the steering column, remove the computer, loosen the console and move it, and drop the entire dash off of the cowl.

GIVE YOURSELF THE WHOLE DAY! Don't make the mistake of starting in the late afternoon and find yourself finishing in your driveway in the dark like I did (once you drop the dash and steering column, you can't move the car).

 

I have a '91 bird. The heater core is on the passenger side. It was about a year ago I did it but if I remember correctly all I had to do was drop a lower panel and remove a duct and the core was right there. I would have to go out and open it up again to get to it ( I might do that and use my digital and take some photos) The hardest part for me was getting the new one to fit properly. Now I know the blower motor is a real bite in the a$$ to get to, but for me the heater core was easy.

 

i decided to go the ALLDATA way... i remover the center console, gauge cluster, crashpad, radio/heat controls, and im still tearing it apart to make life simpler to get the heater core in. i figured it was worth it because then now that all the panels are out im gonna paint them.

 

Removing the steering column? That's a bunch of I just put a new core in my 88 Camaro about a month ago. Took me a whole day, but that's because I took my time to do things right. Not to mention I don't know all that much about cars, and I still managed. Also, the taking off the dash, the only good thing that came from that was the extra light I got to come down. Some say you can get to a screw easier, but I went up from the bottom. All you gotta do is get a manual (I used a Haynes) and a tech article off this board, then go at it. Like I said, I've never done anything like that before the time I actually did, and mine's good as gold now. Like I said, give youself some times, and most likely you'll have to compromise on the instructions. Good luck though

Nate

 

CamaroGuy,

I've done it this way in less than an hour (minus the time it took to make extra trips to the parts store for the RIGHT core):

The only really hard part about changing the heater core is the hoses. There is precious little space behind the cylinder head to work on removing and installing the hoses and clamps, but it can be done if you're patient.

The first thing to do is drain the cooling system. Once drained, you should be able to remove the hoses from the heater core pipe stubs behind the right cylinder head. Remember which one goes where because of size/hose length differences.

The lower dash trim and silencer panels need to be removed from the passenger side to expose the heater core case. Once it is exposed, you should see an array of 7mm hex head Plastite screws holding the heater core case halves together. All of these screws are fairly easy to reach from the passenger's foot well area except for one. There is one Plastite screw in the very top of the heater core case that is difficult to reach from the underside.

For that reason, it is easier for some people to remove the upper dash pad to access this top screw. It isn't really difficult to get the upper dash pad off, and is a good excuse to clean up everything in there with a vacuum cleaner and small brush, change some instrument lamps, etc.

You can do the job without removing the upper dash pad if you remove the large bolt in the lower right corner of the dash panel on the passenger side. Removing this bolt will allow you to slightly flex the dash panel toward the rear and get a small ratchet/extension/7mm socket combination on that last pesky screw. Once that last screw is out, the core case halves should separate and expose the heater core. The rest is so self-explanatory that is isn't worth the words. Just remember that the core will still contain some coolant, and it isn't easy to wash out of the carpets.

Again, there is not a lot of space behind the head for the hoses, so compare the angle of the pipes on the replacement core to the original. I had to try THREE replacements in my TA before I found on that had the correct angle on these pipes. The first two would not allow the hoses to connect without kinking. You might want to fill the replacement core with hot water before you install it just to make sure it isn't going to leak from shipping damage or manufacturing defects. It only takes a minute to check.

Once the core case is reassembled and hoses are in place (before you reassemble all the trim), refill the cooling system and run the engine to fill the core with coolant. If everything looks good in the passenger compartment, close up and enjoy the hot air for another month or two.