my heater still works, but it reeks of antifreeze. my defroster seems to spit out dust of some sort on the windshield and when i stop the engine smoke comes out of the vents.

does this sound like a heater core problem? if so, how much can i expect to dish out for a replacement and labor. i heard it takes as much as 8 hrs to replace.

thanks

daniel

 

yeah, i had a explorer that did the same thing. it was the heater core. fortunately, they are very easy to change in a third gen, so you dont have to have someone else do it. i think they are about 30 to 50 bucks. do a search of other threads about this, because i read a thread a few weeks ago and a guy wanted to change his and people posted pictures and instructions.

 

Yeah, sounds like a leak in the heater core. That "engine smoke" is antifreeze/water/etc. The core itself should only be about 15 bucks, and to replace it all's you have to do is take off the kickplate on the passenger side. (The core is on the passenger side of the car.) If you can't get it out from there, take off the top of the dashboard. And if you still can't get it, just keep taking things apart. Experienced people can change the core in 10-15 minutes, whereas new people might take a lot longer. Not worth paying somebody to do, though.

 

cool, thanks alot for the advice.

daniel

 

If you take it to a shop they will ring you up about $500 - $600 in labor for that job. It can be done at home but it is a pain. Patience will be the key. The top bolt on the heater box will be the most difficult part. It is right under the speaker on the passenger side.

Do a search on this board. I and others have written on the topic several times. I did my '92 camaro and now I think I will have to do the one in the '87 Trans Am I just bought. What a pain!

Lay down some towels or plastic or newspaper when you take the heater core out. It will leak anti-freeze.

 

its really easy in an 86 just take out the kick panel. that all u should have to take out. and that top bolt it going to be a pain in the A$$.

 

i smell the funk also and i would like to replace mines, but some shop guru told me that i would have to deplete my ac and recharge and he would rape me for 550. i want to do it by myself, do i really have to mess with the ac??

 

I am not aware of having to do this in any thirdgen. Did not have to mess with the a/c in my '92.

 

Your mechanic offered to rape you for $550? You REALLY need to get another mechanic. No, discharging the AC is NOT necessary. The heater and the AC are two completely seperate systems -- at least, in regards to the part that "heats up" and the part that "cools down" the air. You'll drain some of the engine coolant when you take off the heater core, since the heater core uses the heat from the antifreeze to warm the air blowing into the interior, but that has nothing to do with the AC.

550, that's absurd! Back when I didn't know any better I was charged $150 for parts and labor.

 

Not to side with anyone, but it your "funk" is from debris and mold accumulation on the evaporator (not uncommon) the evaporator case would have to be opened, and possible the evaporator coil would have to be removed, in which case the system would have to be evacuated.

If you are experiencing the sweet aroma of antifreeze, your problem is likely the heater core. If it smells like dead rodents, you may have growth in the evaporator.

 

nope its not funky funk its just the sweet smell of antifreeze. i think i will try to take it off myself.

 

Actually I called several shops and they all said the same thing. They said they had to remove the dashboard and all were in the $550 - $600 area. That is when I decided to do it myself.

 

to get that top bolt i got a tiny 7mm wrench and got at it from the top with the dashpad off.... didnt put it back on...