Well, the 'ole coolant on passenger floor syndrome has bestowed on me What exactly goes "wrong" with these freaking heater cores? Why do they go "bad"....i just don't get it. Anyway, I'm thinking of just plugging the hose from the heater valve to the heater core(at the firewall), so that no coolant gets through there....i really dont want to replace this POS on my vacation WOuld that cause a build up in pressure in that line or something? Can I do that?....i thought I heard of some people sticking a bolt in there that fits tight and just clamping on the hose...what do you think?

 

You can just buy a hose connector to connect the 2 heater hoses together, you need to cap both or one will leak.

No problem with doing that as far as a pressure build up, people do it all the time.

 

yeah...actually, what i said didnt make sense...what goes in, has to come out so I need to "connect" the two hoses...DUUUHHH!! Those dont have anything to do w/ the A/C do they....doesnt look like it but I want to make sure

 

Nothing to do with the a/c. The heater core is pretty easy to replace, just takes a couple hours. The hardest thing for me was getting the new one to line up right.

 

Usually the seams where they're assembled corrose through, just like radiators do. It's exactly like a little copper-brass radiator. So if your radiator ever fails from old age.... you can guess what's going to be next.

The heater core itself costs less than $30 and can be put in in less than 3 hours; I'd suggest that you go ahead and do it, unless you're in someplace even warmer than my home, which I don't think Florida is at the moment!!