Heater Core Replacement

Welcome to Heater Core Replacement

Today's troubled global economy has resulted in massive unemployment, and has forced many of us to learn to be more self-sufficient by doing whatever we reasonably can to stretch our dwindling funds. Unexpected car or truck repairs are notorious for taking a huge bite out of our ever-tightning budgets. One such repair that takes a unusually big bite is a heater core replacement.

If you are having heater core problems and are willing to replace it yourself, this site will provide heater core replacement procedures that will help you replace the core yourself. Replacing your own heater core is a way to save some serious cash - as much as $1,000 or more on many vehicles!

Heater core failure is fairly common and is usually the result of neglected cooling system maintenance.  If not properly maintained, the liquid coolant loses its protective properties and becomes corrosive. The corrosive coolant reacts with metals in the cooling system, causing the metals to 'pit' or 'rust out' from inside the cooling system where the coolant contacts metal.

There are many metal parts in contact with the coolant, such as the engine block, the water pump, the radiator, control valves and the heater core. Due to the relative thinness of the aluminum (or copper) coolant tubes inside the heater core, the core is most likely to be the first part to fail. Once the corrosion penetrates through the walls of the thin aluminum or copper tubes, the heater core begins to leak coolant into the passenger compartment, creating a toxic fog or mist of anti-freeze inside the vehicle.

There are many reasons why you should not continue to drive the vehicle with a leaking heater core. We will discuss these reasons in the Heater Core Articles section of this website.  While there are many products on the market that claim to stop radiator and heater core leaks, at best they are only temporary bandages and the only satisfactory long-term solution is to replace the heater core.

Cost of Heater Core Replacement

Once you've determined that the heater core must be replaced, you basically have three choices (replacing the vehicle is a fourth option, but we will assume that is not your preferred option and focus on the other three.)

Option 1. You can have the heater core replaced by an automotive repair shop.

At repair shops, the cost to replace the heater core will range from aound $600 to well over $1,000.  In many models, there's also a high probability that the temperature blend door and other components will also have to be replaced, and this will add to the total repair cost. If spending $1,000 or more is within your budget, then having a repair shop to replace your heater core may be your preferred option. 

Option 2. You can entice a mechanic friend to replace it in his/her off time.

Good luck on that one. If you happen to have a good mechanic friend who is willing to do a heater core replacement very cheaply, tell us about him/her and we will send more work to him/her than they can handle. 

Option 3. You can roll up your sleeves and replace the leaking heater core yourself. 

If your budget is a little tight in these turbulent economic times, replacing the heater core yourself might be an option well worth considering. A new heater core can be purchased at most auto parts stores for well under $50 for most vehicles. The cost of the new heater core is but a small part of the overall cost of having your heater core replaced if you take it to a repair shop. On the other hand, it could be your only cost if you decide to replace your own heater core.

The greatest portion of heater core replacement cost is for the labor involved in removing and installing the vehicle parts that have to be removed in order to reach the heater core itself. Replacing the heater core is fairly simple once you move everything out of the way so that you can actually get your hands on the core to remove and reinstall it.  Yes, you really can replace your own heater core with the help of the repair procedures on this site and/or the procedures on other sites that we will make available to you..

Bringing It All Together

As you've probably noticed, there's lots of information on the Internet about heater core problems and replacing heater cores. Unfortunately, the search engines are so good at finding every little tidbit of information about heater core replacement that it leaves you a bit overwhelmed, to say the least.

For example, a Google search for the broad term 'heater core problems' returns over 2,000,000 sites. For the brave and daring who are thinking about replacing your own heater core, a Google search for the term 'heater core replacement' returns another 2,000,000 sites! This is a staggering amount of information to try and dig through to find good solid heater core replacement procedures and information about your particular vehicle. The purpose of this website is to present you with reliable procedures and tips for replacing your own heater core in your specific vehicle all in one handy location without you having to search through millions of sites.

We owe a debt of gratitude to those who have taken the time to share their heater core replacement experiences and expertise with us by posting it on the web. When the information is available, we will give full credit to the originator and provide links to the original materials so that you can contact the contributors to ask questions or thank them for their contributions. If you have procedures, tips or information related to heater core replacement that you would like to share, we invite you to contact us or to add your materials to our new customer forum.

This site will be continually growing and developing as time permits, but it will take time to build a very large database of makes/models. Please check back from time to time to see if we have added information about your make/model. If not, and you need information right away, drop us a message and tell us about your vehicle. We will make your model a high priority and help you find the information you need for your specific vehicle and add it to the site for others who have the same type of vehicle. Thanks for visiting. Please leave a comment if you found the site useful or if you have suggestions for improvement.

It would be helpful for us to know the make & model of vehicles for which you need heater core replacement procedures. We ask that you take a moment to tell us about your vehicle to help as set priorities for site development. We will not provide your information to any other parties and we will use it only to set priorities for developing this site and for sending occasional notices about other repair procedures or special products for your specific vehicle that we believe would be of interest to you.  We welcome you and hope you will find value in the information provided here...

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