---

1) Remove the negative terminal on the battery and wait several minutes to allow the airbag supplemental power source to discharge. 

2) Open the glove compartment and locate the access door in the rear. Open the access door by pulling firmly. Disconnect the airbag connector attached to the back side of the access door. (Note: The airbag connector can be difficult to remove. A spring clip tool will make it easier to release the clip that holds the connector to the access door. 

3) Remove the six torx 15 screws that hold the glove box in place. (Four long screws on the front [open the glove compartment door] and two short screws on the glove box floor.) The three electrical connectors on the left side are designed so that you can’t hook them up wrong. 

4) Under the dash panel, remove the black plastic sound panel. Its held in place by three 7mm screw nuts (can use 9/32”) along the near edge. Remove these three nuts and the panel will drop down and pull out, disconnecting the courtesy lamp wire. Check the panel and foam for coolant from the leaking heater core and clean as needed with hot soapy water.

5) Next, remove the heater hoses on the engine side of the fire wall. This may be difficult due to limited clearances. It is a two handed operation. It may make the job easier if you remove the hood to gain extra headroom. You will need a helper to remove the hood, as it is definitely a two-man job. (Scribe around the hinge mounts so you retain proper alignment when you reinstall the hood.). Due to the difficulty of removing the heater hoses, we strongly recommend that you also replace your heater hoses if they are more than a couple years old or show any signs of degradation.  (Note: If you plan to replace the hoses during this procedure, it will be easier to simply cut them off with a box cutter or other sharp blade and pull the still-attached-to-the-core ends of the hoses back through the firewall as you remove the old heater core.)  

Note: Vacuum lines and wiring pass through the firewall in the area where you are working on the hoses. It may help to carefully disconnect some of the connectors and move them aside to gain better access to the heater hoses. Be very careful not to damage the plastic housing of the heater box that is visible on the engine side of the firewall. 

6) Back inside the cabin, look inside the glove box opening. Tucked away back to the right of things, against the firewall, you will see a silver metal box. This is the A/C Programmer. It is mounted to the firewall with two 10mm nuts. Carefully remove these nuts and swing the control unit down and remove the three connectors along the bottom edge of the programmer (may be colored red, white, and blue). They release with a clip connection on the back side - pinch and pull.

Note: It may be possible to remove the heater core without removing this controller, but if left in place, there is a risk of spilling coolant onto the circuitry.  Better to be safe and just remove it.

The object here is to make room to the right side of that black plastic box you're seeing. This is the heater box that houses both the heater core and the AC evaporator core..

7) Look on top of the heater box. You will see a shiny silver control rod. Un-clip this on the left side, where it is held in place with a yellow plastic clip. All you need is a flat screwdriver under the rod on the left end and twist to pop it out of its retainer. This control rod swings a baffle through an arc of about 45 degrees to change the airflow when heat vs cool is selected. This rod is threaded on the right-hand end and should be carefully adjusted to completely close the baffle as the control rod moves back and forth. (On reassembly use your left hand to swing the baffle and your right hand to twist the rod and set the adjustment correctly, then press the rod down into the retainer clip). Unclip this rod and then remove the control box mounted on the right-hand end of the heater box. This assembly is held in place by one 9/32” hex-headed screw on the front of the assembly. The rear edge of this assembly has two tabs that protrude towards the firewall and engage two little slots in the back (nearest the firewall) of the heater box. Remove the screw and swing the assembly to the right, then drop it down and out. It has the colored air/vacuum hoses attached to the control circuitry. Do not remove these. Just carefully lay the box against the center console.

8) The remainder of the heater box is split vertically in its center and is held together by two (9/32”) screw nuts. You can see one of the nuts by looking through the glove box opening. The other nut is about four inches below it. Remove these two screw nuts and open the heater box to the right to expose the heater core. Swing the front of this cover all the way to the right, then slide it down to get it out.

9) The heater core is held in place by an end bracket secured by two screw nuts. Remove this bracket and give the core a good wiggle and pull it out and down into the cabin as best you can. You are pulling the hose stubs through the fire wall and it will come out.

10) The replacement core should come with a new bracket and foam air seals. Looking inside the box, in the area where the old core was located you will see four strips of foam surrounding the opening. These should be replaced. Scrape the adhesive backing loose, and then strip it off the heater box. It's tight in there, but take your time and clean it very well to ensure a good seal with the new foam. After cleaning, install the new foam seals. 

11) Install the new heater core and secure it with the new bracket. Then go out and hook up the heater hoses. (Or install the new heater hoses.) Make sure they are firmly attached and tighten the clamps well. Go back inside and push the core firmly toward the firewall to ensure it is fully seated and firmly attached. Recheck the bracket. 

12) To reassemble, simply reverse these procedures.

You must be logged in to leave a reply. Login »