 Yep, it looks a little rough....  Yep, it looks a little rough. Yep, the heater core leaks. Oh yeah, and every time you turn the fan on or open the vent, you get covered with leaves and debris. Still, why throw away a good heater core box when it can be easily rebuilt? |
 Our heater hoses were already...  Our heater hoses were already removed, so next we removed the nuts around the blower motor and the bolt that sticks out of the bottom of the heater box. |
 The bolt is connected to a...  The bolt is connected to a rod that runs through the heater box, and a hook on the upper end of it fastens to the vent opening under the cowl. |
 After removing the rod and...  After removing the rod and nuts, pull the heater back toward the dash. It will come down, so be ready. If yours still has coolant in it, be careful not to tip the box, or your stained carpet will match mine. Once the heater box is resting on the floor, remove the control cables and fan-switch wires. |
For those of us living in Florida, a heater core is not a necessity, or so I thought. Recently, the frequent (every day for months) rain has forced us to drive with the windows and vents closed. This is fine, but in Florida it's 80-90 degrees, and windows fog quickly. My point is a defroster is a must.
I first noticed I had a heater core issue right after I installed new carpet. I returned to the shop the day after the install and noticed this big stain on the carpet on the passenger side. I needed to drive the car, so I angrily disconnected the heater hoses, bypassed the heater core, and drove home. On the way home, I had to turn on the defroster to eliminate the window fog. But, as soon as I turned on the fan, I realized somebody had planted a tree in the heater box; I have never seen that many pine needles and leaves come out of a defroster vent. It was official--the heater box had to come out.
It's a simple job: Remove the four nuts in the engine bay around the heater-blower motor, the support rod in the vent area, and pull out the heater box. Well, there's really more to it than that, but you get the idea. Most of the parts required are available through the aftermarket, so we contacted The Paddock in Knightstown, Indiana, to get them.