Help with Heater Core Removal

[mullioni]

After news of a bad radiator, and the posts regarding leaky heater valves and cores, I am attempting to remove my heater valve and core. It looks like one of the tubes from the firewall has some substantial corrosion.


I have removed the center console, and upper console is pulled outward. I have unclipped the four clips on the heater box. The one closest the firewall on the drivers side sprung and is MIA. Trying to slide the lower heater box out towards the passenger footwell, it interferes with the aircon unit installed in the passenger foot well/under the glove box. Will I need to unbolt and try to move this, or does anyone have a trick or something they learned? It also appears that there is a cable attached/passes through the center of the bottom heater box. Does this need to be removed?


Once I have the bottom of the heater box out, Will the valve/core come out as one unit, or will I need to remove the valve from the core, and then remove the core. Do I need to unbolt anything or will the core drop down with some wiggling?

There is some corrosion on the heater valve. The heater controls all worked properly and moved the heater box and valve.


Looking forward to some expert advice to assist in getting this out.

[lglade]

The air conditioner on my 1984 (and I think they're all the same) uses a wing nut against a bracket mounted to the the firewall, in the passenger foot well, to push the unit aft into an extruded groove attached to the dash knee pad. A couple of turns of the wing nut allows the unit to move forward so that it can come loose from the groove and pivot downwards and out of your way. You don't have to take any electrical connections loose or anything. My car is in storage for the moment, so I'm sorry I can't give you a picture. Pretty easy though once you recognize the trick.

FWIW, I replaced everything that was looking corroded: heater core, valve (shot), and the heater tubes that penetrate the firewall. I then flushed the block and replaced all the heater hoses too. My coolant bottle was looking pretty shabby, so I too the opportunity to thoroughly clean it as well. This is one of those projects that you don't want to think about repeating for another 30+ years, so I wasn't inclined to pinch pennies.

[spider2081]

I think removing the heater box will be easier if you remove the 2 small sheet metal screw holding the seal to the firewall for the pipes. Slide the deal off the pipes. That lets you have the full firewall opening to work with. You may have already done this but in one of your photos its still in place.

[mullioni]

Well, it is out. THanks for the advice. I removed what appeared to be a bracket for the radio that increased the space for the bottom box to slide forward. Bolts to the heater core/tubes came off without any effort or issues. Other than a little coolant clean up. I will post some pictures later.

[mullioni]

When removing the top of the heater box, I thought one of the nuts was missing - front passenger side. Well, it turns out that someone forgot to put the bolt in at the factory. Friday? or ?

The insulation looks like its in the way, but there's no bolt behind there, only one on the passenger side. Two on the drivers side.

[georgeramos]

That is the third car Ive seen with only 3 studs holding the heater box in so I think it was intentional...