Remove dash to get to heater core
- Thread starter puffah
- Start date
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The Wagon Way
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I'm actually in the same boat as @puffah. I was planning all year to remove, clean out and adjust my heater core and related controls this month, since at least one vent seems blocked and several of the sliders have minimal slide range. I even had a guy come out to drain off the Freon for me before I got into the tear-down. I got started with a combo of the service manual and Haynes, and suddenly it looks like a really, really big job. I basically set aside a weekend for the removal, fuss with it off and on during the workweek as I had time, and hopefuly install it that next weekend. Now I'm wondering if that's enough time for a first-timer. Any words of wisdom for how long this will take? And I second the OP's request for good videos which covers this. The pix in the SM and Haynes aren't all that great.
georgebj60
SILVER Star
Honestly it’s a pretty simple affair. Just label bag the screws and bolts as you take things apart. There are no surprises. I have a ton of pictures of mine as it came apart so I can probably help if you get stuck on reassembly. And it’s a worthwhile project. I would recommend getting some 1/4” grey foam before starting so you can redo the flaps in the heater and A/C boxes. When I get a minute I’ll post up a few pics of the process.
georgebj60
SILVER Star
Here's a few. I swapped a diesel from a blue HJ60 donor truck into a red FJ60, that's why you see 2 different colour trucks
.
georgebj60
SILVER Star
Here's a few of the flap foam at the heater box.
Turd Fergusson
GOLD Star
Agreed. Once you get going it’s not that complicated of a process. When I did mine the Haynes manual was actually the most helpful. And there won’t be a better time to clean and refoam your ducting. I actually put a new dash pad and glove box in at the same time.
Mine was down for the count for a couple weeks, but one of those weeks was waiting for the heater core to come back from the shop. Sorry but I don’t have any videos of the process; I was trying to keep moving and get the old girl back on the road.
Thank you both! I'm starting grad school in two weeks, so my window of opportunity may have come and gone. I limped through last winter with good heat to the cab but only warmish heat on the windshield. I may push it to my next term break, but now at least I know more about what to expect. Question; what sort of service or repairs did the shop handle for your heater core? I think most of my issues are due to bits of foam (or possibly dead mice) keeping the various sliders from moving as they should.
Turd Fergusson
GOLD Star
Long story but while trying to track down where I was losing coolant, I found that the previous owner had screwed a 12V plug into to side of the core. They sealed up the two holes and rebuilt the core with more robust fins.
Good luck when you get to it, sounds like your issues might be a little easier to deal with than others. Maybe the core doesn’t need to come out to deal with the cables?
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Once you have the heater core out it will be a very good idea to refresh the o-rings on the tubes that pass through the firewall. I had a coolant leak thinking it was a bad heater core but turned out to only be a failed o-ring.
