Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Heater Core Leak

I once replaced the heater core on a '77 Wagoneer. The core fit inside a box under the hood and was really easy to get at. However, it was held in place by 2 bolts through the firewall...behind the a/c condenser. You needed an arm with 2 elbows to get at them. It took my dad and I 3 hrs to put those 2 nuts on. I would have just left them off but it rattled too loud.

Had an older Buick like that. You had to cut a hole in the fender well to get to a bolt

I think automotive engineers should be required to work on their inventions before they're allowed to be sold. Maybe then they'd invent something that would be easier to fix.

I replaced a heater core in an '01 F150. Part was about $40 at NAPA, every place around wanted $1k for labor.

Too bad, you can't do the work yourself...

My wife used to have a '98 Dakota. We spent $750 to get a mouse nest removed from around the core. Everything under the dash had to come out to get at it. We had them put in a new $30 core while it was apart. Cheap insurance.

What makes you think he can't do it himself... maybe lawrence he just doesn't want to deal with it... we await patiently for your rant about men not being men cause they don't work on their own cars anymore and the only good vehicle is a 1977 chevy C10 that gets 10 mpg.

Best approach is to fix it right. I'd be concerned that stop leak products would clock up the radiator and cause the engine to overheat. I'd imagine some of the passages are a bit tighter in an import car than your old Fairlane.

I did once have a small leak in a radiator and as an attempt at a quick fix to hold fluid to get me to the repair shop I globbed on some RTV at the point of the leak and after letting it set up overnight was surprised it held pressure for a few days before I could get it repaired. I would suggest the same approach if she can put eyes on the heater core to squeeze a blob of blue RTV around the leak. I have no idea if it will set up overnight in AK winter temps, likely not.

Car won't fit in the garage right now. I'm sure I 'could' fix it. Pretty sure I got enough chit to do and don't 'want' to fix it.

Some are easy to fix but then there are the others. For some, you'd better have a good service manual on hand, and I don't mean Chiltons or Haynes. You'll need a factory manual to get all the other stuff apart and reassembled that has to come out to get at it.

I hear ya! I used to do most repairs on our cars, now I'm to the point that aside from oil changes and swapping winter/summer tires I'll take it to a shop. I think trying to replace the clutch on a Rav4 was the breaking point for me.

I worked on HMMWV's for 6 yrs in the Army that broke me of ever working on an vehicles again. Before I joined the Army I enjoyed turning wrenches. Thankfully I reclassed into another mos and I haven't had to to touch a hmmwv in 12 1/2 yrs..

Geez. Buncha old farts.

Just checked my 08. Has rubber hoses into firewall. Just pull them off and clamp together with hardware store fitting. Take about ten minutes.

W

If your daughters care doesn't have heated seats, an aftermarket heater is pretty cheap and easier to install than a heater core.

Whaaaaa... You are a fu cking cry baby...

Warmth is kind of a moot issue when you can't see out of the windows...this I know from driving around on the same roads that Ironbender's daughter probably runs on. -20 to -30º F has shown me a thing or two about the worth of a non-faulty blower over the last couple of days.

Bypassing the heater core would solve a big part of the link, but as Klik very astutely points out, it won't benefit windshield clarity.

Probably time for biting a TTSX and taking it in. Quotes are pushing $1K.

Don't know who's reputable if she's in FAI, but I had the tranny replaced for my wife three years ago- (for, not on ) on the car my wife was driving, and we have put near to 50,000 miles on it since. Gabe's did a real good job on that project, very professional IMO. Gave us all the options; didn't try to push one or the other to pad their outcome. And they're a NAPA associated car/truck shop if that matters.

I thought u wanted to bypass. Never fun driving while wiping or scraping inside of windshield. Been there.

W