Smokehouse69

For the past two days my son and I have been up to our necks in one of the most complicated repairs I've ever been through. My son has a 96 Isuzu Rodeo, the heater core failed a couple of months ago, and since he wants to sell the thing we figured we'd better replace it.
We got a core from Autozone (the same one is sold at all the autoparts stores GoDan Industries 38823, we checked!!) Then we got out his Haynes book, to make a long story short, we had to remove the entire dash assembly, down to the firewall. There are a whole bunch more complicated than a Corvette dash, a whole lot more parts and cables, plus the book tells you to evacuate the A/C and remove the Evaporator core to get to the heater box. From right to left along the firewall is the blower assemble box, the Evaporator box, then the heater box. We were finally able to get the heater box out with out evacuating the A/C by some judicous prying and yanking. After we got the box out and split it, we saw that the heater core wasn't exactly like the factory core, this wouldn't have been too much of a problem except the angle of the inlet and outlet were wrong and the inlet and outlet were a little short.
After calling every parts store in town and checking all computer resources we were convinced that the core was the one that was being sold. So we drive to the dealership, after 15 minutes the guy at the parts counter tells us that he doesn't have a seperate listing for the core, just the whole heater box which is $400.00, we decided that wasn't an option.
We wedged the "replacement" core in the box and hoped that we'd have enough room to put on the heater hoses.
After it was back in the car we saw we had an absolute bare minimum amount of room to slide on and clamp the hoses. It took us 2 hours just to get the hoses on and tightened. Then we had to put all the rest of the car back together. We started at 9 AM Friday, and finally got it back together at 10pm Friday night. We had no leaks but the heater controls and cables weren't set right, in our rush and exhaustion we didn't clock them right. So this morning we spent another couple of hours adjusting the control cables that we got everything functioning correctly. We only ended up with two extra screws! :D
Comparatively speaking the six hours I spent by myself changing the heater core in my A/C 69 Corvette, was a walk in the park! I'm whipped!
:yawn:

427V8

Wow, thats insane!

I've always felt they buld the car around the heater core :U

mrvette

Smoke, I wasn't there, for sure, sounds like it's a good thing too....

but I have to say, in these modern cars with all that plastic, my sawzall solves a LOT of those type of problems....and some paneling adhesive to put it back together again...let it set up, and paint flat black...case closed in more ways than one....did it in the past, will do it that way in the future also....sometimes a vechicle is just not worth all the agrevation...damn few cars a notworthy as a vette, so I work to the marque if you get my drift....

GENE

Smokehouse69

Gene, you are so right! If we'd been able to tell exactly where the core was inside the case, cutting a hole in the case would have been my first option! That would of only made the job slightly less tiresome, getting the heater case out wasn't that much problem of a problem, just getting to the case was the real problem. Too much dash junk in front of if, too many bundles of cables and fragile plastic parts that aren't designed to be disassembled. Plastic cable retainers!!! Give me a brake, how is a plastic squeeze clamp supposed to work after you are instructed to pry it open with snap ring pliers?
It was a mess! I guess now days when a part on a car fails you just junk the car rather than try and fix it! :reddevil

Corey_68

I feel your pain. :yesnod:

Try taking one out of an S10! The dash has to be removed on the passenger side. :eek:

OnlyC3-4me

Ouch! Not a fun day. I just replaced the core in my 1990 VW Corrado. Took the dash completly out and the seats too. What a pain. To actually remove and replace the core took about 40 seconds; It was getting to it is what took a day and a half.
I guess the bad part for me is knowing that on the Corrados the heatrer core is a recall repair and the dealers will fix it free. My problem is trusting the service techs to repair my car correctly. I don't. Most have never seen a Corrado before; Same with a C-3 Vette. I'd rather do it myself so you know what you got when your done!.

SnoDrgn

:crazy: :crazy:

stpman

:iagree: Had to replace the heater in a 89 S10 Blazer :crazy:

Steve :steering:

77L82_4speed

I changed one a few years ago on my 89 Corvette. It was an all-day job. It would have been an easy job with the windshield out, which I'm sure how it was installed when it was manufactured. I feel your pain.