1 step forward, 29.5 steps back

[Shadowkat]

I was so happy last Sunday! I had just finished my engine replacement and auto to 5 speed swap. I was out joyriding in my new 5 speed all day and I didn't even put the hood on yet! Then Sunday night I was driving my friend around and I noticed smoke coming from my engine, so I was panic stricken thinking I had blown my engine or something. When I got home I checked the coolant level and it was really low, which was strange since i had filled it the day before. I look under the car and right away I can see coolant dripping from back under the passenger seat area. SHIT! so I check under the passenger rug and sure enough, the carpet is soaked in coolant. So after taking one giant step forward by getting my car driving again (auto tranny broke months ago), I have just gone back 29 and a half steps back because now I have to take out my dash completly and replace my leaky heater.

That brings me to my question (finally). Once I have my dashboard out, what exactly do I replace? What part is it that usually leaks like this? Is it the whole heater assembly + blower motor that has to be replaced, or just the heater core itself? If it is just the heater core, can I take that out with out removing the whole heater assembly. Please help, I just want to get my baby back on the road for good.

[joebeets]

I would make sure it's not the water valve first. It's right at the firewall, and it could be dripping into the passenger compartment along the pipe coming out of the core. Just a thought before you rip everything out. Check it with a flashlight with engine running and heater on.

Good news is you can splice the two hoses together and still drive the car, bypassing the core altogther, while the work is in progress.

Once did a whole winter that way in a Sunbeam Alpine.

[newaccorddriver]

ouch. it might be a leaky water valve like joebeets said, or it could be that you sprung a leak in the heater coor itself. good job on the swap though .

[Shadowkat]

How do I check if it's a leaky water valve?

ouch. it might be a leaky water valve like joebeets said, or it could be that you sprung a leak in the heater coor itself. good job on the swap though .

Thanks for the support, the swap wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been so kind as to answer all those newbie questions I asked you.

[AZmike]

The water valve is in the engine compartment. If you have coolant in the passenger compartment it is from the heater core.

[Shadowkat]

so that brings me back to square 1 and my original question. what do i need to take out, and replace. Do i just need to replace the heater core or the whole heater assembly/blower motor or what? If I do need to replace just the heater core then what do I have to take out to get to it?

[lostforawhile]

the heater core itself is in the heater control assembly,which is what the blower attaches to. you take the dash out,disconnect everything, then you take the blower motor out,then take the entire heat control unit out. once thats out the heater core slides out the back of it,then the new one slides back in. it takes all that aggrevation to get the heat control unit out,then it takes like two minutes to change the core once it's out. also tthere is a metal frame around it that holds the heat unit in place,you can see the frame from under the dash if you look at the center section of the dash,when you take it out to get the heat control unit out, there are two nuts hidden in the engine compartment. when you do this make sure you replace all the heat hoses while it's all apart. i'm not sure exactly on the lxi which is what i think you have,but on mine there are little hoses near the heat control valve with wierd bends. nappa carries these with the bend in it already,you just cut the hose to the length you need. also do you have the chiltons manual? i think it has good pics on the heat assembly in your car.

[Shadowkat]

I do in fact have the chilton's manual as well as the factory service manual, so I do have detailed instructions on how to take each piece out. But usually the manual tells the hard way, so I was wondering if I really did need to take out the blower motor and the heater assembly just to get to the heater core. Seemingly I do. also, what is it about these heater cores that make them leak all over the interior, and can I be pretty sure that this is in fact my problem. Also, the service manual says that the steering column needs to be dropped and the plugs near the fuse box disconnected in order to get the dash out? is this true or is there an easier way? I had to do those things to get my 5 speed pedals in, and I do not look forward to having to go through that again.

[Shadowkat]

Also, the heater hoses appear to be relatively new, do I still need to replace them? Plus, I don't understand what you mean about the metal frame. Can you ellaborate?

[lostforawhile]

after you take the dash out,there is a metal frame around the heater control box that stuff bolts too. it has two bolts and two nuts,the nuts are on the engine side of the firewall if you didn't know they are there you would go nuts trying to figure out how to get it out. once the dash is out,it's pretty easy to take the blower out. the heat control is just sandwitched between it and it's easier to remove it first. the unit has to come out becaue the heater corre is at the back of it,where the two metal ends stick into the engine compartment. once it's out it s easy to change the core itself. just make sure you wipe out all the congealed coolant and stuff from the blower unit. or it'll smell for a long time. also don't make the mistake f trying to take out the two center vents. you can leave them right where they are. I spent hours carefully putting mine back together after making that mistake. they come out with the dash. as far as anything making your carpet soaked with coolant? let me think-no-sorry. hate to say it. if you go through all this trouble replace every piece of heater hose you can get your hands on. it's cheap. once you replace the core your coling system pressure will go back to normal. and it's going to find the first weak link in the system it can.

[Shadowkat]

just make sure you wipe out all the congealed coolant and stuff from the blower unit. or it'll smell for a long time.

Will it be pretty easy to find and clean all the congealed coolant or am I going to have to spen hours cleaning it out? On a related note, when I'm done, how can i take the coolant smell out of my passenger side carpet?
Also, what's the word on taking down the steering column to get the dash out, is it necessary?

[lostforawhile]

yea it's pretty easy,it mostly runs down because of gravity,afetr you slide the core out just wipe out where it was before you put the neww core in. you can drop the colum with everything attached,just undo the bolts holding it up and lower it and let it rest on the floor. make sure it's not pulling on any wires or anything. i know thats what i did with mine. I didn't need to unplug anything. you will need to take the instrument cluster out again though.

[Shadowkat]

yea it's pretty easy,it mostly runs down because of gravity,afetr you slide the core out just wipe out where it was before you put the neww core in. you can drop the colum with everything attached,just undo the bolts holding it up and lower it and let it rest on the floor. make sure it's not pulling on any wires or anything. i know thats what i did with mine. I didn't need to unplug anything. you will need to take the instrument cluster out again though.

Well, I guess there is onegood thing. I never got my gauge cluster back in all the way. I took it out b/c of that speedo problem I told you about over the phone. One thing though, I noticed that i'm missing a clamp on the lower heater hose going into the firewall. Before i dissassemble the dash, is it possible that no clap there could cause the coolant leak into the passenger compartment, or is it just one more thing i need to fix?

[lostforawhile]

well i would look at it closely, the ends of the heater core stick into the engine compartment though,so if was going to leak it should leak down the engine side of the firewall.

[Shadowkat]

well i would look at it closely, the ends of the heater core stick into the engine compartment though,so if was going to leak it should leak down the engine side of the firewall.

That's what I thought, and there is no coolant leaking from there, so I guess it's just something else that I need to fix.

[Shadowkat]

Well, thanks for the help. I'll ket you know how it goes after I replace the heater core.

[Bglad420]

Hey, I just replaced the heater core, in my girlfriends 2g Accord......get ready for some fun make sure you mark all the wires cuz some of the clips might be identical! Why did they do that!!!!!!!!!!
But all I can say is GOOD LUCK!!!

[Bglad420]

well i would look at it closely, the ends of the heater core stick into the engine compartment though,so if was going to leak it should leak down the engine side of the firewall.

Accually Honda connects those to two pipes from the heater core, and there are 2 small peices of hose connecting thos, and they can leak, but if his heater core became ruptured it will leak into the car ie:contamination and erosion.

[Shadowkat]

Accually Honda connects those to two pipes from the heater core, and there are 2 small peices of hose connecting thos, and they can leak, but if his heater core became ruptured it will leak into the car ie:contamination and erosion.

what do you mean by this?

[fraza]

if you are desperate to drive your car and dont have the time to pull half your dash out, just pull out the top core hose, and get the bottom core hose off the fire wall and bend it around so it goes to where the top core hose goes in just before the thermostat housing is, i had a related problem like that today as u probly know, i i thort i had a clogged core so i was going to bypass it all together

[carotman]

This is basicaly what your car will look like once the dash is removed. See that metal frame in the middle? That's what lostworawhile was talking about.

There are 2 bolts on top of it and 2 bolts in the engine compartment. Make sure you blast them with some penetrating oil. In fact they're not bolts but studs. You have a nut securing the frame in place. If the threads are filled with grime/rust/anything, you might not be able to get the nut out and bust the stud itself. Just take your time there.

Oh BTW, tou need to remove the steering wheel too.

[StressSolutions]

Also, the heater hoses appear to be relatively new, do I still need to replace them? Plus, I don't understand what you mean about the metal frame. Can you ellaborate?

Ummmmmmmm you are clever enough to swap engines and transmission, addding pedals, but you are worried about a little metal frame? Just do it!

[Shadowkat]

Ummmmmmmm you are clever enough to swap engines and transmission, addding pedals, but you are worried about a little metal frame? Just do it!

Well, not so much worried about it, I just want to know what needs to b done. You know, like research.

And thanks for the pic carrotman, that really helps me visualize whiat i need to do

[StressSolutions]

Holy shit, maybe it'd be easier to swap engines, transmissions and gas tanks instead of the heater core. Approx how long does it take to do a heater core?

I suppose everyone cleans/replaces/repairs/tightens up everything when they've got it apart?

[lostforawhile]

Accually Honda connects those to two pipes from the heater core, and there are 2 small peices of hose connecting thos, and they can leak, but if his heater core became ruptured it will leak into the car ie:contamination and erosion.

mine had brazed pieces right to the heater core with the two long metal pipes sticking through the firewall gromets,there are no hoses on the car side of the firewall.