Heater core help needed

[1977granada]

My Granada has been sitting in my grandparents' garage for several years with little driving and the heater core has decided to give up the ghost on me. They gave the car to me as a gift so I am trying to get it road worthy. How hard is it to get the heater core out and what are the steps involved. Forgive my ignorance but I am used to working on my Chevies It appears tto be held in with one bolt underneath but I am not sure what else. The car is a 250 6 with factory air if that makes a difference.

Thanks for the help

MIKE

[Jeff Roblin]

I haven't had one apart but I'm sure another member who has can advise.

[1977granada]

ok... I bought the heater core which was a total pain in the butt. Took three places till I found one that could get me one. $77 bucks and had it within two hours. Not too bad actually for quick service . Anyway I am going to try and install it this weekend so if anyone has any tips or instruction that would help greatly.

Thanks again
MIKE

[robic58]

Hi Mike-
I've had the fun of replacing a few heater cores on 70's Fords. I'm not going to give you detailed instructions but just a few cautions and observations.Also, I don't know ifyour car has A/C or not.
First, relieve the pressure in the cooling system, dash control on full heat position, take off radiator cap, open radiator drain thingy and drain off a good bit of coolant.
Second, visually inspect your heater hoses, may be the ideal time to replace them if they show any sign of wear, dry cracks, bulging,or chafing.
I always cut off the hoses just ahead of the heater core outlet nipples. You'll at least have a clean cut round hose to re-install if they're still long enough and healthy.
Third, on the engine comparment side of the firewall you'll find 2 or 3 flare nuts on studs , these hold the heater box housing/plenum. Once nuts removed,press on the studs to break the seal of the housing away from the fire wall. Then you'll get under the dash (often helps to remove glove box and its door to give your hands access) and drop the fan bower assembly.Just one electrical coupling, & 3 or 4 screws holding the
assembly to the housing. Careful not to disturb/damage the resistor. Lastly lwriggle out the housing, and there's your core.
On reassembly, only caution is to be sure you do not force the outlet nipples, their soldered joints to the core are not that strong as a rule.
Likely take you 2-3 hours to do the job and with a few arm and neck contortions.but it's worth it.
Good luck, Ralph

P.S.- This program replaced one word for me. Radiator drain thingy for drain (cee-oh-cee- kay) - It works, Jeff

[Jeff Roblin]

robic58 said:

P.S.- This program replaced one word for me. Radiator drain thingy for drain (cee-oh-cee- kay) - It works, Jeff

For you newbies out there - the forum has a profanity filter which I have actively running. We had fun attempting to swear at each other and having the words replaced. I kept it on just in case we had any online fights between members.

[1977granada]

Thanks for the info Ralph. I am going to work on it tomorrow and I will reportt back with my results.

Thanks
Mike

[hipogranada]

And the first name, well - nickname, of the US Vice President is.... drumroll...

thingy

admin said:

robic58 said:

P.S.- This program replaced one word for me. Radiator drain thingy for drain (cee-oh-cee- kay) - It works, Jeff

For you newbies out there - the forum has a profanity filter which I have actively running. We had fun attempting to swear at each other and having the words replaced. I kept it on just in case we had any online fights between members.

[robic58]

Oh God-

I didn't know that Cheney 's nickname was KOCK.

[hipogranada]

Thingy must be a one-size-fits-all for the censorborg.
And congratulations on finding a spelling that got past the Borg!

robic58 said:

Oh God-

I didn't know that Cheney 's nickname was KOCK.

[1977granada]

ok.... I did the heater core and thought I would lend some advice for anyone else attempting to this procedure in the future. Alott yourself a good chunk of time because it can be very time consuming. Here are some things I came across with this car putting in the heater core:

- It can be hard to find a heater core at your local parts store. NAPA could get it but it was going to take several weeks. Several other local Advance Auto Parts/ Pep Boys type stores could not even get it. I ended up finding a heater core at an auto parts store in town that specializes in odd, off the wall auto parts. He got me the heater core with no problem the same afternoon for $77.

- Make sure that you have all the necessary tools for the project and keep things organized because parts will start developing legs and walking off or at least seem to.

- First things first, if you have AC like myself, the system has to be evacuated because of the AC fittings in the firewall that are attached to the heater box. Luckily my system was evacuated because it leaks somewhere.

-Second locate the bolts that will need to be removed. There are three studs on the firewall that hold the box in place. The dash will not need to be removed but it will need to be loosened siginificantly to gain access to the heater box and be able to remove it. There are dashbolts under the dash pad and three or four under the dash and when removed, will make life easier to get out the heater box. The glovebox needs to be taken out to make getting to the wire connectors for the blower motor easier. A vacumn hose runs to the back of the heater box as well and needs to be removed. There are a few remaining screws holding the box in place under the dash after you remove the heater ducting.

- Third comes the fun part getting the thing out. I had my dad help me with it. I mean hey, I'm only 22, I don't know everything (yet)lol Anyway.... this is a bit tricky as there is not a lot of roomto maneuver. You will have to twist it and turn it in a few directions and it will come out.

-After following these steps you should have successfully removed the heater box and gained access to the heater core. It is a real PITA but with a little patience it can be done in a day or so. It took me a total of about 6 hours or so because of all the little things needed to be removed. Also, be careful with the heater core outlet tubes as they are not connected with the greatest of solder. When I had it all back together and was removing the caps, the lower tube broke off. To make a long story short I had to pull everthing apart and get another heater core. THe second one was made a lot better.


I hope I was able to help someone tackle this project in the future. Feel free to ask me some questions about it.

Mike

[robic58]

;D Hey Mike-
That quick, warm, mellow heat is worth the scraped knuckles though, isn't it!!!!
Told you it was "FUN" !!!!
Enjoy the comfort. Glad you posted your repair experience.
Cheers,
Ralph

[Jeff Roblin]

Looks like I will soon enjoy the fun of changing a heater core. Mine created a puddle on the passenger flloor mat in November on its last drive of the year. Being an A/C car, it will be lots of fun.

[chriscris]

its not the worst job on the car, but pretty close.
flush the core out with water b4 removal to avoid any more green stuff from dripping down to your elbows
is the a/c working?

[Jeff Roblin]

Jan 27, 2011 7:05:01 GMT -5 chriscris said:

its not the worst job on the car, but pretty close.
flush the core out with water b4 removal to avoid any more green stuff from dripping down to your elbows
is the a/c working?

A/C hasn't worked for about 2yrs. It's all still hooked up though.

[robic58]

Hey Jeff-

I replaced mine 3 years ago.. it's tedious, but not terrifying.
the main thing to watch is the inherent weakness in the soldered joints where the inlet and outlet nipples meet the core.
Some recommend adding reinforcing solder to those joints. ASi recall, I also removed the dash top pad, for little better visibility.
Also, replace both heater hoses-coating the niiples and the inside of the hoses with vaseline. Allow yourself three hours or so
Good luck.
Ralph