Heater core box removal - Is there an easy way?

[RSchwarzli]

A few weeks ago I came back to my truck after being parked for about 30 minutes (I was actually at ATS in Denver), and I came back to a cab filled with smoke. Or what I thought was smoke. Was actually a fog. Coming from the vents. :{



Lost my AC.



As I now have to remove the heater box to replace the core. Is there any way of doing it without removing the dash? Or does the windshield need to be pulled, the dash screws removed, and the dash tilted back?



I really am hoping there is an easy way here!



Robert

 

[Bob4x4]

The revised method I found back when they were still new trucks. Take as much as possible off the right hand side of the dash,loosen what you can towards the center then since it is metal not plastic you can bend the lower right side enough to drop the whole housing out the bottom. It's tight but can be done.

 

[RSchwarzli]

Thanks! Guess I will have to try that way. Hard or not! Lol

thanks for the thoughts!

 

[Flexiheep]

I did a similar thing, took me most of a day to unbolt the right side of the dash and stretch it out enough to wiggle the box around. In my case I had to replace the heater core and didn't want to loose the AC charge. I think there are pictures in my old readers rigs section under my name... ...

 

[RSchwarzli]

You managed to get the lid off and all, get the core out, and not remove the box? Did I follow that right?

 

[HHhuntitall]

I did a similar thing, took me most of a day to unbolt the right side of the dash and stretch it out enough to wiggle the box around. In my case I had to replace the heater core and didn't want to loose the AC charge. I think there are pictures in my old readers rigs section under my name... ...

And you didn't break anything? I've always had the dash on the floor!! I know you can trim the rubber to get to the screws, or sometimes it's soft enough to fold it up with one screwdriver, and hit the screw with another(or a drill works much better!!), then you can press the dash down, pulling it out from under the lip, and letting it fall forward, hinged on the two side bolts(after lowering the steering column and loosening the other 9 million bolts, of course!!) Then you can pretty much do what you need to the air box, but how do you get the heater core out of the firewall without disconnecting the A/C Lines?! Tell me, tell me!??!Oo.

 

[Paychk]

I did a similar thing, took me most of a day to unbolt the right side of the dash and stretch it out enough to wiggle the box around. In my case I had to replace the heater core and didn't want to loose the AC charge. I think there are pictures in my old readers rigs section under my name. .....

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/displayalbum.php?&userid=988294&albumid=16444

 

[Flexiheep]

Yes, I did remove the heater core without disconnecting the A/C lines. I am pretty sure that I unbolted the dryer and anything else I could go get as much slack as possible though. As you can see in the pictures, the cover to the heater box had to be removed through the hole in the firewall. The goal is to make enough room while your working on the dash to be able to pull the heater box away from the firewall so you can drop it down and remove the top to work on it.

I guess the best way to sum up how I did it was to say I was living in an apt in southern Cali with 1 parking spot and I had to get to work the next day...

 

[RSchwarzli]

For future people doing this down the road and pull up this thread...



OK. Update time!



I have the truck back together after two weeks of playing around trying to find parts. After 5 cores I managed to get a 95% correct one from NAPA. Part #A9395.



For those looking at doing theirs, it is not hard, just time consuming. It took about 10 hours to pull everything out and reassemble. The trick is to remove ash tray, remove glove box, remove ducting, remove the pass side dash support bar, remove both sides of the dash support bolts, drop the steering wheel, remove blower and cover from engine side, disconnect all hoses, unbolt box and remove.



Once open be sure to pull fan apart, lube and clean.



For the heater box, be sure to lube all moving doors and clean out any crap in it. Mine was half full of leaves from the cowl sucked in over the years, and the doors were suck in one spot.



Reassemble. I might also suggest replacing the heater core and AC evap (depending on what you are replacing) so the other does not go the moment you get it all back together! LOL



Robert

 

[JLEONARD]

Probably got room in there for a few more gages. . no?

 

[RSchwarzli]

Oh for sure! AT LEAST 4!

 

[Shadrach]

I installed "factory air " into an 81 I had as well as my 84 crew. It was easier since I had the windshield out already and the dash needed painting anyway. Try removing a heater box in a 3rd gen. It's lots of fun Shdarach

 

[RSchwarzli]

I am not sure I want to! I did not have much fun with my 90!



Oh yeah. The crew cab was the same way. No window. MUCH easier!

 

[JMDancoe]

Just a hint. Cut a hole about 3 X 5 inches in the interior side of the heater box where the air flows to the cores and build a plate with screws as a clean out portal. I live in a high pine needle area and when I had my 86 and my brother's 92 apart, we found the passage plugged down to about a third of it's normal size. Now an occasional vacuum of the passage, keeps the heater & A/C working great! Also, when we had our heater / A/C boxes out, it wasn't necessary to drop steering column.

 

[RSchwarzli]

JMD - Welcome to the TDR and congrats on your first post!



Yes, you are 100% correct! That will allow easy cleaning! Something that should be done once a year!

 

[JMDancoe]

Thanks for the welcome! My brother & I just (last summer) retrofitted a 92 5. 9 Cummins into my 86 D-250 and converted his 2WD to 4WD. He is 69 and I am 65, so it was a bit more work than we had anticipated, even though John worked Dodge dealers for several years as a mechanic. I currently get 24 mph (highway) and 19 mph (overall). He is on TDR and has been for a while. JDancoe is his user name. We asked and received a lot of real good info from all who answered on TDR while we were building the two trucks. Great bunch of people, here. Thanks again, Jim

 

[RSchwarzli]

Jim

I know some of your brothers posts! I believe I have responded to him too on various threads/questions.

 

[Ncostello]

I recently had my entire heater box out to clean and check its condition. The heater core and AC evaporator core were "dusted" up. Its not really a bad job. Some of what you have to do is on the fire wall in the engine bay. Its "sort of hard" to remove the insulation cover under there... but only because there are several small screws in to the sheet metal that aren't the easiest to get to.



But if you loosen your dash support brackets on the passenger side... the dash will lift up enough to lower the box out from under there. Just carefully disconnect vacuum hoses and linkages and mark where they go. Two people will help when you finally pull the box away from the firewall and then down. The spare hands pull up on the dash while you work the heater box assembly.



I just changed a core on my 1996 Bronco 4x4 play toy. Took 25 minutes beginning to end. Remove glove box door. Remove 6 screws from a cover panel. Pull out heater core. It was that easy and the truck has A/C. Ford did that one right. Mustangs on the other hand... NOT FUN!!

 

[RSchwarzli]

And a link for future viewers of this thread... .



https://www.turbodieselregister.com...eater-box-cleanout-how-instructions-pics.html