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Does anyone have any pictures? I removed the panel, but I don't see the heater core. Just plastic and a valve, and a metal vertical bar about 2 in wide. Can anyone help???
The silver area in the middle is the heater itself, the 4 screws you have to remove are circled in red, the one on the lower left is behind the plastic bracket the one on the upper right is just above where the pic ends,
and also remove the screw circled in yellow, this will allow the heater box cover to flex when removing the core
Is this the plastic piece that you see? If so this has to be removed to get to the heater core. If i remember there are four screws that hold this in. A long extension on a ratchet will be very helpful getting the top left screw out. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/atta...82-86-heat.jpg
That is the cover I took off, but I don't see the core in it. I might have to remove something else inside the cover to see it. '87 camaro, V6, No Air is what I have BTW.
The silver area in the middle is the heater itself, the 4 screws you have to remove are circled in red, the one on the lower left is behind the plastic bracket the one on the upper right is just above where the pic ends,
and also remove the screw circled in yellow, this will allow the heater box cover to flex when removing the core
Thanks for the quick reply and picture, But that is not what I saw when I removed the cover. But the brownish strip in your picture looks like what i did see, just nothing to the left of it (encased). I will take a picture of it tomorrow when I look at it again and repost any of my findings. '87 camaro V6 with no ac BTW.
Hey, I am a new member with this same heatercore problem. I have partially disassebled the dash already. I just want to know the location of the 5 screws that hold hush panel on so I can remove it to get to corebox screws more easily. Thanks!!
just got mine out and it is for a rookie about a 3hr job but for a pro is about 1hr and I did break one mounting tab top passen. side I hope it don't rattle too bad. my original dash pad is cracked and broken (21 years old) does anyone know of a web site where I can find not a plastic cover($100) but an oem dash pad pretty reasonable < or = $200? and a TTop headliner with sun visors. and a trunk latch/lock it doesn't matter to me if the elect. stuff does or doesn't work as long as I can use my key
Is it true the 91 and 92 Camaro heater core replace is slightly different than the earlier ones? I thought I read the dash was made different which made the removal more difficult on thses two years? I have a 92 and need to replace mine. Jim
I've worked on these cars for years but never had to replace a core. I just did mine today in my Formula. I accually time it. I had it out in 9 minutes. Took about 15 minutes though to get the new one in and lined up. Very Easy!!
I'll add a little to the knowledge base here... i just replaced the heater core in an 86' IROC. it took me right around 3 hours to do, i'm handy in a garage but this was my first heater core. the first 2 and a half hours were me trying to figure out what i was doing, and the last 30 minutes was me actually working. all in all, easy.
to help out anyone else, this is what i've learned above and beyond what i already read here, or just greater detail where needed.
The heater core has a black plastic shroud attached to it, you won't necesarily see the heater core untill you pull the core out of the car.
my heater core had 6 screws in it, 4 of them were holding the core in place, and only two are visible at first. there are two screws holding a metal plate in place, if you pull that plate out of your way, you'll be able to see the other two screws, they arent easy to get to though.
Fun Tip: re-assembly is the same as dis-assembly, but to avoid dropping screws into places i couldnt reach, i stuck a fridge magnet to my extention right by the socket, worked like a charm.
i hope this helps anyone else reading through this on their own project.
I've worked on these cars for years but never had to replace a core. I just did mine today in my Formula. I accually time it. I had it out in 9 minutes. Took about 15 minutes though to get the new one in and lined up. Very Easy!!
Vs someone who has not had time to work on these cars for years ;P I have dissassembled my dash before, so I am one step ahead on knowing what to disconnect. I am about to remove mine for the first time. I believe mine starting leaking due to impact with a Lodge trucks Jack shaft. I think I am going to go the ECM rout but will keep the dashpad/passanger side speaker in mind. But none the less wish me luck!
Anyone know if there is any youtube walkthrough video's? There are a few out there for these cars. I havent seen one for the heater core though. Gonna tackle my heater core this week. passanger all weather floor mat is building fluid. I am surpised though that my radiator is still always toped off. Would anyone know if I will be ok driving my car as long as i keep my radiotor and overflow filled? I am worried that the Heater core is just gonna go wild and spray coolant everywhere! Thanks for the help!
This thread helped me out greatly today. Took about an hour and a half all told, and im not the most mechanically inclined individual out there. More importanly, it saved me about 500 bucks. Thanks guys for all the info.
Is it true the 91 and 92 Camaro heater core replace is slightly different than the earlier ones? I thought I read the dash was made different which made the removal more difficult on thses two years? I have a 92 and need to replace mine. Jim
X2 I'm curious to know as well. I dread the day I have to change out the heater core...even the evap core for that matter...lol
After writing about how difficult the heater core was in my 92 I was feeling a little stupid because I respect all the hands on knowledge you guys give out. When most of you guys were saying 15 minutes to 3 hours and I was well over 10 hours I kept wondering W.T.F. did I miss. I had a chance to look at an 88 IROC right next to mine and the heater core tubes come thru the firewall about 2 inches closer to the passenger side than my 92. So there is a difference. I uploaded a picture (hope it works) of the piece of ducting that covers the heater core box. There is no way to get it out without totally dismantling the dash. I could have done this much quicker if I realized what was involved.
OK, I got a question for you guys. I just replace my heater core in my 86' T/A and I cant get the small piece that is part of the heater box to line back up with the holes. Mine is kind of broken but it is the part of the box that has a notice for the hinge for the blend door. Has anyone else had this problem? and if so, what can I do! it is like the door itself needs to move up for the part of the box to line up with the big part of the box that covers the heater core.
I've done this twice now... It usually involves a lot of massaging and putting in and moving around and some brute force to make it all line up again. Did you compare your old core to your new core before putting it in? Both replacement units I've bought have worked fine... but it's always a painstaking effort.
I suspect i need to do this job soon. I hope it holds out for a few more weeks. Ill more than likely dig into this over the winter or next season. This car will be off of the road by the end of the month.
Yo guys. I have an 88 IROC and the heater core is starting to cause windshield fogging on cold days, but there is no wetness on the carpet under the thing. Must be a small leak.
Anyway, I read the tech article on replacing the core, and I was wondering, how long should it take? 1 hour? 2 hours?
Any special tools required?
Thanks!
i have a 86 camaro AC car . i didnt have to do anything special to R&R my core and i was done in about an hour. i do advise to stay away from the aluminum replacement cores. its best to have your OE core repaired
Do not i say Again do not get it from autozone or advance they tend to not get hot enough so ill be replacing mine again real soon they tend to blow out luke warm heat company that autozone and advance deal with is spectra cooling and heating
Hey guys, I just replaced my heater core in my 87 firebird and ever since I replaced it my a/c & heater both blow air through my defrost! I'm not sure what the problem is I didn't pull any vacuum lines of before replacement but right after I installed the heater core I don't have air coming through the dash vents, blend doors are working for sure, I'm hearing a hissing but can't seem to find it I tried the ac selector switch and I don't think it's that. I'm kind of at a dead end any help would be appreciated Thanks!!
If you can hear hissing, the problem is most likely the HVAC switch. A search will no doubt find a load of threads as the issue is common. Here's one fix:
I am in the process of changing the heater core in my 89 RS, MAJOR PITA...had to loosen dash to get top screw out of box. Finally got core out but cannot get new core to go in. NAPA had the correct core that fit but I cannot get the new core in. am so hesitant to wrench the lines because the aluminum is so thin and easy to damage. Any tips would be most appreciated.
Ive done it twice and I remember having to bend the input output pipes a bit to make them line up with the holes... helps with 2 people, 1 to see whats happening and the other to do it because you can't see what youre doing at all.
Exactly. I can get it started but it won't go all the way in and the screw holes on the mounting board are off by two inches or more to the right. I saw another post that stated to put the core in without the plastic holder first, so I am going to try that tomorrow and see if I can get the tubes where they will go completely through the firewall. Its just so difficult because the mounting board wants to try and rip the vent doors off at the same time. I am going to try just getting the heater core in by itself then re-attach it to the mounting board and try that.
I did. I got one heater core from O'Reilly's and it did not fit in the holder, the end caps were wrong and it did not clip into the holder at all. I have seen threads were folks "made" those work by trimming the plastic holder but I did not want to do that. NAPA had the exact duplicate that would clip into the holder just like the original. I have measured, held side by side and studied it until my eyes crossed. They are identical.
I did. I got one heater core from O'Reilly's and it did not fit in the holder, the end caps were wrong and it did not clip into the holder at all. I have seen threads were folks "made" those work by trimming the plastic holder but I did not want to do that. NAPA had the exact duplicate that would clip into the holder just like the original. I have measured, held side by side and studied it until my eyes crossed. They are identical.
Update: Today was successful. Heater core in, only had to do minimal modification to holder. It kept getting wedged on one of the vent door arms. Modified that and it dropped right in. Even got the cantacerous top cover screw back in.
Just saw these posts-glad you finally got it in-as i recall, for an 85 camaro at least, pulling out the dash 1st, (cause I ultimately had to), making sure you have the same exact core and removing the frame before inserting are the 3 tips for making this "never want to do again" job doable. I also agree that a pair of eyes by the firewall maybe with a screwdriver to guide the tubes would help. I would also carefully hook up and make sure it doesn't leak before putting everything back
tom
Thanks Tom, you are right on all three points. I just loosened the dash on the passenger side and that was enough. I did not have to take out the ECU, it was not in the way. Patience and making sure you have the correct part is also key, some parts stores sell ones that don't mount into the holder, take your old one to make sure it matches, found mine at NAPA. We got the tubes aligned by just putting the heater core in without the holder, my dad was at the firewall and we just tweaked the tubes a little bit at a time. Once the core went in, attached it to the holder and realized the top edge was hanging up in a vent door arm, could see the mar on the plastic, so i took a small hacksaw and trimmed the holder about an inch and it dropped right in. I hate "modifying" but it was minimal and it worked.
Okay I have a 1992 z and it needs a heater core. I have the dash pad out, the ecm and bracket out along with the passenger side speaker out. There is no way I can reach up and under the dash to get the upper bolt holding the heater core box. What's next? I have loosened the 5 bolts along the wind shield and two others that appear to hold the whole dash in. Any help would be greatly appreciated..
Okay I have a 1992 z and it needs a heater core. I have the dash pad out, the ecm and bracket out along with the passenger side speaker out. There is no way I can reach up and under the dash to get the upper bolt holding the heater core box. What's next? I have loosened the 5 bolts along the wind shield and two others that appear to hold the whole dash in. Any help would be greatly appreciated..
Hey pfsteichen, welcome to heater core 101. In my 1989 Camaro, I was able to pull the passenger side dash out about 4 inches and reach down from the top and get the hidden screw out. It took a little time but I got it. My wife pulled the dash away for me and was able to access that little buger. To get it back in, if you are.so inclined, I took a piece of masking tape, stuck the screw through the middle of it with the sticky side away from the threads. I then stuck it in the socket and stuck the tape to the socket so the screw would stay in place. It worked. Once you have the box out of the way, you will have 4 bolts holding the heater core in place, they are not too bad to access. Undo the hoses at the firewall and work it out. Getting the new one in is the fun part. First, make sure you get the correct heater core. There are several for third gens floating around. I got the wrong one the first time and it would not fit in the holder. I have seen guy's on Youtube alter the box but I did not want to do that. I got the heater core, without the holder and put it in place, tweeking the tubes a little until they went in. My dad stood at the firewall and looked as I put the core in place then he tweeked the tubes. It took about three times and we got it in. Then I attached it to the box. It would not go all the way in as it was catching on a vent arm, not sure why. It marred the box enough where I could see where it was hanging so took a little saw and cut a small notch in the box. Dropped right in. The deal is patience with this job. I wish I had pics but didn't think about it at the time. It can be done, good luck!!
If you're trying to get the entire dash loose, drop the column and there's a bolt under there IIRC. That'd be the hard way to go.
Put a 6" long extension on a 1/4" ratchet and slip it up until your socket is on top of the box. The invisible screw is all the way towards the driver's side, right before the ridge where the cover meets up with the rest of the heater box. Push the socket back and to the left, if you hit the ridge you've gone too far. You can hit it by feel usually.
Thanks for the fast replies. I tried responding last night but technology failed me. I prefer heater core 101 to dropping the whole dash. My new question concerns pulling the pass side dash out 4 inches. Does that entail removing three bolts up along side the wind shield and one by the pass side speaker, and then just pulling the dash and letting it flex or bend out 4 inches? Seems risky to just bend/flex it out, but if that's right I'll give it a go.
Thanks, I'll try that long flex extension when I get the chance. Additionally do you guys have some thoughts on getting the hoses detached from the fire wall? I was looking at that last night. I read you have to take the coil out first, which appears to be held in place by a metal bracket. I can see one bolt at the base of it, it there a second one, kind of hidden towards the fire wall side of it?
Last edited by pfsteichen; 02-17-2017 at 02:07 PM.
Hey guys, I have a 84 Z that has no A/C from factory has anyone one here done one? All I see is cars with ac? Info? My car has 53k original miles an still has factory core in it I disconnected it years ago an want to fix it....
Generally not a fan of bumping old threads, but don't feel like creating a new thread when this one already comes up in the top of Google search results...
Got to refresh my memory, and change the heater core in the Iroc recently, and snapped a couple pics while I was in there. These pics show the "hidden" screw on top of the heater box cover, a close-up of the screw hole, and a shot of the combination of tools that works best for me to "blind man" the top screw. That is a typical 1/4" drive ratchet, 3" 1/4" drive extension, and a deepwell 7mm socket, all Craftsman of the fairly modern variety.
With this combination, it's really easy to slide the extension and socket across the top of the cover until you run into the bump. Note that the top screw is a bit further right than the bottom screw.
If you slide over the bump, you've gone too far. Just before the bump, you should be able to find the screw by tapping or feeling around with the socket/extension combo. The sound and feel will change when you hit metal vs the plastic. The ratchet will rest just touching the face of cover, when the socket is seated on the screw. Then just turn it out.
(85-92 Firebird Note: On the Firebird, just remove the lower trim panel below the map pouch. You'll notice an open slot below the map pouch, it may have various relays, and control boxes mounted there, which may need to be removed, but once everything is out of the way, it's a straight shot with a long extension right to the top screw. You can actually see it with a light.)
It helps to slip a rare earth magnet into the socket, to hold the screws during reassembly.
Hardest part of the job is reaching the lower clamp on the "?" shaped heater hose.
Fun Random Fact #983 - The "?" shaped hose is ACDELCO 14175S, the long hose with the Z bend from the heater core to the bypass valve is ACDELCO 18054L. The zig-zag is supposed to move the hose away from the center of the engine.
Generally not a fan of bumping old threads, but don't feel like creating a new thread when this one already comes up in the top of Google search results...
This concludes the purge of my project notes.
Thanks for the tips!!!
I have a contribution also since I replaced my heater core 2 days ago... use a right angle adapter as shown here, I removed the assembly very quickly using this:
Just did this today on my '83. Really wasn't hard at all. Did not remove the dash. The time consuming part was getting the tubes of the new core through the holes in the firewall. May have been easier with help from a friend, but I did it by myself. The top screw that everyone talks about was not difficult at all to get to. In all fairness, I'm not a big guy with big hands...
I glad to hear that you accomplished this task without much trouble. Regarding the upper bolt on heater core box, on my 92 it's unreachable as far as I can tell, yours might be differently situated.
05-03-2007, 09:15 PM
