01 heater cores not fitting

rockclimber · Nov 19, 2012

my parents have their 01 XJ at the mechanic to have the heater core replaced.

the mechanic, also my mechanic, has tried 4 different heater cores and none of them the lines line up.

he claims the dealer is wanting 500$ for a heater core. I don't see how that's possible, but thats what he is telling them.

has anyone had the issue of a heater core not lining up. what did you do?

Thanks.

and if all you are going to post is that the mech is trying to rip them off don't bother. my whole family has been going to this guy forever. we give him enough business.

Rush Power Systems · Nov 19, 2012

After markets are made to fit many different years, and so they don’t fit any of the years very well. We always try to have the one we pull rebuild, but when not possible we take it in and match it up, but now and then we need to do some bending on the lines to get it in, if it is a size thing, give the dealer you vin number, get the part number and give that to someone like NAPA.

souske · Nov 19, 2012

Do you still have the old one? I would try going to a rad shop and having them fix it

rockclimber · Nov 20, 2012

souske said:
Do you still have the old one? I would try going to a rad shop and having them fix it

if it had been my jeep thats what I would be doing. but its theirs and they don't have time to pull and replace the core themselves.

souske · Nov 20, 2012

I mean does the mech still have it?
How far away do your folks live?

rockclimber · Nov 20, 2012

souske said:
I mean does the mech still have it?
How far away do your folks live?

the mech still has it, I will suggest that. although if he hasn't already done that it probably isn't possible.

DanDXJ · Nov 20, 2012

I have an 01 XJ. I had a leak in the evaporator. While I had the dash apart I figured I would replace the heater core just for insurance against a future possible leak. I tried heater cores from four different parts stores(including Carquest and NAPA which usually have decent parts). I bought the first two cores thinking the first one I got was just a fluke. I returned them both. I finally got smart and carried the heater box into the store to check fit before I purchased. None of them fit correctly. The inlet/outlet tubes would not fit into the box. I finally said the heck with it and flushed /pressurized the original. All seemed OK so I reused it - three years later still OK. I was suprised how much the non-oem cores were misaligned.

Dan

HappyDog · Nov 20, 2012

rockclimber said:
my parents have their 01 XJ at the mechanic to have the heater core replaced.
...
he claims the dealer is wanting 500$ for a heater core. I don't see how that's possible, but thats what he is telling them.

The mechanic is not lying -- I just went to We R Mopar, an online Mopar dealer, and checked the price. They say dealer retail is $512, and they charge $384.

Here's the link:
http://www.wermopar.com/parts-catalog/jeep/cherokee/2001/base/4-0l-l6-gas/hvac/heater

kastein · Nov 20, 2012

Rush Power Systems said:
After markets are made to fit many different years, and so they don’t fit any of the years very well. We always try to have the one we pull rebuild, but when not possible we take it in and match it up, but now and then we need to do some bending on the lines to get it in, if it is a size thing, give the dealer you vin number, get the part number and give that to someone like NAPA.

that's sometimes accurate but not in this case. Factory part number for a heater core:
1997 4874 045 (LHD)
1998 4874 045 (LHD)
1999 4874 045 (LHD)
2000 4874 045 (LHD)
2001 4874 045 (LHD)

I didn't look up RHD models or 96 and earlier.

What I have seen - aftermarket heater cores sometimes aren't really made to fit very well and have to be bent slightly to fit. As long as you only bend the tube (i.e. secure it by the tubes, then bend them) and don't stress or crack the end tanks on the heater core while doing it, it shouldn't affect heater core lifespan at all.

The only significant year-over-year change I'm aware of on the HVAC box subsystem is the 98-99 change from a cable actuated blend door to a servo actuated version. 97 and 98 use a cable actuator, 99-01 use a servo actuator; the plastic HVAC box itself differs between the two designs as they mount differently to it.

HappyDog · Nov 20, 2012

kastein said:
The only significant year-over-year change I'm aware of on the HVAC box subsystem is the 98-99 change from a cable actuated blend door to a servo actuated version. 97 and 98 use a cable actuator, 99-01 use a servo actuator....

I'm developing a true dislike for the servo-operated blend door on my 2001 -- does the 97-98 cable-actuated one work well and stay in adjustment? If not a simple yes or no, let's make a new topic.

kastein · Nov 20, 2012

HappyDog said:
I'm developing a true dislike for the servo-operated blend door on my 2001 -- does the 97-98 cable-actuated one work well and stay in adjustment? If not a simple yes or no, let's make a new topic.

well in my case (on my 98) the damn cable jammed up so badly I can barely move the knob and the door will only move a little tiny bit, so I always get lukewarm with no other choices. I actually found this info out while looking to swap the other direction... but I'm reasonably certain I am the only person who has this problem.

rockclimber · Nov 20, 2012

kastein said:
t
What I have seen - aftermarket heater cores sometimes aren't really made to fit very well and have to be bent slightly to fit. As long as you only bend the tube (i.e. secure it by the tubes, then bend them) and don't stress or crack the end tanks on the heater core while doing it, it shouldn't affect heater core lifespan at all.

that's basically the conclusion I have reached.

I think the only reason the mechanic hadn't done that is that he was afraid of having to eat the cost of the core if he damaged it.

it makes me reconsider replacing mine. I am going to be tearing in there to find out what is wrong with the blend doors and was planning on doing that at the same time... maybe not.

thanks for the info.

kastein · Nov 20, 2012

Mine lets more coolant out than it passes through to the other side, so I have no choice. It's bypassed right now and getting replaced as soon as I feel like pulling my entire dash apart... :banghead:

rockclimber · Nov 20, 2012

kastein said:
Mine lets more coolant out than it passes through to the other side, so I have no choice. It's bypassed right now and getting replaced as soon as I feel like pulling my entire dash apart... :banghead:

I think I'll wait until I do a cage, then mod the dash while I have it out.

I wonder if it would be possible to move some things around down there to make the heater core accessible more easily.

kastein · Nov 20, 2012

Might be able to, but the late model heater core is sorta trapped because of the way the coolant tubes are routed. You could cut a slot in the box and get at it but to remove it, you have to take the top off the box... so the slot would do you no good.

01 heater cores not fitting

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