99 Heater core - minimum pieces that need to come out?

[squirrelnw]

here in washington I just paid a guy 300.00 to R and R my heater core, daily driver and didnt have the time to do it. he did great work, was done with it in about 3 hours or so and everything works. including a dash light I thought was burned out...

 

[Talyn]

3 hours is damn quick.

 

[gba88]

Hey Guys,
Reporting back... OH MY GOD..... what a freaking job! I will give ANYONE who can do this in 3 hours 100 dollars an hour and pay for you to come out to PA to do it if I ever need it done again!

My dad helped me, and we could NOT get the freaking center console out.... could someone please tell me the trick to this? All screws were out and it just couldn't clear the e brake. didn't have the driver side seat out (bolt broke!), but i thought you could get the console out without removing both seats? removed the passenger seat then all the dash hardware and roped it up to the visor mount.

WORST part was pulling the box out and getting it back in...we must have spent an hour putting it back in .,..it was as if something was behind it. I can definitely see why someone would take out the column and the entire dash after what i went through today trying to get that thing out of there with the dash half pulled out.

I think I was a little too optimistic after reading some of the posts here! Icing on the cake was the one AC line wouldn't go back in. So now, I'm researching that problem. Oddly enough I cannot find the usual pool of general info on such a thing from searching google.

Thanks for all the replies! And if anyone knows the trick of getting the console out or what the problem might be with the ac line I'd appreciate the info

 

[Talyn]

was the parking brake up?

What do you mean the AC line won't go back in?

 

[gba88]

was the parking brake up?

What do you mean the AC line won't go back in?

yep, up as far as it would go...just wouldn't clear it...had the shifter off and both bezels obviously. The AC line on the right will not "snap" back onto the evaporator. I've been doing a little more research and I'm thinking the spring in the connector might be rusty/dirty. That would probably be too easy though. Won't be able to mess with it til tomorrow now.

 

[merdock69]

I just slid the console slightly forward and lifted the rear first up and over the parking brake.

Is it the accumulator/drier line? The a/c accumulator/drier is a part I always replace when I open an a/c system, shouldn't be expensive. I think I paid $17 for one off of rock auto and in a pinch paid $47 for one from napa. Autozone would probably be somewhere in between.

 

[gba88]

I just slid the console slightly forward and lifted the rear first up and over the parking brake.

Is it the accumulator/drier line? The a/c accumulator/drier is a part I always replace when I open an a/c system, shouldn't be expensive. I think I paid $17 for one off of rock auto and in a pinch paid $47 for one from napa. Autozone would probably be somewhere in between.

i was reading about the drier/accumulator, and how it's recommended that you replace if the system's been exposed to air.... I'll have to look up where that part is, and see if I can find anything local. The line that won't go back on is the right hand one on the evaporator. it's the skinnier of the 2.

 

[merdock69]

Have you tried lubing it with some pag oil?

 

[gba88]

Have you tried lubing it with some pag oil?

yeah that was the first thing i did. it kind of clicked a couple times but just wasn't staying on. Then, after a few more tries later, it wasn't even clicking anymore.

As far as the console, I couldn't get it forward enough ...it seemed it was hitting the bracket, and couldn't be lifted from the front because of the wiper controls section. I took that part out too, but it still wasn't enough clearance.

 

[gba88]

UPDATE: I *REALLY* hope this helps someone in the future... OK had a friend who works at a garage look at it...definitely something wrong. He said that the flare on the evaporator was too big on one edge (you gotta be freaking kidding me).....He said that there was probably not even enough length to re-flare it even if someone would attempt it. So, I took it home (this was at my dad's), and inspected everything some more. I chopped the old end off the other evap just to see if i could get it back on (to make sure the spring locking part was good) sure enough, it popped right on. I hope I didn't F something up b/c I was putting about 10X the pressure on that thing to begin with compared to how much you really need to give it.

So I was comparing the flares and what *I* think the problem was is that the flare on the new evap was almost a block from the side view opposed to a knife edge (can't think of a better comparison). So, I got some 320 and 600grit sand paper and very carefully started working at it. Long story short, about a half hour or so later, I FINALLY got it to engage! it was awesome All the while, I had a little oil draining from the stem of the evap side so no debris got in the system. Everything is together and I have it charged and it's working at the moment. I'll check again in a couple days maybe when it's a little warmer out here (only about 50 now).

So yeah, about 12 or 13 hours later across 2 days and it' sas done as it's gonna get. If I EVER have to do the whole thing again, I'm going to make SURE to get the console out even if I have to cut it. I STILL don't know how you guys get it forward enough to lift it out! I sure wish this would a been my old 96 because I've read those are SO much easier.