# Heater core removal



## Bigplanz

91 Olds Silhouette. 3.1 V6. Heater core is partially clogged so I bought a replacement from Rock auto. Haynes says. That after you take off the sound insulation panel, the glove box and the heater core cover, remove the hoses etc that you 'remove the core.'

Well it won't come out. No way. Won't go up or come out far enough to get inlet and outlet tubes through the firewall. The fuse box and ECM are in the way. No way it comes out. I tried for 40 minutes. 

What's the secret? Taking the whole dash out?


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## titanoman

Go to an auto parts store and they will let you look at a Chiltons repair manual.

Sent from a Samsung Galaxy S2


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## Bigplanz

The Haynes manual said it would come out with just the cover off. They lie. From additional research it looks like the whole dash has to come off. No way I'm taking the dash off a 21 year old van. I think I'll 'field engineer' a way to get the core out and in. A big hole in the firewall or some similar solution seems likely.


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## titanoman

I've never heard of having to remove an entire dash to get a heater core out, but there's always a first.


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## Bigplanz

No kidding. I just find this to be implausible. I must be missing something. It 'should' slide right out. I will get back to it this weekend and rethink my approach. Getting the hoses off the first time was an ordeal.


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## cjm94

Removing the dash is pretty standard on most cars for the heater core these days. Not sure on that model though. Now you know why it costs so much to take it to a shop.


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## titanoman

cjm94 said:


> Removing the dash is pretty standard on most cars for the heater core these days. Not sure on that model though. Now you know why it costs so much to take it to a shop.


Maybe these days, but his vehicle is 20 years old.


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## Bigplanz

The instructions say take the passenger side sound insulation panel and glove box out, unbolt a dash brace and take the core cover off. Undo the core clips and the hoses, then "remove the heater core."

It won't come straight out and the fusebox and ECM are in the way. I don't mind a hard job but it ticks me off when the instructions are just wrong.


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## titanoman

I never used Haynes. You might see what Chiltons says. Or catch one of the service techs at a dealership when he's not too busy. If he doesn't know, he can look it up.


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## raylo32

Heater core replacement... always a terrible job. I have done it 2 on different vehicles but never had to pull the dash, but I have heard that a lot do need that.

You might also try Autozone website for detailed instructions. They have them for a lot of vehicles and tasks. Have to register, of course, but it's free.


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## Bigplanz

I checked out the AZ instructions and the are similar to the Haynes. I am thinking that I should have pushed the core forward against the firewall, tilted it down and then pulled it out at an angle. I'll try it Saturday.


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## MecGen

Lots of cars in the 80s and 90s need to pull the dash, done lots of them. I don't remember if you car needs this tho, I don't think so.
Call a shop for an estimate, if its 1-2 hours no need to remove much, 6+ start worrying.
Question...how do you know its "partially clogged"?

Regards


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## cjm94

Mitchell time is 2.1 hours so it should be pretty simple.


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## Bigplanz

I think the core is partially clogged because of low levels of heat. Even full blast it's barely warm air. With the cover off and the van at operating temp and the inlet pipe is hot. The core itself has cool and warm spots but is not hot at all. 

If the job is listed at 2.1 hours labor I must missing something pretty obvious.


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## raylo32

If it is just clogged and not leaking you could try to flush it or blow it out with compressed air. Might be worth a shot.


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## MecGen

raylo32 said:


> If it is just clogged and not leaking you could try to flush it or blow it out with compressed air. Might be worth a shot.


I've tryed that many times, its never worked for me


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## hrjrkr

If you are not getting enough heat, it could be a stuck open thermostat.


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## Bigplanz

My concern with flushing it is that could turn a non-leaking core into a leaking one.


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