Any short cuts to replacing a heater core in a 96 v-6?

bypassing it is not an option

 

this should work. They can be found cheap and love to be installed on v-6's
http://www.laudano.com.br/images/lau...t-chick_02.jpg





















bags of flour sold separately

 

^

Rob, I don't know if there are much in the way of short-cuts for this. I know that the Haynes manual calls for 8 or 8.5 hours removal, and another 8-8.5 to get it installed and the car buttoned back up... All for a freaking $30 or $40 part

We've got the same problem currently in my Uncle's 96 GT...

 

pay someone else to do it

 

If it's anything like the Fox repair, the only shortcut is to buy another car with a working heater core. Other than that...DIY. Do NOT take it somewhere to have it done. Unless you live in the arctic circle, the heat isn't worth the price. Look at it as a nice learning experience.

 

+1, having someone else do the work is NOT a short-cut on the wallet. You're looking at like 16-18 hours of quoted labor, at what a minimum of $40/hour shop labor???? No thanks. Take a weekend; pull dash out day one, replace core and reinstall everything day two.

 

I had my dash out of my car in about 1.5 hours. Once you disconnect the steering column (4 bolts) there is 8 bolts holding the dash to the body. It weighs about 74lbs for the 94-04 style. The heater core/ac box weighs 24lbs. So better have a friend handy. Its not heavy just bulky and hard to get a firm grip on.

 

So the car's built around the heater core.....

 

lol not that bad but pack a lunch

 

Take a sawzall and hack your dash in half. Remove the passenger piece and remove heater core. The two pieces will almost line back up kinda sorta afterwards.

Thats about the only shortcut I can think of.


Yes, I have seen this done on a Mustang.