QuestionQUESTION: Hi. Any knowledge regarding the removal of the heater core from this car. I believe I may have to remove the hood of the car according to the shop manual. Any advice? Thanks!
ANSWER: Yes, you are right. The hood and the air cleaner have to come off.
Then you need to disconnect the vacuum supply hose on top of the heater case and pull it away from the case mouting studs.
Then disconnect the hydraulic lines from the wiper motor.
Next, remove the transmission dipstick and tube.
Now, disconnect the multiple connector leading to the thermostat switch inside the heater case cover and to the resistor on the front of the cover.
Now, remove 5 nuts and two screws from the heater core case cover and take off the cover.
Now you can slide the heater core from the case.
Phew! Are you sure you need heat this winter?
Good luck - and supply yourself with lots of band-aids - this one is a bear!
Dick
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks so much! I'm curious, Why does the air cleaner have to come off and I assume it's the entire air cleaner from over the carb? The issue I'm having is the slight smell of coolant when the heater is on and my windows fog up from the slight release of moisture from what I figure is minor leaks in the heater core. The car is basically a show car and I don't drive it in the cold weather but I would like to remedy the situation. What's the best way to remove the hood? Two people lifting it off together when all bolts are removed? Thanks again!!!
AnswerSorry for the slow reply. An old problem with the all-experts site has come back, and my questions are not coming through to me. I happened to check in on another matter and saw your follow-up question sitting in the que.
To your questions: The air cleaner has to come off to give you room to work and to remove the heater core cover. It might be possible to do it without taking that off, but believe me, it will be a lot easier if you take it out of the way.
Removing the hood is definitely a two or 3 person job - two to undo the bolts (mark their position carefully before you loosen them so you don't have to spend hours lining things up again later), and one to support the weight of the hood as the bolts come loose. Doing this job with two people can be done, but lay thick blankets on the fenders and windshield to make sure a slip doesn't do serious damage.
There is a way to avoid all this, and that is to block off the heater hoses, since you don't care about whether the heater gives off heat. Remove one end of each hose and put a tight fitting item (a wine bottle cork will do it) in the open end of the hose, push it in far enough that you can slip the hose back into place on the fitting. No one will ever know.
Coat the corks with good "Weldwood" cement, and clean the inside of the hose first, so the corks will stay in place. If you can't find a large enough cork to fit tight inside the hose, get some plastic rod for a hobby store of the right diameter - probably 3/4 inch, and cut it to about 2 inches and glue it in the hose instead.
Dick
