The heater core on a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 is responsible for providing heat for the passenger cabin. The heater core uses a series of aluminum tubes and cooling fins to transfer heat from the engine coolant to the air surrounding the core. If the heater core fails for any reason, the heating capabilities of the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system will immediately cease. Replace the faulty heater core immediately to prevent the unit from leaking coolant onto the passenger floorboard. The replacement process will take a minimum of four hours.
Disconnect the lower radiator hose and allow all of the engine coolant to flow out into a drain pan. Disconnect the negative battery cable to disable the airbag system. Allow five minutes for the backup capacitors to discharge before moving on.
Remove the following parts: air bag control module and bracket from the floor panel tunnel, trim from both cowl side inner panels, steering column-to-instrument panel opening cover, hood latch release screws and latch release and driver side air bag module wiring harness.
Remove the four bolts securing the steering column (two on the right side, two on the left side) and lower the column onto the driver's seat.
Disconnect and remove the following items from under the driver side instrument cluster: parking brake release handle linkage rod, instrument panel wiring harness connector, dash-to-instrument panel wiring harness connector, instrument panel-to-door wiring harness connector, stop light switch electrical connector and vacuum harness connector. Also disconnect the three wiring harness connectors from the three junction block connector receptacles located close to the dash panel.
Remove the five upper instrument panel-to-upper dash panel screws and move the entire dashboard rearward about 18 inches. Disconnect the instrument panel-to-heater/air conditioning housing assembly wiring harness connectors. Remove the entire dashboard unit. Disconnect the heater hoses from the heater core tubes at the firewall. Remove the power train control module from the dash panel, but do not disconnect its harness connector.
Remove the HVAC housing assembly-to-chassis nuts as well as the housing-to-dash panel nuts. Remove the housing assembly from the vehicle. Remove the upper-to-lower housing screws and remove the upper housing. Remove the heater core from the lower housing.
Perform the above steps in reverse order to complete the installation.
