So I'm doing the heater core. Almost got the HVAC unit out, but i'm hung up on the last firewall nut. Its directly behind the dipstick tube about 16-20 inches (guess) below the windshield. I cannot conceive of a way to put a socket or wrench on the thing.

Has anybody taken this nut off without breaking the unit?

Special tool needed?

Is every minor repair on my D going to be this stupid?

What kind of idiot engineered this thing!?

 

The transmission dipstick tube is removable. Would that assist you at all and give you more space?

 

ah yes, now i feel stupid, oh well...

that would help tremendously, if i hadn't already went and bought a funny shaped wrench and wedged it in there and took it off. haha. well, at least now i might actually put it back on when i'm done.


another question though: I discharged my ac and it seemed like all the instructions i could find imply that the AC lines are to be disconnected from inside the cabin... thats got to be wrong, because i can't find anywhere inside. I went and disconnected them from that block thingy in the firewall by taking that nut loose. Now the block behind it doesn't fit through the hole, so i used an allen-wrench socket on one of the 2 bolts on that. got it off and found out that its actually a t30 torx.

Attempted the second bolt with t30, it turned a few times, then stopped. stripped the splines in the bolt!!! frustrated! Am I really missing something here?

I am feeling increasingly incompetent the further along on this project i get!