Well,..I guess I'll keep this thread alive a bit longer.....+ you guessed it..."MY TURN"!! Changed the thermostat last weekend,...still won't go to "normal" operating temp,...let alone any higher. Cool air....maybe some mild luke warm stuff when I accelerate...that's it....I even "burped" the baby to get all the air out,...no change. What sucks is that it's been like -18*C to -38*C (w/windchill), here in the "Great White North"...and this kind of repair sucks! when it's cold out. (when I did the stat, I also put in a new air breather, a Fram "Platinum" air filter and new block heater cord). I've changed quite a few in my day,...but never in a Dodge,...so I notice that the "dash" needs to come out...(a bit..),..well,..I't's gonna get a lot colder up here in T.Bay, Canada before long...so I guess it's off to the parts store Sunday,..and hopefully find time to do this around the Christmas rush/holidays! .......I'll be back...

 

ok.... its my turn.... thought i was just fogging up my windows... but Its a bad heater core... (steam coming out of the vents) Anyways I plan on swapping out the heater core this week following the instructions that have been posted on here... I'm not planning on doing anything with the ac while im in there and dont' plan on disconnecting or touching anything with the AC... (sounds like this is possible!?)

My question is... when i take the hoses off the heater core... is it going to just start pouring coolant out inside my cab? do i need to disconnect a hose somewhere else or find a way to drain it first so this does not happen? not looking forward to doing this job... but def not going to pay a stealership 5.2 hours of labor to do it!

any other info or threads that would help me!?
Thanks!

 

Repsol83,

I followed the instructions on here and it was a breeze. I know someone said they were able to change the heater core w/o touching the evaporator, but I think that would be very difficult. the heater core hoses actually detach forward of the firewall in the engine compartment, but when I pulled the box out from under the dash, leftover coolant spilled out in the cab. Put down lots of towels in the cab!

I suggest spending an extra $80 at Rock Auto on the evaporator while your in the dash. Mine was pretty dirty and partially clogged up by debris and bugs. Follow the instructions posted here and you shouldn't have any problems, it was actually easier than I thought it would be. Have fun!

 

i will spend the extra money if it turns out i am not able to do it without touching the ac lines.... I'm going to try to do it that way... probably tonight... so i will keep ya posted how well it works! or doesn't work lol

 

so i have read this entire thread and to be honest, this seems like a HUGE task. i don't want to spend $1900 for a shop to fix this when i could probably just spend $300. i had a shop put dye into the system and they said it was leaking from the evap. and the condensor. while i am replacing those, i also am doing the heater core. so i have looked on rockauto but not sure which brand to buy. just becuase it is the most expensive doesn't mean it is of good quality. also, rockauto is not showing the brass heater core. but from what i hear, the brass one is the way to go (better quality). after saying this all, can someone please tell me what other MAJOR parts i will need for this job. i will replace those hoses on the motor side that connect to the core as well (the hoses people have been cutting off). what exactly are those hoses called? i just need to know so i can go buy them too. hopefully if i get enough courage to try this by myself, it will go about as smooth as it can. i noticed people were concerned about the airbag, but as long as the neg. cable is disconnected we r good with that. and did anybodys cheap plastic dash end of breaking or cracking while doing this?

i will be purchasing:
heater core
condensor
evap. core
hoses

 

Get the Brass heater core from Rock Auto. It is the Four Seasons brand, and it is covered in foam and brass/copper (Yeah, I took mine in for scrap and got $20 out of it!) just like the factory core. Hoses are called heater hoses. Make sure you get the molded ones (you can try your dealer or Rock Auto for those), they make getting them on eaiser.

 

I just went with the aluminum one from our local parts shop... it came with a warrenty.. so... we'll see how it goes.. and I also just got long piece of tubing from them as well to replace the existing heater hoses...

why are people wrapping these in foam or putting a foam spacer in between the two pieces?

 

Because thats the way it came from the factory.

 

but is there an actual reason for it.. I asked the guy at napa and he said i didn't need to do it?

 

The foam insulates it from the plenum and keeps it snug, in place. Otherwise, it's going to rattle around.