Hello: I may have a leak in the heater core for my 2000 Dodge Ram pickup. I have been getting antifreeze odor when the heater is turned on, although I am not seeing liquid on the floor nor I am seeing a green haze on the windshield. I really don't know for sure if this is the case or could it be leaking elsewhere. I do not see anything evidence of coolant leaking around the engine as well. Anyhow, the smell keeps leading me to the heater core. I just want to know how big a job it maybe to do by oneself or should I have a professional do it. The vehicle does have A/C as well and I know it means tearing apart a good portion of the instrument panel. I am very hesitant about putting any sealant in my cooling system and causing more harm. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Here is a DIY, see what you think. https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...ater-core.html

 

geez I wish I would have had that two days ago when I did my heater core! Let me know if you have any questions, I am pretty fresh on this topic.

 

That's what you get for not searching the FAQ section here.

 

Hope yours doesn't look like this when you pull it out!!! I don't have the best of mechanical skills but I managed to do it just fine. I used a bunch of ziploc bags and sharpied on them where all the bolts went. Did it is a 5spd manual transmission so had to remove shift boot, 4x4 engage, but once I got the dash free I just zip tied it to my oh **** handle and went to work.. taking it apart took the longest because I had to label everything. Id buy an 18 pack and split it up into two days if you could. Seemed to go pretty stress free that way!

 

its the heater core. i just did mine and smelt the coolant for a while but didnt think anything of it and after about a month or so it started leaking out of the lower vent. Its not that hard to do but theres a couple of hidden bolts that the diy writup leaves out and also you dont have to disconnect the a/c at all. let me know if you want more info i just did mine three weeks ago and did it without disconnecting the ac at all.

 

heres another post if you scroll down a bit and theres a bunch of links of pics and between this and the one zman posted you can do it no problem and youll save $400+. Also dont forget to unhook the shifter cable before dropping the steering wheel( i didnt and now my pin says im in nuetral all the time)

 

+1 on the cable. I always forget to mention it. It's the only thing not mentioned in the DIY's. Wish someone would add it in.

 

Thank you all for your inputs! I feel better about doing it myself now.

 

Ah the heater cores on our trucks are easy to get to just wait long enough for you dash the crack real good then all you have to do is pull the broken peaces out and dig the defroster vent and heater vent out of your way. Took me about an hour to get mine out and back in. But yeah dodge had some great idea about heater core location (they should have built that heater core out of stainless steel and fully wielded it up) and dash construction.

*Facepalm* Doh