Yea I know that not being able to change a heater core sounds bad but man I have never had to change one on a Dodge! Usually they are right behind the glove box. So does anyone have any ideas or do I pay the 670 bucks for labor?

 

Heater cores just suck in general. Usually it's freakin cold out by the time you realize there is a problem or a problem occurs. So working in the cold sucks in general. Anyhow, it's an extensive job. It'll take you an entire day if you can finish. I look at it as even if it took 2 days, that's still a big savings.

 

try to do it yourself and save you some $$$$

johnny.

 

Alright doing it myself sounds like a good idea and I like to do my own work on my truck anyway, but is there anyone out there who could tell me or give me some hints on how to get to it? Has anyone changed theirs?

 

Not specifically on the Ram, but I did on a Pontiac Sunfire....pffttt....what a PIA! Entire dash had to be removed. I mean, radio, bezels, glove box, speedo, center console in order to get the dash out...

Your prob better off buying a Haynes or Chiltons manual for that sorta thing.

 

I did mine. first thing you need is the chilton manual. it tells where all the bolts are and step by step instructions. it took me about 10 hrs. the heater core wasnt all that expensive. the whole project wanst all that bad or hard, just ate up some time. if you decide to do it remember to take it to a shop to have the A/C sucked down before you start because once you start you wont be able to drive the truck anywhere. also to save youself the mess, pull the heater core hoses before you pull the dash. I put a clean hose on the top pipe and routed the other hose to a bucket. then i blew on the clean hose to push the antifreeze out of the core so it wouldnt spill out in the truck when you rotate the heater box to get it out. the time was well worth the $$$ it would have cost to have it done.

p.s. you may want to change the heater blend door while you already have it apart. its going to go bad soon anyway.

 

I haven't changed mine yet on the 04 ram, but did on my 01 ram. I would change your evaporator coil while your in there. No since in doing the work twice. Just a suggestion