1996 Explorer Heater core Removal?

[rushnrun 14]

Anybody done this, pics and pointers would be great... I know it's not an easy task... the local shop said they wouldn't touch it.

Saw the puddle of anti-freeze when I pulled the carpet

What else can happen to delay this build....?

[jonbearsmt 919]

if its gonna be your bass racer only i would just jump the heater core and save your self ALOT of trouble...

all fords are the same...

here is my jorney

dash parts... the dash was on my porch

you have to take out the whole dash... then there will be a buncha stuff inder the hood you will have to undo to get to a few bolts that hold in the planum.. the black thing in the pics above... then its 4 screws that hold the core in..

put that shit back in!

took me 2 weeks start to finish.. but i was also working while i did this project. it was a bitch.

good luck!

[dbjunior 0]

not all fords are hard i had to do one one my bronco it took 20mins. pop the clovebox off and undo like 6 screws and there it was. then undo the hoses under hood and pull it out. it took like a wwek for me to get the money for it so i just put i jumper pipe in under the hood and it worked fine so if you are using it just for comps like bigjon said just use a jumper.

[jonbearsmt 919]

not all fords are hard i had to do one one my bronco it took 20mins. pop the clovebox off and undo like 6 screws and there it was. then undo the hoses under hood and pull it out. it took like a wwek for me to get the money for it so i just put i jumper pipe in under the hood and it worked fine so if you are using it just for comps like bigjon said just use a jumper.

your right... all newer fords are the same... MY BAD!

the old fords are very simple.. as you stated.. glove box and done. but not no mo!

[rushnrun 14]

yeah 94 and older are easy.... grrrrr..... maybe I'll feed it some stopleak and hope for the best....

and wow jon that's one hell of a nightmare in there.....

***I just picked up a cive HB today so I've got a backup SPL car for now... I'm gonna see if my buddy with a heated shop will let me take up some of his space otherwise this will wait till summer...

Edited January 18, 2009 by rushnrun

[jonbearsmt 919]

you have alot of cars young man.. how so!

[rushnrun 14]

Some people buy shoes, some people buy jerseys, I buy cars

I may have a problem... I buy about 18 different cars over the course of one year....

I don't keep them all.. :)

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

Nice score on the Civic. Ours was trusty and gave good mileage, not to mention got loud fairly easily.

[rushnrun 14]

Yeah I'm pretty stoked on the civic. I loved my 92 and have wanted another ever since I sold mine last year.

**the old lady's not real happy about me buying two "stereo" cars within 30 days

She said If I buy one more she gets a new Lexus... I better hold off for a while now eh?

**too bad the 98 civic has such a weird trunk space... the 92 was a little more stereo friendly..

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Should be able to access it without dash removal.

[rushnrun 14]

Should be able to access it without dash removal.

I've been told that I can unbolt the passenger side and disconnect a few thing and be able to pull the dash away enough to get the job done.

I'll be talking to my friend with the shop here in an hour or so, so I'll know what I'll be doing with it

[rushnrun 14]

grrr... no go on having this done...

My buddy can't do it either.... something to do with the A/C system (I think he just doesn't want to do it in his shop... he owns the shop and it'd take up one of his bays and he doesn't have a ton of room to start with)

the only place in town that acted like they would do it said it's $60 an hour and they don't know how long it would take... could be 10-20hours.....

Stop leak is sounding tempting... I don't like riggin' stuff but for the cost and hassel.... It might limp through that way..... I also need to get the drain unclogged so it stops dumping into the interior..

**this truck is suppose to be going to a comp next month... i.e. it'll still be cold out so bypassing really isn't an option..

[Tirefryr 1,742]

The heater core will have nothing to do with the AC. If he thinks he has to touch the AC to change a heater core, he shouldn't be working on it anyways.

Time to get your hands dirty.

[jonbearsmt 919]

the only way the a/c has anything todo with the heater on a ford is the following...

the a/c compresser pumps... the blend door opens depending on where the climent control is set..

IE..if you have the heat on 77..... the blend door on the heater will be half open..

and the A/C door will be half open... making that hold/cold air warm.

but it will be a big job.

funny story... after doing my heater core i was fuckin scratched up from my finger tips to my sholders...

i walk into the auto parts store and a man stops me... he says...HEATERCORE!! and i look at him.. i look at his arms and i point HEATERCORE!!!

we both shared battle scars... he was doing a heatecore on a 98 navi... same as a exploder...

OHH the stories we shared

[rushnrun 14]

I've gotta wait till it's warm out... no heat=no heater core replacement... (the truck wasn't being driven anyway-it's been in parts for a week or so now... it'll just be staying that way for a while.)

I'm pretty lazy/unmotivated in the cold

guess I'll start the civic build today... I don't have time/room for a full tear down so I'll just run some wires and get to box building. I think I've got 30 days or so to the first comp...

[bigharv 0]

yes

[jonbearsmt 919]

yes

oh i get it.. you must be trying to leave 35 post so that you can sell somthing.....

why dont you try a little bit.... comments like this are USELESS post.

[rushnrun 14]

Well I've decided to go ahead and try and tackle this... I thought about sticking the truck outside and bringing in the civic but I can't work on the civic with all the truck's parts laying around..

It'll be my first dash removal... I'll use the space heater on the inside and try not to freeze if I have to take anything off under the hood... guess I better buy the manual.. woohooo this'll be fun...... I can only work on it about 1-2hrs a night so It may take a while..

[jonbearsmt 919]

i used a DVD shop program.... i bought it online a year ago when i bought the car...

it is SO helpful!

alot of book manual.. cover a WIDE range or years and body styles.... many times are no help.

but this dvd i bought is for say like mine a 01.. the program only covers 01 and 02... not 97-02..

and is very indepth.... with pics and step by step directions.

a friend of mine that is ASE and chevy certed has a website and a password to look up any chevy cars.... no help to me as im a lincoln man.. but... the program i got on ebay is just like it.

and it was only 35 bucks if im corect...

anyhow just figured i would let you know... i have been there.

[rushnrun 14]

Thanks for the info, I'll look into it...

[akjay907 0]

is a 94 and 96 explorer the same bodystyle?

i did one on my sister's 94 exploder, and it was a pain in the ass when i didnt know what to do at first...until i got a haynes manual haha.

[rushnrun 14]

the 94 is like a 30min job... the 96 is a WHOLE different story...

I looked up explorer heater core removal online and got excited when I saw the 94's removal process then I got to reading further and saw the 96 removal..

(94 should be the box body style 95 and up is round)

[akjay907 0]

haha, that might explain why it wasnt as hard as i thought it was going to be, but still was a pain.

so 94 was the last year of the box style i guess...

[rushnrun 14]

the 96 removal doesn't look so bad on paper... until you see "remove cluster *see cluster removal" by cluster it's refering to the entire dash.... also the bolts that it wants you access aren't accessible without removing other parts to get to them... I'm guessing I end up with a bucket of spare parts after this one

[jonbearsmt 919]

I'm guessing I end up with a bucket of spare parts after this one

i did... . i had a cup of screws and i still cant find my code reader dock!

most of the screws are the ones that old the wire harness to the dash.. that you can only get to after you unbolt the dash BUT before you can set it on the floor.... its messed up...

i can only think that they put those screws in before the windshild was put installed at the factory...

but then again mines a lincoln tons of gadgets.... im not sure what model you got...sum haven some dont.

put i hope yours goes well.... show some pics too