Heater Core is gone!!!! Need advice

[C-Tidda]

For the last few months I've noticed that when I really drive my car hard i start to smell coolant, and there is stem coming from underneath the hood.
I'm not that mechanically inclined so I couldn't diagnose the problem, so i just kept driving the car. Well a couple days ago a friend of mine told me to check under my floor mats to see if i had coolant leaking on the floor and if I did my heater core was gone. Just my luck I had coolant on the floor, mainly on the driver side. Mechanics around here are saying 1200-1800$ to fix the car, they gotta be smoking crack with those prices!!! I heard I could just bypass the wires to the heater core and it would stop the leak, is this true?

 

[NERD]

I hope you're flexible, lol. I've replaced 3 heater cores... And I currently have to do it again. Pull out your seats and go slow is my only advice.

 

[Javi]

We have a how to here seems easy to do. :dontknow:

let me see if i can find the How-to.

 

[CC'S95GT]

you can disconnect the hoses under the hood and connect them together with a piece of pipe. that should get you back on the road anyway. but i think the heater core is on the passenger side. are you sure the fluid on the driver side is antifreeze and not a water leak, say from the windshield. it costs that much because the whole dash has to be removed to get to the heater core. and the a/c might have to be recharged too.

 

[cimmy316]

its only a 6-8 hours job for beginners shop time 560 plus part generally under 100 from dealer but i will do them all day for 1200+

 

[riored96gt]

We have a how to here seems easy to do. :dontknow:

I've wrenched on GTP's and Formula Atlantic's, and I paid a guy to replace mine just last month!

I did buy a core from radiators.com, not ford.

I took him the core, freon, and coolant, he charged $300.

Almost worth the trip to Iowa!!!

 

[Gregor185]

i did mine and and its a bit of a pain but like sxynerd said take out your seats and take your time

 

[ReplicaR]

Mine went bad a last winter, so I rerouted for time being. It's been over a year since, and I missed it during winter, and now that the summer is here, I could really use it on the track. I just ordered mine, and will probably be doing it this weekend. A member here did a pretty thorough write up. Here is a link with pictures

http://www.mustangboards.com/5-0l-tech/27444-95-heater-core-replacement-how.html

 

[ReplicaR]

Just finished mine. Replaced heater core, and condenser all under 10 hours. You want advice? Get a friend to help. Getting the dash back in by yourself is not an easy task, and aligning it seriously sucks.

 

[slo1]

I found a local shop to replace mine and he charged me $200 + like $30 for the core itself I did my old fox body myself and your right about the flexible part

 

[ThePope]

It's a pain to do at first. Once you do it, next time will be easy. I did one on my 98 GT. My vert is gonna need it soon. Hopefully I can get through the winter. That way I can swap out to a 98 dash. Clock dash FTL. lol

 

[Steve-Oh]

yeah take you time and be patient

 

[riored96gt]

Just finished mine. Replaced heater core, and condenser all under 10 hours. You want advice? Get a friend to help. Getting the dash back in by yourself is not an easy task, and aligning it seriously sucks.

Are you offering to help??? :violent1:

 

[danielson631]

the first time it happened to me i bypassed it. the winter was coming and i knew id need the heat so i tackled the job.

it wasnt SOO bad. just a PITA, like everyone else says. the first time i did it, it took me about 6-7 hrs. the second time it took about 4 hrs tops. the places around me wanted 800-1100 to do it.

my motor mounts were shot, and i must have put the hose on too tight, and when the engine shifted it snapped the hose and the stem right off of the heater core. this was while i was doing a sick burnout, when i let off the gas the motor dropped and the hose snapped, sending coolant shoooting through my vents onto my legs. it was not a pleasant experience. meanwhile im 20 miles away from my house. i bypassed it there in the parkinglot, and filled it back up with some water and drove home.

but yeah my advice would be do it yourself. theres just a lot of bolts and some seem to be hidden. the write up ( i think it was on here) was very very useful. just go through it a couple times and youll be ready

 

[lrall]

Can i just say when you remove the dash make sure to unbolt the main block through the fender FIRST. I dont know why nobody mentions this but it made it a huge pain for me

 

[Cruizin GT]

I think he's done now, thread is almost a year old lol.

 

[C-Tidda]

Wow!!! Thanks for all the advice guys, man after I made this thread I totally forgot all about it..... I bypassed it last summer, and this past winter I got it fixed for around 500 dollars I believe... I just hope it never goes out again.

 

[modo]

anyone offering to do it on the cheap is probably cutting your heater box and gluing it back together.

.02

 

[danielson631]

if i knew people with mustangs that needed a heater core replacement id be more then glad to do it for 500 bucks, and do it the right way.

but modo is right for that price people like to take shortcuts

 

[riored96gt]

if i knew people with mustangs that needed a heater core replacement id be more then glad to do it for 500 bucks, and do it the right way.

Way Cool!!! When can you be here? $500 cash and I'd even feed you...