Heater radiater replacement

[JPS]

Can somebody excplain me how to replace the heater radiater on a '86 C4? If possible please send me some pictures. TIA

[scotch1]

Originally Posted by JPS

Can somebody excplain me how to replace the heater radiater on a '86 C4? If possible please send me some pictures. TIA

Hi!

I recently replaced the heater core on my C4 1990 coupe. Is that is what you are referring to??

Not a pleasant task, but quite possible.

It is best advised to use the service manual as a reference and a guide, especially for location of components and reassembly.

I don’t' know if your car is exactly similar to mine.
So let me tell you what I learned.
My core was located on the passenger side, under the glove box, in an enclosure, mounted on the inside of the fire wall, with the water fittings extending into the engine compartment..

Drain the coolant, disconnect the battery.
Remove the instrument pan, and dash board. I had to drop the steering column, to make life easier.

I have a coupe, so I removed the glass top for extra light and visibility and accessibility from the top, to get at screws and removal of the dash and, just made it easier to get around.

Have some small boxes for screws. One for the dash and one for the instrument panel, left side, right side. Etc just to keep things organized, for the reassembly.

A good amount of harness wiring had to be disconnected, consequently, I tagged, identified each connector, before disconnecting, to allow for access to the core.

This is just an outline; let me know if I was any help to put some light on your project.

I think I can find some pictures if you want.

Keep in touch. This is definitely not a quick one-hour project. So take your time and be methodical.

Tom.

[JPS]

I'll have the system checked next monday, purchase components and find a weekend to work on it. What of the dash must come of to access that compartment?

[scotch1]

Originally Posted by JPS

I'll have the system checked next monday, purchase components and find a weekend to work on it. What of the dash must come of to access that compartment?

That's when the Helms service manual will come in handy.
The dash will definitely have to come out.
Tom.

[86PACER]

Originally Posted by JPS

Can somebody excplain me how to replace the heater radiater on a '86 C4? If possible please send me some pictures. TIA

Some might need a program to be able to enlarge the images in order to read the text. A program like www.irfanview.com will do.

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/scoob//c4heater01.jpg
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/scoob//c4heater02.jpg
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/scoob//c4heater03.jpg
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/scoob//c4heater04.jpg

Remove the passanger seat, so that you can lay flat on your back.

[Midnight 85]

You do NOT have to remove the dash unless you like making a lot of extra work for yourself. I did a complete write-up on this about a year ago so maybe if you do a search it's still around.

[JPS]

@Midnight, I didn't find the post you are referring to. Anyway after a nightmare trying to visit APOW in Antwerpen Belgium, I found myself driving over "kinderhoofdjes" which are small bricks, shaking up your enture car, no driving directions since the center of Antwerp was closed I found myself heading back to Breda on the highway, I drove strait back to home.

Took the battery cable off and started to take the dash apart. I'm also taking picture's but I have no idea how the F**K this is going to be one nice looking dash...EVER. Anyway, the heater core problem was eating me so I had to do it. We have this car as a hobby, it shouldn't become a nightmare. On the otherhand it gives me a change to do, some bad repairs by the previous owner, it right.

Since I do not believe in cheap solutions and I want my '86 to be in PERFECT conditions, I had to do this. I want my '86 to be close to be perfect. I know it is just a convertible and nothing expensive, but this is the way I feel about it.

Question, does the entire front has to go? I mean the part where the digital clusters and the big pillow are mounted on.

In the manual I found 2 screws bolted on via the engine compartment, do I have to remove the box for the airco unit aswel?

[Midnight 85]

I can understand your feelings about your car, I think all of us feel the same way. I commend you for wanting to do this job yourself, many would just pay to have it done. It's not a hard job, it's a patience-trying job, here we go:
Take the passenger seat out so you can have some working room. Lay a thick pad or blanket on the floor so the seat track studs aren't poking you in the back. Take off the plastic piece on the bottom of the dash, the one with the courtesy light in it. Look straight up and you will see the ECM, it is in a cream colored plastic holder that is held in by two 10mm screws. Drop it down but don't disconnect the wires, just move it up above your work area. There is an orange vacuum line you should be able to move up out of your way, I didn't try to disconnect it because they can get dry and brittle. You can work around it. There is a reinforcement bar that goes from the side of the car up to the bottom of the dash, it has a 13mm screw at each end, the one on the side is easy to get to, the one at the top is a bit of a *****. A crowfoot wrench or a universal socket will get it off though. There are a bunch of 7mm screws which hold the plastic heater box on. The two on the very top are a real treat, you can't see them, I got mine out with a 7mm universal joint socket and a mirror. By universal joint socket I mean the ones made by Craftsman that is a u-joint with the socket made right on it. Once you get all the perimeter screws out you have to remove a threaded rod that goes through the box, this is the heat/ac control rod. Make a mental note as to the position of this rod before unclipping it from the plastic clip. Pull the box away from the firewall and out of your way. Now you can see the heater core, it is held in by two more 7mm screws at the top and the bottom, dead center. Once these are out the core will pull straight out away from the firewall. Install is just the reverse of all this with one important thing to remember, when you are ready to put the plastic box back in, make sure that threaded rod is through it's hole before attaching the perimeter bolts again. I'll bet you can figure out how I know this is an important thing to remember. Some guys like to skip replacing those two top screws because they are harder to get in than out but I feel you will lose too much air without them in. I'm sure there may be some small things I have forgotten but I have covered all the important steps for you. Remember, NO part of the dash has to come out other than what I have told you. Good luck, you can do this in an afternoon even though I did removal one day and replacement the next because the car was down for upgrades anyway. One last important item, get a GOOD core from GM or NAPA, you will NOT want to do this again in a year or so when a cheapie starts to leak. Any more questions, email me at 85vette1@verizon.net.

[JPS]

Thanx, I'll try to figure this out. You will not believe what I've already removed and I still can't get the black box out.

[JPS]

Great that was helpfull. I finanly got the heater core out. Some screws are better accessable with a normal screwdriver. Anyway I'm buidling quit a photo album at the moment.

I'll start assembling soon!