After having changed my Radiator and Thermostat, I am now going to attempt the front heater core on a 1990 Ford AeroStar 4.0L, 2WD. I did one on an 86 years back and had to take out most of the dash.

Can anyone tell me the easy way to do it. I have the hose stuff and the special tool to take off the hoses, but under the dash info would be very helpful.


My thanks to everyone for their contributions on this site.

John

 

You won't need to remove the dash, but it will require removing more things than the manuals tell you to do. I found it necessary to remove the right kickpanel and to disconnect the various electrical components that are mounted around the top of the kickpanel. You do not need to disconnect the electrical connectors, just unfasten them from the body to permit more manuever room for the core going in and out. Ditto for the glovebox door.

It is a very tight fit to wrestle the old/new cores in and out. The old core should also have a foam insulation seal around it that you will need to be careful not to tear during removal and installation. The tubing bends on the new core likely will not exactly match the old one. This is frustrating trying to get the new core back into place as your view of the openings through the firewall is blocked by the core as you install it. Having a helper is great but if you are doing it alone, I found putting two 8-10" sections of old garden hose on the tubing and fitting those through the firewall while I could still see greatly helped the installation process.

One of the new connectors just refused to connect. I finally put all the componets inside the heater hose first and it went right on - first try.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the input. I'll be attempting it this weekend.

John