It's cake compared to one on a 2000 Dakota.....never again....

JR

 

My ol 88' Wrangler was nice also, 6 bolts in engine bay and heater box falls onto the floor. Sweet. I miss my Wrangler.

 

Yea heater core is shot but look on the plus side should be easy to change and cheap not paying a shop big $$$$$$$

 

Hey there 87white250,

I have BTDT more than a dozen times. Mine is an early '87-460, I don't know if EFI is any different. BTW, in my case there is an AC and Non-A/C heatercore.

My 2c, or $22.50, step by step.

Start under the hood, check there is enough extra hose to reach, because if it's been on there for years you're going to have to cut it off. At least get yourself some new clamps, but to my mind 10' of 5/8" heater hose is cheap insurance. You also might want to pick up some antifreeze if the stuff in your "new" truck doesn't look fresh.

Remove the hoses and any sealant or rubber bits from the necks of the core.

Open and empty the glove box. Remove the plastic cable on the left side. (plastic rivet?) Push the 'ear' at the right rear of the glove box clear of the dash board and it should flop open. You can then remove the glove box from the hinges.

You'll need a stubby 5/16" nut driver or a 1/4" drive ratchet with a 5/16" socket. There's not a straight shot at all the screws. *Note that on the upper left of the heater box cover there is a control cable held on by a metal clip. This needs to go back in the right place or the controls won't work when you're done.

You may want to put a towel in the foot well to catch any spillage.
Remove the cover and pull the core straight out 'till the necks clear, then down, and out under the dash. There should be a foam rubber gasket on the header tank, save this for re-installation.
Wipe any glycol anti freeze out of the heater box and off the windshield with alcohol.

I find it easier to have someone hold the heater core in place while I push the hoses on from the engine bay, rather than fight them on once the box is buttoned up. Otherwise re-installation is the reverse of removal.

Hope this helps!
Jim

 

thanks alot EVERYONE, especially ardwrk, I really appreciate it. I got the old one out went to the autoparts store and got the new one, I had a little bit more trouble gettin the new one to go with the hole because it was a little bit more squared up and the old one was rounded slightly. But I finally got it in and I am back on the road. Thanks again,


JR

 

All right!
Glad to hear you're rolling again.
Keep warm and get that film off your windshield before you hit something.

Two more things I forgot to mention, but might be a help to someone else searching this thread:
1)If you CAN get the hoses off in one piece, pinch the hoses off (lightly) w/ 2 pair of needle nose vicegrips or the like before you pull them. It'll save you a big green puddle.
2) When you get the heater core down below the dash rotate the bottom towards the firewall (lay it on it's back). Same thing, keeps it from spilling.

Hoping your Ford brings a smile to your face every time you turn the key.

 

i just stick the heater hoses through the hood hinge, with the open ends above the fenderline. this way you don't loose any coolant except for what is in the core.

 

Good to hear you got the new one in

 

hahah i was about to say I thought I got all that stuff off the windshield, but gah tonite I drove to sonic and it had all kinds of stuff on it haha I need to redo it tom it looks like! ha

 

Thanks tjc, that's a great tip!

I've tried this sort of thing too, but never -through- the hinge. And I'm such a klutz I usually knock one hose loose w/ both hands full, then watch it pee out on the floor. So I've taken 'preemptive measures' the last 8 or 9 times.
Haven't had to do it in years, since I swapped out my cracked head. Still carry a 4" piece of 1/2" slipcoupling though.

Craziest thing.
If I was romping on it and had to back out real fast the core would puff up and fill the recess,...had to pry them out.
It's a Closed Loop System....and I was down to a nine lb. radiator cap.
Every time Ricky @ the rad shop saw me pull in w/ the passenger side all steamed up he'd just go for the shelf...didn't even ask.
Then I'd watch him take the new one, pressurize it to 35psi and toss it in the tank to check for bubbles.
One thing's for sure, Gates makes a hell of a hose!