Hey guys, I wanted a little advice and I hope you can help. I have a 1999 Ford Expedition 4.6 L, 2WD with 160,000 miles on it. I have had it for about two years and it looks great and runs well. However in the last few weeks I have had some problems.
My wife drives it a short distance to work everyday (5-10 miles), and about 2 weeks ago it started smelling like antifreeze and the windows would steam up. I checked the coolant reservoir and it was nearly empty. I haven't noticed any substantial leaking on the interior or exterior, but when I reach up under the dash I feel some residue that kinda looks like coolant. I had a mechanic look at it and he thinks it is the heater core. Nobody wants to touch it (except the dealer), because I was told it is difficult to get to. I downloaded detailed instructions on how to do it, and it looks straightforward. Has anybody done one on their own, or should I pay Ford about $600 to do this? I am not a mechanic, but I can follow directions. Any idea on how long it would take? Anything to look out for? Also, could a flush kit maybe help the problem?
Thanks for any help or ideas!!!

 

It is very doable with good instructions. It just takes some time, make sure you bag and mark the bags for all your fasteners. This will make it easier to put back together.

 

Thanks Craig for the advice. I figure if I get to a point where I can't finish it, I can just put it back together and take it to the dealer. Any idea on a timeframe? I am guessing if I take my time it will take about 2 hours to tear down, 30 minutes or so to replace the core, and then another 1 1/2 hours to rebuild. Maybe 4 hours? 5 if it goes real slow????
Thanks again...

 

Plan on at least 6 hours to remove the dash assembly. If you do it much faster-you'll tear up alot of clips and fasteners and it'll rattle like hell after reassembly. The core itself takes about 10-15 minutes to replace,then about 4-5 hours to reassemble. I've done 3 of them now,and they are all almost exactly the same for timeframe and difficulty. The Navigator was the worst due to the center console, the intake manifold and the rear heater hoses underhood that were difficult to get around.
JL