carbuff
09-19-2011, 12:58 PM
My heater core was leaking and i looked in various places trying to see just how involved it was before setting out to to it. So basically here it is. What i did in pretty much laymans terms. GOOD LUCK!
63-64 full size ford/mercury heater core replacement, NON-A/C.
This is really not difficult, but is time consuming. Taking your time, it should take the average mechanical car owner about 4hrs or less from start to finish.
Prep: If it’s been a while since the heater core was replaced or it’s been years since its been connected, I’d order a new seal kit for the heater case (about $25) , inlet duct connector (about $50), new defrost tubes (mine were 2.5” ID sold $10/ft- I needed 4’ but bought 5’) adhesive for the seals, new heater core ($35 at NAPA), hose clamps, antifreeze.
These are the things I did prior to removal.
Disconnect Battery
Undo heater hoses and crimp off with channel locks to avoid additional loss of coolant. (I connected them together with a backflush kit)
Remove passenger door sill plate (cheap reproductions bend and scratch easily), Remove RS kick panel trim, Remove glove box insert (for access)
Disconnect the cables from the back side of the temp and heat/defrost levers in the dash control panel.
Put towels down on passenger side floor mat. (If console equipped put a towel over the painted surface)
Undo electrical connections for blower motor and blower resistors. Disconnect both defrost tubes.
Under the hood there are 5 nuts (the fifth one is by the hood hinge.
Pull heater case towards inside of car. It won’t come out yet. The RS vent cable is still attached. Undo screws that hold the vent cable clamp midway on back of case. Pry retaining clip off vent lever door, slide cable off and bend tabs to allow the vent cable to come off the back of the heater case.
Heater case should come out of the car now. You will need to help guide the cables out making sure they don’t hang on things like the wiper motor wiring etc.. The heater case is long. Once out, undo screws on heater case for heater core access panel and heater core should come out. At this time if the inside is nasty, remove the blower resistors and blower motor and you can clean out the heater case. (I used a wire brush and leaf blower). Make sure all doors move freely. I got a heater case seal kit and replaced the dry rotted seals on the directional doors and the heat/fresh air flaps. New seals are in the kit for the new heater core. I also repainted part of the heater case that was dash color. While paint is drying is when I replaced the fresh air inlet connector tube. Its 4 screws up under the dash where the fresh air goes into the heater case from the air box. If yours was totally rotted like mine was, all you need to do is pry the ring out from the mounting plate on the fresh air box. (Don’t remove the larger ring, just remove the ring inside) When installing, make sure the squeeze tabs face you since this is what holds the tube to the heater case.
After paint is dry on heater case, I replaced all the seals on the temp and defrost/heat doors with adhesive. Make sure they sit squarely on the doors, trim off any extra if there is any that might cause binding. Mine were a good fit. Install the heater core and its access panel and if you’ve removed the blower resistors and blower motor put those back on.
At this point if you’re replacing the defrost tubes, I would fit them on the heater case since it’s difficult to install the new ones once the heater case is installed. The new tubes fit tight and can be a challenge to install once the heater case is in the car. (but it can be done)
Now you’re ready to install the heater case. If you’re doing this solo, it may be a good idea to have a long screw driver or block of wood about 18” long. Guide the heater case up and into place. Remember to reinstall the fresh air intake door cable and the fresh air intake tube. Here is where the screw driver or block of wood comes in. Wedge between the floor and the underside of the heater case holding it place long enough to go out under the hood to put the retaining nuts back on.
Reattach heater hoses and battery cable and start car checking for new heater core leaks. Let it run and warm up for about 15-20 min.
No leaks, reattach the defrost tubes, blower and resistor connections and the temp & direction cables. You may need to adjust the cables to accommodate the new seals in the heater case to get maximum benefit. You adjust these where they connect to the heater case.
Reinstall all the stuff you took off and you should have heat!
:beer:
63-64 full size ford/mercury heater core replacement, NON-A/C.
This is really not difficult, but is time consuming. Taking your time, it should take the average mechanical car owner about 4hrs or less from start to finish.
Prep: If it’s been a while since the heater core was replaced or it’s been years since its been connected, I’d order a new seal kit for the heater case (about $25) , inlet duct connector (about $50), new defrost tubes (mine were 2.5” ID sold $10/ft- I needed 4’ but bought 5’) adhesive for the seals, new heater core ($35 at NAPA), hose clamps, antifreeze.
These are the things I did prior to removal.
Disconnect Battery
Undo heater hoses and crimp off with channel locks to avoid additional loss of coolant. (I connected them together with a backflush kit)
Remove passenger door sill plate (cheap reproductions bend and scratch easily), Remove RS kick panel trim, Remove glove box insert (for access)
Disconnect the cables from the back side of the temp and heat/defrost levers in the dash control panel.
Put towels down on passenger side floor mat. (If console equipped put a towel over the painted surface)
Undo electrical connections for blower motor and blower resistors. Disconnect both defrost tubes.
Under the hood there are 5 nuts (the fifth one is by the hood hinge.
Pull heater case towards inside of car. It won’t come out yet. The RS vent cable is still attached. Undo screws that hold the vent cable clamp midway on back of case. Pry retaining clip off vent lever door, slide cable off and bend tabs to allow the vent cable to come off the back of the heater case.
Heater case should come out of the car now. You will need to help guide the cables out making sure they don’t hang on things like the wiper motor wiring etc.. The heater case is long. Once out, undo screws on heater case for heater core access panel and heater core should come out. At this time if the inside is nasty, remove the blower resistors and blower motor and you can clean out the heater case. (I used a wire brush and leaf blower). Make sure all doors move freely. I got a heater case seal kit and replaced the dry rotted seals on the directional doors and the heat/fresh air flaps. New seals are in the kit for the new heater core. I also repainted part of the heater case that was dash color. While paint is drying is when I replaced the fresh air inlet connector tube. Its 4 screws up under the dash where the fresh air goes into the heater case from the air box. If yours was totally rotted like mine was, all you need to do is pry the ring out from the mounting plate on the fresh air box. (Don’t remove the larger ring, just remove the ring inside) When installing, make sure the squeeze tabs face you since this is what holds the tube to the heater case.
After paint is dry on heater case, I replaced all the seals on the temp and defrost/heat doors with adhesive. Make sure they sit squarely on the doors, trim off any extra if there is any that might cause binding. Mine were a good fit. Install the heater core and its access panel and if you’ve removed the blower resistors and blower motor put those back on.
At this point if you’re replacing the defrost tubes, I would fit them on the heater case since it’s difficult to install the new ones once the heater case is installed. The new tubes fit tight and can be a challenge to install once the heater case is in the car. (but it can be done)
Now you’re ready to install the heater case. If you’re doing this solo, it may be a good idea to have a long screw driver or block of wood about 18” long. Guide the heater case up and into place. Remember to reinstall the fresh air intake door cable and the fresh air intake tube. Here is where the screw driver or block of wood comes in. Wedge between the floor and the underside of the heater case holding it place long enough to go out under the hood to put the retaining nuts back on.
Reattach heater hoses and battery cable and start car checking for new heater core leaks. Let it run and warm up for about 15-20 min.
No leaks, reattach the defrost tubes, blower and resistor connections and the temp & direction cables. You may need to adjust the cables to accommodate the new seals in the heater case to get maximum benefit. You adjust these where they connect to the heater case.
Reinstall all the stuff you took off and you should have heat!
:beer: