*Heater core replacement*

[LtMercDaddy]

Well im gonna have to do it. Tomorrow or come up with a way to do it after Christmas. Started blowing swamp gas threw the vents this afternoon.

Wondering if anyone has a Haynes manual (88-up, 87-down) I do own one but its 50miles away along with my tools so im limited.

If anyone has a manual and wanted to do a page scan that would be greatful, and appriciative. im assuming the smaller bolts on the box and all are gonna be relatively small 8,10mm.

any tricks?

I've read the searches but havent seemed to founded a page scan out of a manual.

[86VickyLX]

88 up. I have never come across an 85-86-87 Haynes manual, I've tried. I made a post on here what to do.

[86VickyLX]

Scanner is on the fritz. Bypass the heater core, get home, and fix her.

[LtMercDaddy]

Mine is a 88-up model year book, I'm assuming that the heating/cooling unit stayed the same untill the 92 model year. pretty much everything else did besides some minor things.

[86VickyLX]

Heres what you got to do.

Mark all bolts that you take off, give a discription of where they went.

Mark all wiring connections that you may disconnect as well.


UNDER HOOD:
Disconnect the negative battery terminal.

Drain coolant until level is lower than the heater core hoses.

Disconnect heater core hoses. Mark where which one went.

INTERIOR:
Remove the dashpad.

Remove trim around the dash.

Remove kick Panels.
Disconnect Shift Indicator from steering column.
(remove cover behind steering wheel, unbolt the white ring. it may be broken, it might not be. Carfully remove wire from black clip on the shifter.)

(I removed the entire instrument cluster. My speedo cable didn't let the dash come out as far as it could.)

Remove trim panel below steering column (where the fuse box is)

Drop Steering Column
(Find the four bolts on the column bolted to the brace. Socket size 15mm) Before you drop the column, put emergency brake on and chock the wheels!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unbolt bottom of heater core box, two bolts down by the floor. (remove cover if any)

Unbolt the dash support at both sides of the dash.

Unbolt the dash support nut that is located where the steering column usually is.

Unscrew or unbolt the bolts at the top of the dash by the windshield. only the ones right by the dash.

Pull the dash forward and down.

Remove the insulation below the windshield to expose a nut behind it. Unbolt it.

Pull the box with the heater core out towards you and pull it down. Clear the holes in the firewall. Long ass heater pipes.

Unbolt the cover on the top of the box. 4 bolts.
Remove cover

Pull out old heater core. It'll be a little hard to get out but play around with it a bit and it will come out.

Save the rubber thing that's wrapped around the core.

Get your new core.

Clean out the box where the heater core was out with windex after you wipe all the antifreeze in there with a rag or paper towel.

Wrap the rubber thing around the new core.

Put the core back in the box.

Bolt the cover of box back on.

Line up box on the studs.

Bolt box up.

(Check to make sure that there are no connections disconnected [vacuum hoses, wires wiring harnesses etc.])

Get dash into position. (You'll have to get it over the air plenum)

Start a screw on each side of the dash.

Bolt dash into place.

Bolt all dash supports back up.

Connect any disconnected harnesses that you disconnected.

Bolt steering column back up.

Reattach shift indicator cable.

put kick panels and all covers you removed, back on.

put dash pad back on.

Put everything back on that you disconnected

*The bolts on the box will be small, like you said.

[86VickyLX]

Mine is a 88-up model year book, I'm assuming that the heating/cooling unit stayed the same untill the 92 model year. pretty much everything else did besides some minor things.

yeah it's pretty much the same, you just have to wait longer if you have airbags.

[LtMercDaddy]

yeah.. pretty good step by step description. we'll see how it go's tomorrow.

I get a page scan up when I get ahold of my manual.

Thanks.

[86VickyLX]

No problem.

[gadget73]

heater systems never really did change a whole bunch. The dash changed but the inner workings of the hvac are pretty much identical even to newer cars. Only real big change is the ATC system on newer cars. They use an electronic blend door actuator that breaks instead of the vacuum thing that goes funky. Biggest relavent change though, the BDA takes about the same time as doing a heater core. The vacuum deal is the dashpad and 2 screws.

[LtMercDaddy]

No ATC here, Thank god!.

well only worked on the thing for about 45 mins so far and I got all the dash trim off, dash pad is out, Radio is gone. guage cluster only needs the electrical connection removed to come out.

gotta watch the boys for a few hours before I can get started again. gotta find all the dash screws, I think know which ones they are. the ones under the dash pad look like they have about a 3/4" washer under them.....

anyhow... To be Continued

[LtMercDaddy]

SUCCESS!

It's in! only took bout 4 1/2 -5 hrs.

I think it was harder getting it back together then it was taking it apart. its pretty obvious that the dashboard was installed without the windshield in the car.

it needs some tweeking, the dash that is. its a little off center looking at the steering column and the glovebox has some issues. just doesnt shut or look right.

[86VickyLX]

cool.

[classic87merc]

No ATC here, Thank god!.

well only worked on the thing for about 45 mins so far and I got all the dash trim off, dash pad is out, Radio is gone. guage cluster only needs the electrical connection removed to come out.

gotta watch the boys for a few hours before I can get started again. gotta find all the dash screws, I think know which ones they are. the ones under the dash pad look like they have about a 3/4" washer under them.....

anyhow... To be Continued

I am having this same problem. My dash is off-center at the lower duct and i cant seem to get the driver side of the dashboard mounted.

[sly]

I had to rest my dash on my knees a bit and push it up while I slotted the bolts back in.

[86VickyLX]

I had to rest my dash on my knees a bit and push it up while I slotted the bolts back in.

Yeah I've had that issue with every heater core I've done in a panther, my car included. Also when you're putting the dash back up, make sure that the dash is in the right place for the one little stud that's right above where the steering column sits. There's a nut there and if it's not in place the shifter gets all funky. And could prove to make dash reinstallation difficult.