1989 Ford Mustang 2.3L

Everything I've read says you don't need to remove the A/C lines to get the heater box far enough out to access the top. I am finding it impossible to get it out far enough, and I don't really know how to disconnect those lines (I also think I need some spring-lock disconnect tools that I don't have).

Anyone done one of these before? Any advice?

11/29/2010 2:45:07 PM

I think you should have taken it to someone who knew how to do it instead of trying yourself.

11/29/2010 10:34:50 PM

Thanks for that awesome advice, but I'd rather not shell out as much money as I paid for my car to have this done, plus I like learning how to do things like this myself.

If everyone shared your same attitude, after a while, nobody would know how to do anything

11/29/2010 11:06:37 PM

Nobody does know how to do anything. You realize you're in like the 0.01th percentile?

11/30/2010 9:41:31 AM

Quote :

"plus I like learning how to do things like this myself."

then spend the $20 for a manual instead of attacking someone who probably gave you good advice especially since it sounds like you are in over your head just based on the comments you made about not having the proper tools and not knowing you can rent specialty tools for free from a parts house. it really sounds like your knowledge isn't there. i'm all for somebody wanting to learn how to do it their self but there is the right way to go about doing it. you really need a manual in front of you instead of a message board.

11/30/2010 10:02:52 AM

The right tool makes for an easy job. For years I used a cheapily pieced together tool kit. One day I bought a tool box. It is nothing special but it has served me very well. I suggest doing this, hitting up forums that are model specific etc. They will know more than these guys

11/30/2010 10:34:58 AM

is this thread fucking serious? a person, trying to wrench on their own car, asks a question and instead of offering advice you douchebags attack him for trying to do it himself? are you fucking serious? people have to start somewhere, part of learning how to do stuff is taking on tasks that you don't know how to do originally. i guess you all were just born knowing how to do everything.

fucking douchebags

Quote :

" then spend the $20 for a manual instead of attacking someone who probably gave you good advice "

what good advice, take it to a shop? the guy wants to learn, thats what a car forum is supposed to be about. the suggestion to get a manual is the closest thing to good advice in this thread (well, and ^), but for all we know he already has the $20 haynes manual but is having trouble because sometimes they suck about stuff like this sometimes.

my advice, having never done a heater core in that car, is simply to find a web forum specifically for that car and see if anyone is more helpful than these douchebags.

[Edited on November 30, 2010 at 11:49 AM. Reason : .]

11/30/2010 11:49:13 AM

Quote :

"my advice, having never done a heater core in that car, is simply to find a web forum specifically for that car and see if anyone is more helpful than these douchebags."

11/30/2010 12:05:56 PM

Also if I'm having trouble figuring something out.. I analyze from as many different angles I can and if I still can't figure it out I take my dog on a walk or something and if I still can't I sleep on it. The last option is always a good one. The human mind analyzes tasks that you had a hard time with the previous day through sleep.

11/30/2010 12:57:39 PM

Quote :

"my advice, having never done a heater core in that car, is simply to find a web forum specifically for that car and see if anyone is more helpful than these douchebags."

and this is good advice? refer him to a different forum? i guess the good advice is that you directed him to a mustang-only forum.

Quote :

"but for all we know he already has the $20 haynes manual "

if he had a manual he would know how to get it out fuckass. i know the haynes manual isn't the best but it's detailed enough to teach a beginner wrencher how to remove a heater core.

11/30/2010 2:46:15 PM

Quote :

"and this is good advice? refer him to a different forum? i guess the good advice is that you directed him to a mustang-only forum."

It's excellent advice.

People here tend to jump at the opportunity to offer advice within their expertise. It sounds like nobody who has posted so far has experience with what he's doing. Might as well send him somewhere that he's likely to find someone who has done this exact job.

11/30/2010 2:58:04 PM

I have done several heater cores in these, still say best thing for him to do is take it to someone who knows what they are doing. Fuck even Ragged's retarded ass could do this in a couple of hours.

The bottom line is if you do not know what you are doing with a heater core job, you will probably end up doing it two or three times before you get it right. Just pay Dan to do it over at Matt's place and save the time and hassle.

11/30/2010 3:12:11 PM

How much of it do you have torn apart.

11/30/2010 3:17:05 PM

car guys crack me up. like working on cars is even remotely difficult. there is a reason mechanics make dick all.

11/30/2010 3:26:15 PM

A good mechanic is hard to come by though. Many shops/people are dishonest or at least have "flexible" morals. Anyway, it's not unusual to have a good, skilled mechanic to make $40+. I personally don't take on most jobs unless it pays $50-60/hour, which admittedly means I don't do much anymore...

11/30/2010 3:52:50 PM

^^^everything is apart except for the lines going into the evaporator core.

I have a haynes manual, but it is missing a number of pages, including the ones for this job.

Thanks for any serious, non-douche comments, even if it's only to point me to a mustang forum. The advice I initially got from a mustang forum wasn't very good. I'm sure if I keep searching, I'll find the help I need.

Quote :

"still say best thing for him to do is take it to someone who knows what they are doing"

If I had money to pay someone to help me do it, it would be nice, but I would still like to know how to do it myself.

[Edited on November 30, 2010 at 3:57 PM. Reason : [-]

11/30/2010 3:56:44 PM

Quote :

"I personally don't take on most jobs unless it pays $50-60/hour, which admittedly means I don't do much anymore..."

Exactly. What I tell people is I no longer do service work, that is the first level of screening, if the conversation proceeds and they seem legit, I mention how many hours it may involve to do what they want. If they are intellegent that immediately leads them to be curious of a labor rate- if someone's eyes get big when I tell them how much I get an hour, then I know I didn't want the job anyhow. Some of us refer to this as "hiring" a client.

11/30/2010 6:32:35 PM

Quote :

"The bottom line is if you do not know what you are doing with a heater core job, you will probably end up doing it two or three times before you get it right. "

sometimes that's the best way to learn you goddamn mouth-breathing mongoloid

11/30/2010 6:48:28 PM

google is your friend. first few pages came up with a decent write up with pictures. this is why some of the so called "car guys" are dickheads about stuff, no deep searching/research and wanting free answers from people who could potentially make money off of it. if you have thick skin you roll with it and take the good with the bad.

http://www.mylrs.com/blogs/lrs/archive/2009/03/31/1979-1993-Fox-Mustang-Heater-Core-Replacement.aspx

another:

http://www.mustangmonthly.com/howto/mump_0606_ford_mustang_heater_core_replacement/index.html

my advice: pay someone to do it if you want, if you don't want to do that, do some in depth research, get a manual (with all of the pages ), subscribe to alldata online or something like that, or just jump right in like you did and learn that way. good luck with the rest of the removal/install.

also, rbrthwrd I don't see you posting up fantastic step by step writeups and not everyone in the world should have an ASE certified mechanic to walk them through working on cars because whatever person just dove in and tore shit apart. all i see is blahblahblah yall are mean, go to a forum, douchebags, blahblahblah. not very helpful sir.

[Edited on November 30, 2010 at 7:20 PM. Reason : .]

11/30/2010 7:17:34 PM

Quote :

"also, rbrthwrd I don't see you posting up fantastic step by step writeups and not everyone in the world should have an ASE certified mechanic to walk them through working on cars because whatever person just dove in and tore shit apart. all i see is blahblahblah yall are mean, go to a forum, douchebags, blahblahblah. not very helpful sir. "

excuse me? when did i say all this. i said telling him he has no business working on his own car is goddamn retarded to say on a car forum that should be full of wrenchers. i never insinuated that anyone had a duty to help him out, just that telling him he shouldn't try to learn how to do it on his own is ridiculous. how are you ever supposed to learn if you take it to the shop every time? did you get everything right the first time, never needed to seek advice? if you don't want to help him because you have some high and mighty opinion of yourself and your certifications... fine; telling him he has no business trying this on his own... retarded.

11/30/2010 7:56:30 PM

^This is NOT a repair I would have ever attempted without having done some serious research beforehand. A heater core is damn near the bane of any mechanic's existence, and the mere mention of having to do one makes a lot of us cringe. Then...along comes somebody that just up and decides to dive in without consulting multiple sources beforehand...and asks for help. It takes the patience of Job just to do one, but to coach somebody through it who likely had no business doing it? Sure, he's gonna get razzed...especially when Google turns up PLENTY of results on this repair.

You gonna sit here and call us every name, you better have a good damn reason for doing so.

11/30/2010 8:10:19 PM

yall make me laugh. $60/hr ace mechanics responding in the shade tree mechanic forum. What happened to the good ole days when you could screw a cup holder to a console with machine screws, and most of the "mechanics" worked on a gravel driveway under a tree off jones franklin or a dorm parking lot.

This crowd has gone to shit.

11/30/2010 9:13:35 PM

Gronke days?

Screw all that...I'm too old to work on gravel.

Oh..and Ben...got the credentials to prove it, big boy. Smooches! How you been?

[Edited on November 30, 2010 at 9:40 PM. Reason : hugs and kisses and kisses and hugs.]

11/30/2010 9:31:11 PM

Quote :

"excuse me? when did i say all this. i said telling him he has no business working on his own car is goddamn retarded to say on a car forum that should be full of wrenchers. i never insinuated that anyone had a duty to help him out, just that telling him he shouldn't try to learn how to do it on his own is ridiculous. how are you ever supposed to learn if you take it to the shop every time? did you get everything right the first time, never needed to seek advice? if you don't want to help him because you have some high and mighty opinion of yourself and your certifications... fine; telling him he has no business trying this on his own... retarded."

lol. high and mighty? i wasn't being rude or anything and i actually offered some viable solutions in the form of write ups for this guy.

This forum is full of wrenchers but I feel that most of the people that work on their cars do a good amount of research before they tear into some shit. I know that I have and still do; I'm not a car god and don't think of myself as one at all. Certifications? HA, that's a good one

I never said he shouldn't learn to do it on his own, but many people have thought they have the ability to complete a task that they aren't up to. I just wanted to make sure that he wasn't digging a hole he can't get out of (without taking it to a mechanic). Especially if the mustang write up guys said that the job sucks lol.

11/30/2010 10:07:40 PM

The good ole garage, the fucking mechanics forever berating the people just trying to learn, as if your knowledge is given from some divine place that can't be shared. For fucks sake, working on cars isn't the rocket science you think it is because you just so happen to know it, it's just that we didn't choose to spend all our time doing it like you did.

[Edited on November 30, 2010 at 10:24 PM. Reason : Good to see some others already posted my sentiments]

11/30/2010 10:20:00 PM

Quote :

"and most of the "mechanics" worked on a gravel driveway under a tree off jones franklin or a dorm parking lot. "

I am still doing this

11/30/2010 11:12:41 PM

Quote :

"google is your friend. first few pages came up with a decent write up with pictures. this is why some of the so called "car guys" are dickheads about stuff, no deep searching/research and wanting free answers from people who could potentially make money off of it. if you have thick skin you roll with it and take the good with the bad."

I'm definitely taking the good with the bad . Those two links are the two that I have found to be the most helpful (I definitely googled all of this shit before I just started tearing apart my dashboard), but the top link suggests that you don't have to take the lines out of the evaporator box in order to access the top of the heater box. I'm not finding this to be the case, at least with my particular car, and I was just hoping someone on here had a similar experience and could offer some insight. I didn't want to go out and buy new tools if they weren't necessary.

Quote :

"Then...along comes somebody that just up and decides to dive in without consulting multiple sources beforehand"

I wasn't asking to be coached through the whole process. I did consult multiple resources, I just got hung up on one particular part.

11/30/2010 11:26:10 PM

If your AC works at all, definitely DON'T pull your evap lines unless absolutely necessary. You need to have a shop evacuate the system before you do. The line release tools are cheap. Like I got a whole set for less than 10 bucks.

You may HAVE to have some coaching on this one. It's one of the biggest pains in the ass EVER on a car.

11/30/2010 11:49:30 PM

It seems like it is necessary, and that is the last real hurdle for me as far as I can tell (putting everything back together may be a bitch, but I can handle it without any additional help). My AC hasn't worked at all since I've owned the car (about 2 years), so I think I'm good on that.

I just don't know if there is some kind of trick to doing it without removing the lines that I am not aware of. I guess I'll do some more research tomorrow on the evap line stuff.

11/30/2010 11:54:16 PM

Can you drop the box down some? Have you got all the brackets and the bolts from the engine side of the firewall out?

11/30/2010 11:55:45 PM

I've dropped it down some, but I still can't access the rear 2 bolts that hold the heater box cover on. I feel like the only things holding it close to the firewall are the evaporator lines.

I removed 2 nuts that are behind the bracket holding the accumulator on, and the hoses attached to the core obviously (engine side), and a bolt holding the heater/evaporator box on from the inside (near the transmission tunnel), along with a couple brackets behind the glove box area.

12/1/2010 12:04:03 AM

i've never tackled a heater core on my own

but i sure listened to my dad cuss a lot when he did them

12/1/2010 12:04:28 AM

another good source for repair guides I've found is http://www.autozone.com it used to be free and I think it might still be if you create an account.

12/1/2010 12:44:08 AM

got the spring lock removal tools and disconnected the evap lines

successfully installed the new heater core

started putting the dash back together, but now I have to go to work

my toes are frozen I wish I had a heated garage to work in

12/6/2010 4:24:01 PM

Oh heated garages are nice.

12/6/2010 4:32:05 PM

Heater cores are overrated. Turn that some bitch into a race car or sell it to me cauuse I need a short track car for this coming season.

12/6/2010 7:32:24 PM

I knew a guy that tried to do this on his Jetta (that had 220k+ but ran like a champ), he took the entire dashboard apart, the car sat there for a year or so, he had it towed away.

End of story.

12/12/2010 12:11:47 AM