[urq] Swapping out the heater core?

[fdekat]

Hello All...
> 
> Message: 6
> Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:14:42 -0400
> From: Andr?e-Anne Bourgeois <laraa at sympatico.ca>
> Subject: Re: [urq] Swapping out the heater core? Thoughts?
> To: "'JP Chaplen'" <quattrodude at comcast.net>,	"'Brandon Rogers'"
> 	<brogers at terrix.com>
> Cc: Urq at audifans.com
> Message-ID: <BLU0-SMTP462A00B53872DF745916E6CEC10 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="UTF-8"
> 
> JP,
> 
> I did mine in January and it is indeed a long and painful job. The heater
> plenum have to come out to remove the heater core from it. The hardest part
> was the console with all the wires, cables, and stuff that you must
> disconnect to remove. 
> 
> I had a little problem with air bubbles in the core, so be careful when you
> fill the system. My suggestion will be to fill the core to the brim with
> fresh water using the hoses in the engine compartment, hook all the hoses
> together, and complete with antifreeze at the expansion reservoir. You can
> even use a garden hose to fill the core with water pressure.


Funny  that this subjucet just came up, as I (without seeing these posts)
just changed my heater core today!

I had previouly had an o-ring on the AC let go, so AC system was well and
truly discharged. I figured that as it was discharged, was a good time to
change the heater core, if it needed it or not!

Yes the evaporator was a pain to get out, but I can't see any way around
that.

You do have to also remove the glovebox. Also, DON'T remove the door from the
glovebox. You don't need to to get the glovebox out, and it's really a pain
getting the door back on the glovebox again).

I'm not sure why you had to remove the complete center consle, but I didn't. 

I found that (Once the AC evaporator is out the way) On my urq, you just open
the lid on the right side of the heater core, and there it is.  Undo the hose
clamps, pull the hoses off, and out comes the core.  Make sure you have
disconected the top hose at the heatrer valve before undoing the hoses inside
the car (so the coolant can drain out of the core), and maybe even blow
compressed air through the core to clear it of coolant. Then, be prepared
with rags (and plastic) or something to catch the coolant that WILL leak when
you und the hoses under the dash.

Installation: Just put the foam stips on the core, and reinsert inbto it's
littel compartment. A small bit of fiddling to get it seated , and it pops
right back into place. (It's all the way in again, when the 'cover' can snap
back in place)

Hooking the hoses on again is easiy, if you have the white airbox under the
hood off, and the evaporator out. You  just push the pipes on from under the
hood with one hand, and guide it onto the core with the other hand, (reaching
through the hole where the AC evaporarator woukld have been)

I never refilled the heater core ahead of time. I just connected the hoses,
filled up the coolant again, ran the moter until warm (with the heater on),
and topped up the coolant again. Made lots of heat on the way home tonight!

If all the air isn't out of the core right away, it should clear out after
driving a bit with the heater on. 

Have fun wiht that job...

-Frank-