Leaky Heater Core?

[AWick20]

Well, today I noticed a antifreeze smell coming through my heating vents along with a foggy windshield...Read around and everywhere said it is a leaky Heater core. Does this sound like the most plausible guess? Looked like the part was only 40ish bucks from autozone but the task of getting to it is quite hard if you don't know what your doing..If this does seem to be the case do you all think it would be better to save the money and do it myself or would you save the hassle and take it in? Thanks!

[1-1-SIX]

1st gen or 2nd gen?

I've done a 1st gen and it's not a bad task. I have no experience on a 2nd gen though....yet :)

[Jay-Sliver]

I hear a 2nd gen is a royal pain in the.....

Check and make sure its not the intake leaking at the back passenger corner. Check the floor/carpet under the heater box on the inside too..see if it is wet.


Jay

[AWick20]

It is indeed a 2nd gen :S 1994 4.3 Z 95k miles 2wd just so we all know :D

Well I was just looking at it earlier when I noticed the really heavy antifreeze smell so I checked the level and it was DRY...I added some in and then I read earlier to check passenger floor and there was a puddle that looked like it ran down the center of the dash and then onto the floor mats. Not sure if it was before or after I added the antifreeze that it was present...Is this fixable by just adding that Bars Leak or what not? Thanks for the info so far :S Hoping this isn't gonna run me much..Having problems with rich fuel, clunks in the front end and now this :S The truck is running me dry!

[Worx]

Your in Michigan & its getting cold,if it was mine I would be getting it fixed....FAST.

[Zerosven]

Your in Michigan & its getting cold,if it was mine I would be getting it fixed....FAST.

X2 on that, i just did the blower in motor in a '99 cavi before a slew of other issues because we are fast approaching cold weather

[AWick20]

Your in Michigan & its getting cold,if it was mine I would be getting it fixed....FAST.

Yeah I know :( At first I was like ahhh I'll just bypass the core for now...lol then 5 minutes later I was like "HORRIBLE Idea....winter is SOON." lol

[Worx]

Yeah if you were in Fla I would say bypass it !! LOL

[Jay-Sliver]

DONT use that Bars crap. Its a very temporary fix with serious issues later on down the road involving plugged coolant passages in the intake and heads.

Your best bet is to get the heater core and new coolant, set a complete day aside to replace the core, and get at it.
Talk to a couple guys here....some guys say all they have had to do is ROLL the dash back, and not remove it...if I recall correctly.



Jay

[Jongo88]

It's not really hard it just takes allll day.

[AWick20]

Decisions..decisions...I'm thinking it may be time to move on from the truck :( She's costed me too much lately... :(

[1-1-SIX]

just don't buy someone else's problem....

in my opinion, i'd stick with your ride, fix it and know that's one more thing that's been taken care of.

[1-1-SIX]

can't avoid maintenance no matter what ride you get....just my .02

[Worx]

just don't buy someone else's problem....

in my opinion, i'd stick with your ride, fix it and know that's one more thing that's been taken care of.

X 2

[Jay-Sliver]

Its an easy decision to make. These trucks are plentiful, relatively easy to fix (every make/model has its PITA jobs).. many of them in the wreckers to scavenge parts from...lots of easy upgrades...AND...has a forum full of knowledgeable people.



Fix it.




lol.





Who's to say, that the next vehicle that you buy, has put the previous owner in the exact same situation you are in? This went, then that went, and I had to do this to get this to work....work out the couple bugs it has, and keep on top of maintenance.


Jay

[AWick20]

Well...is it for sure the heater core? I suppose I'll have at it tomorrow maybe and work on the rich fuel mixture while I'm at it...lol I'll stick with her for a little bit longer...ONLY FOR THE PLANET THOUGH! Gosh the other thing that bothers me is the dang insurance :( $200 a month just to get on the road with the most BASIC is ridiculous...almost 20 and perfect driving record :S

[dave1182]

Your insurance will get cheaper as you get older, and Like other people have stated before, you get another vehicle, you get other peoples problems. plus this truck you got is paid for, and thats the best truck of all.

[Zerosven]

$200 a month with a clean driving record that don't sound right. i'd poke around and try to find a better rate. im paying ~ $150 a month full coverage everything except towing, and i have a wreck and 2 fenderbenders on my record.

im with everyone else on this, you should stick with the S-truck

it Sounds like the heater core to me from what ive read.

[AWick20]

$200 a month with a clean driving record that don't sound right. i'd poke around and try to find a better rate. im paying ~ $150 a month full coverage everything except towing, and i have a wreck and 2 fenderbenders on my record.

im with everyone else on this, you should stick with the S-
it Sounds like the heater core to me from what ive read.

yeah Im gonna stick with the truck for a little while longer...hopefully these 3 problems are the last of them for a little bit :P And yeah...I pay $300 a year for my motorcycle through Progressive and $200 a month through state farm on the truck :S Call around all the time and somehow thats the cheapest route even if I bundle the two :P But sounds good everybody Im gonna change that heater core one of these days! Thanks everyone!

[Jay-Sliver]

Drive it across the boarder at port huron/sarnia, and come into Ontario, drive for about an hour, to my place, and we'll do it at my place. I need practice for when I gotta do mine.

Jay

[AWick20]

Drive it across the boarder at port huron/sarnia, and come into Ontario, drive for about an hour, to my place, and we'll do it at my place. I need practice for when I gotta do mine.

Jay

LOL I believe they now require a passport to go into/from canada, dont they? otherwise I would...Like I said in the PM I started to tear the dash apart but yeah...im lost.

[White-V-6-S-Ten]

$200 a month just to get on the road with the most BASIC is ridiculous...almost 20 and perfect driving record :S[/QUOTE]
WOW thats insane! I have 2 cars on my insurance. My truck and my wifes 05 grand caravan i have basic on mine and she has full coverage due to still making payments and the insurance is 100 a month. I have geico

[BrandS10]

I just changed mine in my 95 today it's not as bad as the 98s up. I just remover the lower panels under the dash. Then removed the two 10mm bolts at the bottom corners of the dash. Then i removed the four 15mm nuts holding the steering column up. Next i removed the four bolts on the top of the dash, and rolled the dash forward. After the dash is rolled there is a hatch over the heater core, held on with around 5-6 bolts. After the hatch is removed there are 2 straps holding the heater core in and a bracket on the tubes that is bolted to the box also. After they are removed you can slide the core out. I did it like this and didn't have to unplug anything. No removing the tire or anything. Using a drill with 1/4 and 3/8 attachments hurried the job along.

[AWick20]

Well...I haven't posted in a while and I feel like I should comment that I performed the heater core operation! Went in knowing no idea what to do along with a friend,s who I kind of just guided him on what I thought should be done. Took us 4 hours to get into it and put back together. We had NO idea what to do..impressive I thought! DEFINITELY a pain in the A**!!!!! Hope I NEVER have to do it again! But, I do have heat and just in time for michigan winters :) Now..time for some much needed SLEEP!!!!!!

Total cost:$36 heater core, $7 subway sandwich
Total savings if I would have done it at a shop:$590

**Ill post a picture tomorrow maybe from my iphone..took a pick about halfway through because it looked like an absolute wreck in the cab..