Heater Core Replacement Advice, 96 1500

Who has used this method, and anything you would add to, tips, etc?

I've done a dozen or so of these. First thing, don't let it intimidate you, it's not that hard. Dodge dealer wanted to charge me $700 to replace the core, the core was $250, so it is worth doing it yourself. It takes me @ 30 min to do it but it you havent done it before, @1.5 hr. First, remove panel under steering colum, disconnect wire to gear indicator{if auto} you will need to shift to low for dash clearance.Remove plastic kick panels on both sides.You will see 1 nut on each side, loosen until the bracket lip clears. Back to steering colum, remove cross bar, then drop steering colum. It will lay on seat. You can remove plastic trim on dash, it just pops off, do this so you don't scratch it. Remove all bolts in dash up near the windshield. IF you want to totally remove the dash, there is alot more, but it is not required to change core, you can just pivot the passenger side onto the seat and you have plenty of room. Once the dash is out of the way you need to go under the hood. disconect heater hoses. Now you must remove the computer from the firewall{a bolt that hodls the heater assembly is under it} DO NOT DISCONNECT THE WIRING HARNESS If you do it resets the computer(expensive) Now you will see the core in the heater assbl. when you pull back the dash but it slides straight down into the housing so you must unbolt the assembly to pull it back to get enough clearance for the inlet tubes. Replace it and reverse the proccess. I know it sounds like a lot, but once you tear into it you will realize that it's pretty simple. Pretty much everything in the dashes of this body style are easy access. Good luck. If you have any questions I will check back on this post. Tony

It finally warmed enough to tackle this. Here's what I learned.

1. Took me better part of the day, but I replaced all hoses, thermostat(alternator needs to be removed) and flush the entire system.(I had added stopleak when I first found it leaking)
2. I never could get the dash to pivot completely into the passengers seat. One screw located next to the ABS plastic cover bottom of dash. If you have 4x4, right infront of the shifter. Also, put the car in 4x4 all the way to the rear for dash clearance.
3. Found 2 more nuts holding the entire assembly, 1 is located upper right corner inside the cabin. The 2nd, my core had a grounding strap, had to remove the 2 nuts where it attaches to the assembly.
4. Had to disconnect 4 wire connectors behind the glove box. Wire harness on passenger side,(side panel) is tucked in, there is some slack to pull more wire.
5. Left the a/c connected, but it caused problems. Still couldn't move the assembly away from the firewall enough to clear to remove the core pipes from the firewall.
6. Used a somewhat chainsaw method. Directly above the pipes(in the cabin) is a lip that stops you from removing/reinstalling. Used a right angle grider with cutting wheel. Cut out about 4" of the lip. That allowed me the clearance.

Total cost, core, hoses, thermo, coolant, about $150. Started about 9am, finished around 3pm. Took my time.

Tools Needed that helped:
Cordless drill with about 10" flex connector.
Nut bit for the dash bolts.
Phillps bit for the 3 screws that hold the core down. Side panels.
Right angle grinder with metal cutting wheel.
Hose clamp removal tool for those factory spring clamps.
Razor knife for hose removal. They pretty much melted to the piping.
Small 1/4" socket set, for the alternator wiring nuts.
" " ", long extension to remove the computer from firewall.
Assorted open end wrenches.

Any questions, feel free to ask.