94 Taurus heater core replacement

[clcombat7]

Has anyone out there replaced the heater core on their Taurus? If you have, please let me know what all you went through. My 94 heater core has a pin hole leak in it. I'm wondering if I can do it, or if I should just take it to a shop.

[TaurusKing]

You do know that the car is assembled around the heater core??? LOL j\k here's a short version down below:
it's not an easy job, got airbags in there too, if the dealer were to do it, I would guess you would probably pay 500-600 dollars minimum, I'm just taking a stab at the price, it's all labor, what's a core cost?? 50 bucks???? If I were you, I would try a small amount of radiator sealer, see if it'll work, if it doesn't then you know what has to be done...


Removal

1. Remove instrument panel and lay it on front seat.

2. Remove A/C evaporator housing as outlined.

3. Remove vacuum source line from heater dash panel seal (18529).

4. Remove heater dash panel seal from heater core tubes (refer to Heater Case Assembly).

5. Remove four heater core access cover retaining screws and remove heater core cover (18B300) from A/C evaporator housing.


Heater Core Access Cover Retaining Screws



6. Lift heater core and seals from A/C evaporator housing.


Installation

1. Transfer three foam core seals to new heater core.

2. Install heater core and seals into A/C evaporator housing.

3. Position heater core cover on A/C evaporator housing. Install four retaining screws.

4. Install heater dash panel seal on heater core tubes.

5. Install vacuum source line through heater dash panel seal.

6. Install A/C evaporator housing into vehicle as outlined.

[mechhound]

I second the suggestion on the stop leak. Use the appropriate size container of "BARS LEAKS" accept no substitutes.

[fubard]

There it is in a nutshell..."remove instrument panel" makes it sound soooo simple.It is fairly simple but you have to remove a ton of screws/bolts and drop the steering wheel...oh what fun.I've done a heater core on a 91 Taurus and it really wasn't that bad.It took a while to remove it but it went back together very quickly.WIth an older Taurus using R12 in the AC you won't be able to get it recharged...at least in Canada.The AC in my 91 did work and I hated to dump it but you must do that to remove the heater box.After I replaced the heater core I promptly sold the car.

Now I have a nice 95 Taurus; runs great...guess what...it just popped the heater core the other day.Should I laugh or cry?After examining the core from the 91 I noticed it leaked from the bottom of the core.I'm wondering if that's a common place for these to leak.If so I wonder if it's possible to drain the cooling system and somehow put some kind of epoxy in the core and let that harden covering the leak?I'm talking about something to cover the leak maybe by filling 20-30% of the core capacity with some kind of epoxy or resin thereby covering any leak at the bottom of the core.

Originally Posted by TaurusKing

Removal

1. Remove instrument panel and lay it on front seat.

[fubard]

There it is in a nutshell..."remove instrument panel" makes it sound soooo simple.It is fairly simple but you have to remove a ton of screws/bolts and drop the steering wheel...oh what fun.I've done a heater core on a 91 Taurus and it really wasn't that bad.It took a while to remove it but it went back together very quickly.WIth an older Taurus using R12 in the AC you won't be able to get it recharged...at least in Canada.The AC in my 91 did work and I hated to dump it but you must do that to remove the heater box.After I replaced the heater core I promptly sold the car.

Now I have a nice 95 Taurus; runs great...guess what...it just popped the heater core the other day.Should I laugh or cry?After examining the core from the 91 I noticed it leaked from the bottom of the core.I'm wondering if that's a common place for these to leak.If so I wonder if it's possible to drain the cooling system and somehow put some kind of epoxy in the core and let that harden covering the leak?I'm talking about something to cover the leak maybe by filling 20-30% of the core capacity with some kind of epoxy or resin thereby covering any leak at the bottom of the core.


Face it , it's worth nothing the way it is.So you don't have much to lose by trying to replace it.

Originally Posted by TaurusKing

Removal

1. Remove instrument panel and lay it on front seat.

[TaurusKing]

Sorry to hear the bad news about your core,, epoxy might work, I used pc7 on some galvanized water pipe in my garage, I had to replace a valve, you know you start loosening fittings on old galv pipe half the time they start leaking elsewhere, been on there damn good 20 years now, you know I still have my 87 MT5 wagon, which I bought new, pretty much relegated to weekend duties now, it's so rusty I gotta keep my tetanus shot updated, it has the original rad and heater core along with the original heater hoses still intact, upper and lower hoses have been replaced, the only leak is in the crimp seam where the core is attached to the side tank driver side, it steams slightly thru the grill, noticeable only on very cold days until the car is fully warmed up, then no issue,, amazing to me, except for the serious rusting issues, crappy factory clearcoat job, power window motors, some rusty brake lines, which by the way in my opinion are of dangerous design, various service items, I've had my issues with it, but I can still say that it's been the most reliable car I've ever owned, every option right now still works, even a\c compressor is original, converted to 134a, can only hope the newer ones I own will give me the life this one has...

[fubard]

The Saga Continues.....
OK my heater core needs to be replaced but it's too crappy out now.So it had a temp fix done.That fix worked well...until.... I asked my wife to take it in to have the AC slurped dry.She did that and they disconnected the 2 fittings at the firewall.She headed home and the temp gauge started to rise sharply.Of course she continued home instead of going back.Afterall, the ford enginners really didn't design that temp gauge properly.They really didn't mean it was running HOT when the gauge went all the way over...heck no.MY wife made a decision based on her years of driving experience and drove it home...sigh.

So now it's overheated but why? Well it seems the AC guy damaged the compression fitting for the hose going to the heater core while he was disconnecting the 2 fittings. This is fine I'll just redo it and all will be good...right?..wrong. I took it for a test drive to check it out I drove about 5 miles and stopped and got out and lo and behold there's a puddle of antifreeze drizzling from the front of the car....crap...took it home and determined it must be a bad lower rad hose.I had a spare one since I didn't change it out when I did the rad in..JULY!!!!. Now if you've ever had to replace a lower rad hose on a taurus you know what a pain in the ass it is.It must be a engineers joke.

Finally the rad hose is replaced and the rad refilled ready for testing. She starts fine the temp gauge rises....and the same leak appears at the lower rad hose. The only thing it can be is the rad that was replaced in JULY.It leaks after it's warmed up and under pressure.So here I am with a leaky heater core that needs to be replaced and now a leaky rad that needs to be replaced. All this and possibly I've popped a head gasket..sigh...what a pain...just shoot me...beat me with a stick..I want my mommy.

I think once it's fixed I'll place some black tape over the temp gauge...AFTERALL IT WAS MEANT TO BE IGNORED...wasn't it?



Should I laugh or cry??

Originally Posted by fubard

There it is in a nutshell..."remove instrument panel" makes it sound soooo simple.It is fairly simple but you have to remove a ton of screws/bolts and drop the steering wheel...oh what fun.I've done a heater core on a 91 Taurus and it really wasn't that bad.It took a while to remove it but it went back together very quickly.WIth an older Taurus using R12 in the AC you won't be able to get it recharged...at least in Canada.The AC in my 91 did work and I hated to dump it but you must do that to remove the heater box.After I replaced the heater core I promptly sold the car.

Now I have a nice 95 Taurus; runs great...guess what...it just popped the heater core the other day.Should I laugh or cry?After examining the core from the 91 I noticed it leaked from the bottom of the core.I'm wondering if that's a common place for these to leak.If so I wonder if it's possible to drain the cooling system and somehow put some kind of epoxy in the core and let that harden covering the leak?I'm talking about something to cover the leak maybe by filling 20-30% of the core capacity with some kind of epoxy or resin thereby covering any leak at the bottom of the core.

[fubard]

Ok, the weather perked up and allowed me to start replacing my heater core. I've done this trick before and it was an SOB to do. This time it's much much easier. The time to get the dash off and remove the heater box was about 4 hours. I can now start putting it all back together.I'm hoping the re-assembly goes quicker.

How about..." will replace your taurus heater core $500 + parts?"

At least it was a pleasnt surprise having it go a lot easier/quicker. I can determine that by the blue word quotient. This time around hardly any. Last time...I lost count.

[Huney1]

Fubard: http://www.barsproducts.com/faq.cfm Go to yur parts store and look for Bars Leak and read the containers until you find the right one. I use the "Original" and you don't have to drain the anti freze. Very good product and you'd be surprised how many leaks it has stopped. No, it will not stop up your heater core or cause your vehicle to run hot. I had a Chevy Venture van with the 3.4 engine famous for intake manifold leaking and I used Bars Leak and it stopped it right away. I think it's like thre bucks so definitely worth a try.

[KimMG]

Reccommend getting a repair manual and becoming familiar with the job before you try to tackle it.
I bypassed my heater core, I live in a mild climate.

[Huney1]

"I bypassed my heater core, I live in a mild climate."
There you go. I imagine a hose carries the hot water from the engine block to the core and all you have to do is take the hose loose and hook it up where it returns into the block.

[fubard]

Actually, I've tried several stop leak products on my last tearazz with a duffed heater core and nothing would stop the leak. I suspect the metal gets so corroded that once you plug 1 leak a new one develops. Also, when using a stop leak product in the past I've noticed a water pump replacement was not far behind.

Originally Posted by Huney1

Fubard: http://www.barsproducts.com/faq.cfm Go to yur parts store and look for Bars Leak and read the containers until you find the right one. I use the "Original" and you don't have to drain the anti freze. Very good product and you'd be surprised how many leaks it has stopped. No, it will not stop up your heater core or cause your vehicle to run hot. I had a Chevy Venture van with the 3.4 engine famous for intake manifold leaking and I used Bars Leak and it stopped it right away. I think it's like thre bucks so definitely worth a try.

[KimMG]

Huney1-
How I bypassed my heater core. Went to the hardware store plumbing section and got a brass 5/8" diameter splicer for less than two dollars (auto parts store next to the hardware store wanted six dollars for a plastic one). Loosened the four hose clamps going to the hoses that were connected to the heater core. Disconnected the hoses from the heater core, used the splicer to connect the two hoses together, then tightened the hose clamps.

[Huney1]

I'm an older Dude been using BarsLeak for many years and never caused a problem of any sort for me or anyone else who used it I know of. Thing is, it stays in the system and corroded or not, as holes develop it plugs them. Water pump replacement? I don't see how and the particles are so tiny I don't see how they could effect the pump or seals. They make four or five different kinds for different applications so important to read the label and find the one that's right for your job.

"The leak in my heater core is worse than the leak I had when my water pump went out." WHOA! That doesn't sound like a leak, it sounds like a rupture and that sucker must have literally had a blow out.

[KimMG]

Originally Posted by Huney1

I'm an older Dude been using BarsLeak for many years and never caused a problem of any sort for me or anyone else who used it I know of. Thing is, it stays in the system and corroded or not, as holes develop it plugs them. Water pump replacement? I don't see how and the particles are so tiny I don't see how they could effect the pump or seals. They make four or five different kinds for different applications so important to read the label and find the one that's right for your job.

The leak in my heater core is worse than the leak I had when my water pump went out. Stop leak products didn't work. I'm lucky that I live in a mild climate and don't need the heater. I just wear a jacket in the winter.