Hi everyone, it seems that my heater core in my 98 TF Magna Wagon is leaking and I am wondering if someone can please answer a couple of questions I have.

First of all, I would like to know is there an after market heater core available? Specifically one that is an all in one unit and one where you don't have to use O rings or those seals and plastic pipe connectors.

I read somewhere that this is a common problem in this model. But does anyone know how often this job has to be done?

The Gregory's repair manual also states that the steering collum needs to be removed. Is this really necessary?

I also rang around a few Mitsubishi dealerships in Sydney and they have quoted me between $1000 - $1500 to have the job done :eek2: ..... As they say it takes around 8 hours to do. Yet one dealership wanted my car for two days. I went to one of those Repco service centers and the girl behind the counter quoted me $1300.00 :eek2: , she also told me that the heater core alone was $800.00 :wtf: ... However Lube Mobile have quoted me around $700.00 to do the job.

So before I go with Lube Mobile does anyone know of anybody or anywhere else, where I could get the job done in Sydney?

BTW I am happy to pay anyone to do the job even if they are not a mechanic. But they have to know what they are doing when it comes to pulling a dash out. I can assist in doing the job as well its just that I don't want to tackle it on my own :D .

BTW I am happy to pay anyone to do the job even if they are not a mechanic. But they have to know what they are doing when it comes to pulling a dash out. I can assist in doing the job as well its just that I don't want to tackle it on my own :D .
That right there is the real reason why it cost so much. its a **** of a job!

That right there is the real reason why it cost so much. its a **** of a job!

Crap, you clearly have not done one so do not bother commenting

Yes, the dash comes out, no the column does not need to move.

To give you an idea, when I put the high contrast dash in my car, removed the dash to run the new loom, dash out, new loom in, dash in, about 2 hours The only extras you need to do for the heater is remove a couple of brackets and 2 hoses, box out, slide out core, replace seals, put back together.

All up for a new person to a Magna but a mechanic, I would say a fair 5 hours.

The cores are not avail without the "O" rings or fittings, they are reasonable reliable given your car is now 11 years old

IF you feel like a drive to Vic, I can do it for you cheaper than that and you should have change left over even after the fuel lol

I had a heater core replacement done on my TH ....cost was around $500 but I saved some money as it my mechanic went easy on me as I'm a regular customer....saved a couple of hundred. So say $700 - $800.

I suppose in the order of expense.....

Dealership
Service centre ie Kmart Auto / Repco service centre
Local mechanic.

Quite frankly never go to a dealer for repairs / servicing....your paying for all that Glitter and advertising.

sorry to hijack, but i have question about air conditioning... when i turn my aircon on, it comes out quite forcefully at the feet end but barely at all from the front vents. I can even turn it on full and it still trickles out of the front vents. Does it need regassing, or is something unplugged?

well im going to tackle my heater core soon, shouldnt be too hard, ive removed dash and air con condensor before. ill post on progress, just gota find time to do it

Bit confused here, and hoping like hell that I never have this problem (leaking at Heater Core)......

I have an impression that very cheap o-rings quite commonly leak - is this where the Heater core is joined by the small plastic pipes that heater hoses are clamped to? (Ie: Heater Core itself is reliable and sealed, its just a poor seal where plastic pipes join onto a metal heater core?)

Is a failed Heater Core - actual core leaks - a common problem.

Trying to get this straight in my head, cos with 3 TJ/KJ's to shepherd, I fear that I'm gonna face this issue sooner or later.

Semi-related question: TR 4cyl and KS V6 - did they have trouble with heater leaks at all? (have one of each of those in family as well).

@TWVLJKHKJGGGGHP's question: Possibly best to start seperate thread about your issue.
Does moving the "selector" dial alter the airflow AT ALL (assuming you have manual air-con) - if selecting (face) (screen) (half-face/half-feet) (feet) changing that setting makes NIL difference to airflow - I'd be looking to see that a selector cable hasn't been detatched from heater box, or cable broken (most unlikely to break a cable, I'd have thought).
Go to Tech Torque forum, download approp Mitsi Workshop manual from links provided - look at Heating/Ventilation chapter. If links don't work, post up and maybe we can e-mail the large PDF to you ro something.

Bit confused here, and hoping like hell that I never have this problem (leaking at Heater Core)......

I have an impression that very cheap o-rings quite commonly leak - is this where the Heater core is joined by the small plastic pipes that heater hoses are clamped to? (Ie: Heater Core itself is reliable and sealed, its just a poor seal where plastic pipes join onto a metal heater core?)

Is a failed Heater Core - actual core leaks - a common problem.

Trying to get this straight in my head, cos with 3 TJ/KJ's to shepherd, I fear that I'm gonna face this issue sooner or later.


guy at dads work, his daughter has a TJ, had a leeking heater core, he got another from wreckers, installed it himself, and apparently that leaked a few months later. so he bought a brand new one from mitsu, cuz he wasnt too keen on pulling the dash out again

You do not need a new core, it is the seals that leak not the core

The new seals that mits supply are a revised rubber based seal where as the old ones were a nylon based seal or "O" ring and tended to go hard

As you are running coolant, this keeps the rubber in better shape

If you change them they should be fine if done correctly, of course if you get one from a wrecker it is likely to leak in a short time

guy at dads work, his daughter has a TJ, had a leeking heater core, he got another from wreckers, installed it himself, and apparently that leaked a few months later. so he bought a brand new one from mitsu, cuz he wasnt too keen on pulling the dash out again

Thanks for that. What I am wondering, was the metal heater core itself leaking (through corrosion, say),

OR

Was it a $4- o-ring leaking where a plastic flange and pipe is screwed onto the heater core, for the purpose of joining the heater hose to the core?

I thought the sequence went something like this: Heater hose --> clamped onto a plastic pipe. Plastic pipe is moulded continuous with a flange. Flange --> screwed to metal heater core unit.... and SEALED by a pair of O-rings. O-rings dry-out/shrink/whatever, causing a leak at the junction NOT in the core itself. Unscrewing the flange from metal heater core, changing O-rings, screwing flange back onto metal heater core unit - solves leak. That was my understanding of a common leak.

Just hoping my understanding is correct - I'd hate to be buying an expensive core unit, when the leak is actually due to o-rings where plastic joins the metal core. If the actual metal core is ALSO know to leak, fairly commonly, is what I am trying to get
straight in my head. Thanks.


EDIT: Thanks Mal - your reply posted while I was writing my essay above. Thanks, seems I absorbed your previously posted advice on this issue correctly. Leaks mostly at O-rings, not the core itself - no need to buy new cores in decently-maintained car (one that has had coolant). Just buy o-rings, get Mal to fix - LULLS.

if it its just a o ring, would it cause a smell when i turn the heater on?
smells like coolent. hence y i thought the actual core was leaking.

Hi and thanks to everyone who replied very much appreciated :).

Extra special thanks to Madmagna for your kind offer to help with fixing it :bowdown: ! Now if I only I didn't live so far away :(... Granted I could take the drive to Vic as it has been a while since I have been down there. But I don't know if it would be a good idea to drive so far with this particular problem. But your generous offer is very much appreciated!

Now with what everyone has said perhaps I might be able to do it myself. I guess if worse comes to worse and I do get stuck I could put it all back together and then get someone to do it :facejump: .

One question though, in regards to replacing the O ring seals. Is there a special way in which these are fitted? Such as a special tension on how tight the screws on the flange must be be screwed in? Or do you just screw them up as tight as they will go?

Is it a good idea to test it for leaks before fitting it back into the car and if so, is there any particular way in which to do this?

Thanks once again for all your replies :).



@ twlvlksjstlky

When I brought my Magna last year I had an issue with the fresh and recycle air vent not working correctly. It turned out that the cable that is attached behind the glove compartment had not been put back properly and hence why it would not work. So I adjusted it by looking at another one at the wreckers and solved the problem. So as Elwyn previously suggested check the cable to make sure it is in the right position.

if it its just a o ring, would it cause a smell when i turn the heater on?
smells like coolent. hence y i thought the actual core was leaking.

If it's any help Lowrider I have that water/coolant smell in my car and it makes no difference if the heater is on or not. I can also see drops of water on the firewall that drip down behind the carpet on the passenger side. Hence why I came to conclusion that the heater core or the seals as I now know it are causing the leak.

The heater is never turned off as such, it has a flap that redirects the air around the heater when not in use thus coolant flows all the time, this helps prevent corrosion and heating and cooling damage from expansion

Ok, Here goes for a little essay of my own lol

Am assuming no doggy bags

disc battery
Remove front seats (makes more room to move)
Remove steering wheel
Remove column surround and combo switch (saves dropping column)
Remove "A" pillar moulds
Remove console
Remove gear selecter, (4 12mm bolts, clip and cable retainer)
Remove lower, middle and top facia plate (heater has 2 screws hidden behind the top, then unclips)
Remove lh panel under the glove box
Remove glove box and inner glove box sheild
Remove facia surround, instrument panel
Remove the thin metal plates down each side along the floor

Now for the fun part, bolts are all 10mm
2 bolts under the cluster, one at the top of the dash each side under the tweeter cover/blanks, one each lower corner, 1 each side lower where the console screws on. (think that is all of them lol)

Wiring, rhs, plug that goes into the the junction box and a grey plug that goes also to the dash harness (is a grey one). Middle, there is a plug with 4 pins (usually has a little cover on it) that has a 10mm bolt to hold it to the frame and an earth screwed into the lhs. The middle grey plug also comes out.

Now provided all is undone is good to lift out the dash

Next, the 2 metal uprights in the middle come out, on the RHS side you will need to carefully detatch the main wiring harness of the upright.

In the engine bay, remove the 2 heater hoses
Back inside is where the fun starts. You need to undo all the bolts for the heater box, air con box and fan box to allow you to pull the whole lot back about an inch or so. There are also some christmas tree clips holding the actual boxes together, get these out before you try and take out the heater box. Now with some fiddling the heater box will come out.

There is a single screw holding a white plastic retainer in, this come out and core slides out. You need a Torx bit (25 from memort) for the screws, DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THEM WHEN YOU PUT THEM BACK IN

Now to re assemble, reverse of above and take a look at all those photos you took while doing the dismantle lol

When you also re assemble, make sure that you also push the pipe back onto the condensor in the engine bay for the aircon drain

Think that is about it, is off the top of my head as most of the time is just something I do without thinking

If it's any help Lowrider I have that water/coolant smell in my car and it makes no difference if the heater is on or not. I can also see drops of water on the firewall that drip down behind the carpet on the passenger side. Hence why I came to conclusion that the heater core or the seals as I now know it are causing the leak.

hmmm, i havnt seen any actual coolent escaping, but i only get the really strong coolent smell when the heater is on. i can have it blowing just cold air, and i cant smell a thing.

hmmm, i havnt seen any actual coolent escaping, but i only get the really strong coolent smell when the heater is on. i can have it blowing just cold air, and i cant smell a thing.

Lift the LH carpet up unde the dash against the tunel, you will see resedue on the floor and soaked into the underlay

Mal I swear sometimes you know too much for your own good lol.

Really good write up however - should be stickified......

Thanks Very Much :bowdown: !!!!

That is an awesome write up and I appreciate you taking the time to do it! I will print that out and have it close by when I attempt to do the job. My flat mate said he would help me in anyway he can tonight. But I will have to buy a couple of tools though.

No doggy bags in my Magna and will only be too happy to take a heap of photos of the job, as I am sure they will come in handy for others.

In regards to screwing the screws up for the heater flange I noticed you said not to over tighten them. Is just nipping them up enough or should they be a little bit tighter?

I also had a thought tonight... Perhaps I should spend the day at the wreckers pulling the dash out of a wreck that way I would have some experience prior to doing my own car :D .

Thanks once again!

Had the same problem when i bought my TJ. Got quoted $1100 from Mitsu to do as it is a lengthy job (and they like to suck you dry of your hard earned). Mal offered to do it provided i bought the parts, fair enough. Cost me $77 for a 2nd hand core (mine was covered in dried coolant so even though it's not really needed was a good preventative measure) and i think about $5 for two O-rings.

First time i went around to his he needed to take a dash out for his mag so he took me along and showed me how to pull the dash out (was completely new to cars) and we had a look at heater cores hoping one would be alright to put in mine (didn't have the 2nd hand one bought that day).

Took around the next week i believe and he did it all in a couple of hours and installed my HU while he was at it. I recommend driving it down mate. If you top the coolant up it won't be a big hassle, it doesnt gush out or anything. I drove it for a couple of months before i got it fixed, most annoying thing was the smell.

So far no hassles with the repair, very happy with job. Ah yeah forgot to mention, i've got doggy bags - SRS light still going strong lol.

A bottle of Stop Leak stopped my heater core from leaking all over the front carpets. Couldn't face the task of replacing it.

A bottle of Stop Leak stopped my heater core from leaking all over the front carpets. Couldn't face the task of replacing it.

Mine too. Dont know how long it lasts though, or how much good the metal flakes going into my waterpump can be doing, but ~9 months later and Im still dry apart from one tiny trickle I got one day. I put some bicarb soda there to cover the smell and also to make it easy to see if I had any leaks. Could have just been caught somewhere and got dislodged I suppose.

I had a heater core replacement done on my TH ....cost was around $500 but I saved some money as it my mechanic went easy on me as I'm a regular customer....saved a couple of hundred. So say $700 - $800.

I suppose in the order of expense.....

Dealership
Service centre ie Kmart Auto / Repco service centre
Local mechanic.

Quite frankly never go to a dealer for repairs / servicing....your paying for all that Glitter and advertising.

Crap, your also paying for someone that should know the car alot better than your local mechanic.

From what i've found dealer is cheaper on repairs, probly because they know the car, have done the job many times and can do it faster then any old mechanic.

Crap, your also paying for someone that should know the car alot better than your local mechanic.

From what i've found dealer is cheaper on repairs, probly because they know the car, have done the job many times and can do it faster then any old mechanic.

They also cut plenty of corners too - you should have seen my engine. Every breather hose was blocked with old oil and i forked out $1000 for a major service 7k ago.

Crap, your also paying for someone that should know the car alot better than your local mechanic.

From what i've found dealer is cheaper on repairs, probly because they know the car, have done the job many times and can do it faster then any old mechanic.

:roflwtf:

My 'local mechanic' services 14 Magna's just like mine, as has seen most problems - and 99% of the time can diagnose my problem over the phone, for free.

My other 'local mechanic' services around 7-8 of Magna's just like mine, and once again - can diagnose over the phone.

The only time I would happily walk into a dealership is if I felt like getting bent over. While I admit, there might be *some* good dealership mechanics, the majority dont do the work on the cars it seems.

The last time my dad walked into his Holden dealership, they bent him over for $1100 in labour and $800 in parts. Wait, thats not including the time they couldnt diagnose a worn bearing in his supercharger pulley and were sure it was every other pulley and tried to replace them all.

Then there's the time they couldnt get the door trims off, so didnt worry about fixing the window regulators.

There's also the time they decided that the 'knocking sound' from the suspension was 'normal' after fitting a new steering rack. Turns out they had it 1cm over on the wrong side.

I trust proper mechanics, not glorified parts fitters.

Crap, your also paying for someone that should know the car alot better than your local mechanic.

From what i've found dealer is cheaper on repairs, probly because they know the car, have done the job many times and can do it faster then any old mechanic.

OK your going to save heaps going to a dealership and I'm an idiot.

:roflwtf:

My 'local mechanic' services 14 Magna's just like mine, as has seen most problems - and 99% of the time can diagnose my problem over the phone, for free.

My other 'local mechanic' services around 7-8 of Magna's just like mine, and once again - can diagnose over the phone.

The only time I would happily walk into a dealership is if I felt like getting bent over. While I admit, there might be *some* good dealership mechanics, the majority dont do the work on the cars it seems.

The last time my dad walked into his Holden dealership, they bent him over for $1100 in labour and $800 in parts. Wait, thats not including the time they couldnt diagnose a worn bearing in his supercharger pulley and were sure it was every other pulley and tried to replace them all.

Then there's the time they couldnt get the door trims off, so didnt worry about fixing the window regulators.

There's also the time they decided that the 'knocking sound' from the suspension was 'normal' after fitting a new steering rack. Turns out they had it 1cm over on the wrong side.

I trust proper mechanics, not glorified parts fitters.

hear hear - great name for them too. Too true

WELL THEN

that all sounds too hard anyone in adelaide want to replace my heater O ring maby the core aswell cuz its been unconnected for 18 months

i was quoted $300 by portside mitsi and looking at some of the quotes i should have taken the offer !! ill call them again and see what they say that was just to replace the o ring but if the core needs replacing aswell who knows

ill let you know asap

Well yous took that pretty serious :bowrofl: sorry bout that

I actually dont go near the dealer except for parts, place is full of apprentice kids. My 'ye olde local mechanic' is a wealth of knowledge wouldnt trust anyone else.

Well, I just changed the o'rings on my heater core on my TJ SeriesII VR-X over the weekend...took my sweet a$$ time over 2 days to do it correctly/carefully. Wouldn't do it for a living unless was getting paid the full amount in labour!!!:happy:
You definetly don't need to evacuate the Aircon system.
seals were $2.10 each from Lander Mitso Blacktown, picked up some genuine coolant whilst there too.. and that stupid cable that controls the centre vents..$11.20 ( damn thing never worked right....Does now!!)
Well....What a Sh!##y job that was too....Not particularly hard.. just time consuming. Got quoted $1100 from mitso up to $1500 from a local mechanic.
Piecing it back together was fun too... I left the steering wheel on.. (Stripped Torx bit on the bag, (My fault) so I loosened the column to give me clearance.)

Thanks to MadMagna for the write up.. Awesome work...

Definitely take pictures.. especially on the way the wiring loom goes around the centre and drivers side of the dash... also if you have an aftermarket alarm system..
Can get tricky if you're a little lost. All in all a pretty easy for a one man job... Need a fair amount of room to dump all the bits around.. I have a triple garage so I laid everything in order to help reassembly.
Shifter has to be taken out for clearance...Auto and manual...

I did something though I shouldn't have... The car started and ran a little rough... forgot I didn't plug the Airflow meter in.. so dumb a$$ me plugs it in hot....Wow...dummy.:nuts:

Mine now is perfect... Not a drop of coolant...starts and Idle is perfect, Heater cranks serious hot air Air Con works just as cold as before
BUT
Though now it won't accelerate, and rev part 1800-2000 rpm.. :roflwtf:No Error codes either...Quadruple checked all my connections with a mirror and torch and by stripping the lower parts of the dash out....lucky to get 10kph up my street. Disconnected the battery for a minute then reconnected... no luck either... F##%
I think I've fried something...
It's at Mitso now... expecting to get smashed, so the $1100 I was gonna save could turn out to be double that.....
I hate cars and hind sight... both can get stuffed.
Unfortunately I don't have anymore time.... These guys look after the car for servicing and basic stuff I do the bigger things... hopefully they won't bend me over too far... I have to drive it to the snowies in Vic next week for a two week stint.

Here are some pics half way through....
http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt35/Blackbird2308/IMG_0217.jpg
http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt35/Blackbird2308/IMG_0214.jpg

I just did mine last week, the only addition I would make is get new plastic elbow things as well. Mine did not have a seal leak, the elbow broke when the heater hose was being replaced. Age on the plastic finally won, not bad for a 96 model ;) I replaced both the plastic elbows and the seals, I think I paid $52.00 or there abouts for genuine mitsi parts and they were in stock. They wanted the car for a day and $700 to do the job, but I said I would do it myself, as it was my project car. The looks I got were nothing short of stunned LOL. Never tackled this much before, but having done the job, no biggie, go slow be patient and and follow MadMagna's tips. Oh, I had my heater core checked and tested, it was like new according to the radiator guy.

Cheers

I pressure tested my heater core with my compressor and a pressure guage to 30psi... perfect..
Got my car back today.... I'm such a putz.... The hose clamp around the intake (throttle body side) was around the wrong way... limiting the accelerator cable.. DURRRRRRR!!!!
got them to change the battery as it was getting weak with the cold weather (Was going to get done today anyway)...and reflash the auto tranny to stop it neutralising between 2nd and 3rd after the battery disconnection.... $200 all up... happier now
Drives great and she doesn't leak!!!
Yay!! Bring on the snow!!!!!

Steve

The plastic pipes that come through the firewall and where the heater hoses connect onto, can this be replaced without having to take the whole heater out ?????

The top plastic connector on my 97 diamante (the last 5mm or so that comes through the firewall) has broken, the hose still goes on but there is not enough plastic pipe left to securely clamp the hose on.

If the heater has to come out I wont be spending the money to do that as the car is becoming economically unviable to spend heaps of money so as an alternative I will either link the 2 hoses together and have no heater or was thinking maybe high heat silicone bonding on the plastic fitting and a thin layer in the hose then bond the 2 together. Does anybody know if this would work for a while ?????

Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.

The plastic pipes that come through the firewall and where the heater hoses connect onto, can this be replaced without having to take the whole heater out ?????

The top plastic connector on my 97 diamante (the last 5mm or so that comes through the firewall) has broken, the hose still goes on but there is not enough plastic pipe left to securely clamp the hose on.

If the heater has to come out I wont be spending the money to do that as the car is becoming economically unviable to spend heaps of money so as an alternative I will either link the 2 hoses together and have no heater or was thinking maybe high heat silicone bonding on the plastic fitting and a thin layer in the hose then bond the 2 together. Does anybody know if this would work for a while ?????

Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.

The bakerlite connectors are only about $30 each and the seals are $1.60 each. Yes the heater does need to come out of the car. Mal did a DIY on here that I followed and it it completely doable by yourself with a minimal amount of tools.

It will take most of the day, but you can save heaps on labor charges. It's not hard just time consuming.

To be honest you only need a phillips head, 10, 12 and 17mm sockets, extension, ratchet, pliers (for the clamps) and that is about it.

Process is dead easy, I have had my 5 year old start to pull parts out of one side of the car while I am working on the other side so it is actually that easy to get the dash out

What is the best way to tell if the core is leaking...
Whats the best way to tell if the core needs to be replaced?


My car TJ VRX has these symptoms:

Front screen always fogs up weather it be during the day or not, have to have the air cond running all the time to clear it.

I have cleaned the screen and a week later it's dirty again.

I slight smell from the interior like dampness or coolant

The air cond and heater all function as normal


help would be appreciated...

Burning old smell from engine ( think this is from the rocker cover seals)

Pull back the carpet on the passenger side footwell and check the floor for dampness. The core will almost never need replacing, the O-rings are what fails.

so it's a matter of pulling dash out to replace the o rings? i reckon i could do it myself as i don't need the car on daily basis and i could tidy up some other things at same time? is it whole dash including the top pad section? or just the lower section?


cheers

so it's a matter of pulling dash out to replace the o rings? i reckon i could do it myself as i don't need the car on daily basis and i could tidy up some other things at same time? is it whole dash including the top pad section? or just the lower section?


cheers

Whole dash. It's not had hard job. Takes about 20 minutes if you know what you're doing, double it if you don't.

Disconnect battery before starting

Removal guide:

1. Remove centre stack (cupholders, ashtray, top vents, stereo cage, etc...)
2. Remove side panels surrounding centre console, and centre console section
3. Remove drivers-side lower plastic
4. Remove cover under glovebox to reveal glovebox mounts, remove glovebox and glovebox inner cover
5. Remove passenger side airbag (2 bolts revealed after removing glovebox)
6. Remove drivers side airbag (torx bits required), steering wheel, and wiper/headlight stalks. Use a whiteboard marker to mark the steering wheel position on the shaft
7. Remove the cluster shroud (2 screws in the top and 2 tabs on the bottom), and cluster (4 bolts - one on each corner)
8. Remove side air vents, mirror switch (just pull), and top tweeters or dash inserts depending on model
9. Remove service plates (metal plates running along where centre console was)
10. Shift transmission into "1" for straight-shift, 4th for manual, or "D" for Tiptronic
11. Remove bolts (one each side in the top dash pod, one each side in the lower outside corner, one each side in the lower inside corner, 2 behind the cluster
12. Disconnect the dash loom interconnects in the lower right side of the dash (One is plugged into the junction box)
13. Drop the steering column as low as possible and lift the crash pad in a forwards manner in order to clear the dowel located in the centre of the dash

I think I got everything there, if I didn't feel free to correct me.

Or...you could just look up the DIY I did a while ago, I also recommend removing the shifter, les chance then of damaging the lower tabs on the dash

DONT drop the steering column, this is stupid and can damage both wiring as well as the column, remove 3 screws from the comb switch, unplug and remove, is much easier and quicker

Also A pillar trims need to come off or you will not get the dash out

Mal:
Your DIY guide is excellent, but I take exction to your posting
"Process is dead easy, I have had my 5 year old start to pull parts out of one side of the car while I am working on the other side so it is actually that easy to get the dash out "
(a) that sounds like child labour
(b) In reality, you probably need someone the size of a 5 yo to get in there and do the job. Certainly not a 67 yo arthritic, astmatic, one eyed, half deaf and crank old fart like me.

You deserve a medal fo preparing such DIY guides. Hopefully I won't have to egt in and do mine.

Well, aparently according to a few "special people" who are no longer on AMC I am over 50 so I am apparently not far behind you in age lol. I guess their ability to count is about as good as their ability to tell the truth as well lol

Back on topic though, it is not a hard job, is not really anything heavy to do and add to this, most of the work is at a decent level so not too much crouching down, you can always do what I often do, lift the front and place on stands just to make the job more comfortable height lol

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but the cost of the heater core that you quoted in the first post... They are feeding you shit my friend.

I have a heater core and the plastic connectors on order, through my Mitsu dealer (genuine parts) Heater core - $112 and conectors $54

I am replacing mine on the weekend, I'll see how long it takes me and let you know ;)

Or...you could just look up the DIY I did a while ago, I also recommend removing the shifter, les chance then of damaging the lower tabs on the dash

DONT drop the steering column, this is stupid and can damage both wiring as well as the column, remove 3 screws from the comb switch, unplug and remove, is much easier and quicker

Also A pillar trims need to come off or you will not get the dash out

Should have clarified. By drop I mean lower using the adjustment leaver.

I got a lot of info on how to do replace the heater core from this, and other posts, thankyou very much I did it in about 6-7 hours....

however ....

Everything works fine except speedo, tacho and indicators.... Did I miss putting something back together properly?

Is there a plug that controls these for me to look for?? I dont want to have to remove it all again....

Any advise would be great.

I got a lot of info on how to do replace the heater core from this, and other posts, thankyou very much I did it in about 6-7 hours....

however ....

Everything works fine except speedo, tacho and indicators.... Did I miss putting something back together properly?

Is there a plug that controls these for me to look for?? I dont want to have to remove it all again....

Any advise would be great.

I'd just take the instrument cluster out again and have a look at the plugs on the back for anything amiss.. like bent or pushed in pins in the plugs.. try just reseating it again and test........easy fix hopefully!!
6-7 hours is a good time too... good work!!

Steve

Check you plugged in the hazard switch? If that cable (behind centre console) is not plugged in then your indicators won't work.

Maybe stupid question but you did reconnect the instrument cluster to the main dash loom? (plugs are behind centre console - under ciggie tray).

Finally check fuses. ALL of them.

Thanks for the tips!!

I worked out the problem, there was a wiring cluster that I hadn't plugged back in behind the side mirror adjuster just above the hood release. Very hard to see unless you remove the panel under the steering wheel.

All works well now. I still have a bit of coolant smell from the heater, but I'm hoping that will diminish over time. I replaced the heater core, seals and inlet pipes. Didn't want the core to die not long after replacing the seals. $120 preventative maintenance well spent I reckon.

Thanks for the advise to others with similar problems, saved me a fair few hundred dollars.



p.s sorry for kinda hijacking op's thread.

This is a bit embarrassing but I started to go through taking the inside of the car apart as per madmagna's procedure but I'm stuck on getting the centre air ducts out (I assume that is what he is referring to as the top facia). The max ellery manual says to pull and lever to release 2 clips but I dont know where these clips actually are and the thing is just not coming out. If anyone has some detailed information on how exactly to get it out I would like to hear. Thanks in advance.

Never mind I've worked out that I needed to unhook the cable that's connected to it as well. I now have it out :)

Can anybody suggest a good mechanic in West, North West Sydney like Blacktown area or Hills District who understands Magna decently? I have my heater core leaking. Got it bypassed for the time being. Been to a few local mechanics. Thanks to this forum and especially madmagna's excellent posts I am armed with a little more knowledge now. I can easily see that the few mechanics I have been to are trying to fleece and giving *******. One of them mentioned that there is no seal on the heater core and there is no option but to replace the unit.

I will love to hear from others who have used mechanics in this area and got good opinion.

ta

Got the heater core fixed from one of the local mechanic today. However, when I got the car back, the engine is knocking badly. It was already quite late and dark and hence they could not look into it any more. I need to take it back but thought of asking here if anybody can guess what might have gone wrong!! The guy who handed over to me suspected spark plugs or leads being faulty and causing misfiring. However, I had got all of them replaced last year, including the platinum plugs on the rear. Can there be anything else?

The fact they released the car to me says they should put down their scanners and find new jobs

If done properly the engine is not touched so heaven only knows what these clowns have done.

Okay. Heres the update. It seems when they completed the job and started the car yday evening, it ran for a while and then started coughing & spluttering. Subsequently it stopped. On attempting to start again for a few times the engine cranked but didnt start. Though the gauge showed there is some fuel left, they were still not sure and filled 10 ltrs of fuel. The car restarted but with knocking and misfires. They assumed fuel was not there ...but it still didnt explain the result.

I have been certain from the gauge that fuel was there. Neither had the low fuel indicator lamp come up yday and I have not known it to malfunction yet. hence fuel was not the issue. I am wondering ....Could dirt get into fuel line and cause problem in the injectors somehow?

This morning the knocking was much less when the car was started from the cold. Though misfiring is there. After a bit of driving, the knocking started to increase. What can it be?:confused:

Can anybody suggest a good mechanic in West, North West Sydney like Blacktown area or Hills District who understands Magna decently? I have my heater core leaking. Got it bypassed for the time being. Been to a few local mechanics. Thanks to this forum and especially madmagna's excellent posts I am armed with a little more knowledge now. I can easily see that the few mechanics I have been to are trying to fleece and giving *******. One of them mentioned that there is no seal on the heater core and there is no option but to replace the unit.

I will love to hear from others who have used mechanics in this area and got good opinion.

ta

Hi mate sounds like you are having a shit time. If you still need someone north west sydney to look at it, Oakes Rd Auto are really great and know their stuff

http://m.truelocal.com.au/business/oakes-road-automotive/west-pennant-hills

Hi mate sounds like you are having a shit time. If you still need someone north west sydney to look at it, Oakes Rd Auto are really great and know their stuff


Hi Dave. Thanks mate. I did think about them but before I go to another place now, need to first understand what is happening.

I will elaborate the situation/background and some thoughts going through my mind. Maybe somebody can throw more light.

It turns out that the distributor cap has gone bad. The pin in the middle was absolutely corroded. The question in my mind remains whether this can cause a sudden problem of violent knocking to start? When I drove the car to the mechanic yday morning, the drive was smooth. Is it possible that the pin was corroded and some kind of banging around made it to break the piece?

Having replaced the dizzy cap, the car is driving fine now. However, I can smell some burnt oil since yday evening. I did mention to the mechanics though they did not give much importance to it till sometime back when I was taking back the car for 2nd time. On closer look, it appears there is some oil dripping on the exhaust. I had a rocker cover gasket leak late last year and got it fixed. That is when all the spark plugs and leads were replaced. I am not sure about the dizzy cap and need to check. I remember that the leak from the rocker cover gasket caused the oil to drip on the exhaust.

On another AMC thread I read a post by madmagna about oil leaks and dizzy cover. Is it possible that the rocker cover gasket is still (or again) leaking and the oil is getting into dizzy cover? Can that corrode the dizzy cover pin?

I am not sure whether the oil is fresh or leftover from last year's repair, which never got cleaned! Given it a wash today. Will wait few days to watch whether there is fresh oil there.

Any thoughts from anybody?
:tired:

Thanks Madmagna. Your little article was a lifesaver as I had to do mine a week or so ago with Doggy bags :-S. I did the heater core, hoses, plastic hose pieces & O rings as I had no desire to do this again!! Although I took my sweet time so partly because I was waiting on parts to come in. When it's time for a 6G75 upgrade, I'll PM you ;)

What's the general consensus on using something like Stop Leak for a short-term solution? :)

What's the general consensus on using something like Stop Leak for a short-term solution? :)

The problem with Stop Leak is that it travels all the way through the cooling system. If it happens to create a blockage anywhere other that the heater core (eg. radiator, engine) you'll run the risk of damaging your engine. I wouldn't recommend it. Re-route your heater hoses until you're in a position to repair it properly (repair it properly sooner rather than later)

Indeed... I personally am not fond of the idea for those reasons. I'll be doing something about it once exams after over.

Got some new seals.. Going to attempt this tomorrow.. Anything else, other that what others have posted here, should I be mindful of?

Thinking about taking photos along the way to help others in the future, see how I feel though, hah.

Got some new seals.. Going to attempt this tomorrow.. Anything else, other that what others have posted here, should I be mindful of?

Thinking about taking photos along the way to help others in the future, see how I feel though, hah.

Are you replacing the plastic elbows too? My suggestion would be for $30-$60 best do them so you never have to do them again.

I wasn't going to... As I may not be keeping the car for much longer.. Depends on the condition of them really.

I wasn't going to... As I may not be keeping the car for much longer.. Depends on the condition of them really.

Generally they will be most brittle where the hoses join onto them. If you have taken the hoses off already have a good look with a torch and look for cracks and missing bits off the edges.
If you are planning to sell the car on, it's a good sales point that this job has been done properly, so keep receipts.

I wasn't going to... As I may not be keeping the car for much longer.. Depends on the condition of them really.

You really should replace them. You're taking out the core anyway, and the pipes are reasonably priced (when compared to the effort of pulling the core out again). Are you really keen on doing the job a second time when the pipes snap?

I was going to start the job at 7-8am.. so I should be able to get to a dealer before they shut on a Saturday IF they need to be replaced.

I was going to start the job at 7-8am.. so I should be able to get to a dealer before they shut on a Saturday IF they need to be replaced.

IF they have them, that is :/
I had to order mine in.

Me too, before 9am it can be same day delivery except they made me wait 4 days.

Already checked, I can get them if required.

It's rather wet today.. So I'll postpone it until next weekend. And in the meantime, I'll get the pipes.

Just a quick thing though... I read through here and others have said you need a T25 torx but one of the books I was reading says T30.. Which one is it as I have a T25 already but I dont have a T30....

Just about to start.. Have everything, including new pipes and I'm ready to go! I'll take some pics to post up too (hopefully.)

Please do.

If you have a little search around there is an extensive write up I did a while back on how to do this

If you have a little search around there is an extensive write up I did a while back on how to do this

+1 I also added some quite detailed pics onto this forum in a thread somewhere and linked it back to Mal's write up.

The heater is never turned off as such, it has a flap that redirects the air around the heater when not in use thus coolant flows all the time, this helps prevent corrosion and heating and cooling damage from expansion

Ok, Here goes for a little essay of my own lol

Am assuming no doggy bags

disc battery
Remove front seats (makes more room to move)
Remove steering wheel
Remove column surround and combo switch (saves dropping column)
Remove "A" pillar moulds
Remove console
Remove gear selecter, (4 12mm bolts, clip and cable retainer)
Remove lower, middle and top facia plate (heater has 2 screws hidden behind the top, then unclips)
Remove lh panel under the glove box
Remove glove box and inner glove box sheild
Remove facia surround, instrument panel
Remove the thin metal plates down each side along the floor

Now for the fun part, bolts are all 10mm
2 bolts under the cluster, one at the top of the dash each side under the tweeter cover/blanks, one each lower corner, 1 each side lower where the console screws on. (think that is all of them lol)

Wiring, rhs, plug that goes into the the junction box and a grey plug that goes also to the dash harness (is a grey one). Middle, there is a plug with 4 pins (usually has a little cover on it) that has a 10mm bolt to hold it to the frame and an earth screwed into the lhs. The middle grey plug also comes out.

Now provided all is undone is good to lift out the dash

Next, the 2 metal uprights in the middle come out, on the RHS side you will need to carefully detatch the main wiring harness of the upright.

In the engine bay, remove the 2 heater hoses
Back inside is where the fun starts. You need to undo all the bolts for the heater box, air con box and fan box to allow you to pull the whole lot back about an inch or so. There are also some christmas tree clips holding the actual boxes together, get these out before you try and take out the heater box. Now with some fiddling the heater box will come out.

There is a single screw holding a white plastic retainer in, this come out and core slides out. You need a Torx bit (25 from memort) for the screws, DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THEM WHEN YOU PUT THEM BACK IN

Now to re assemble, reverse of above and take a look at all those photos you took while doing the dismantle lol

When you also re assemble, make sure that you also push the pipe back onto the condensor in the engine bay for the aircon drain

Think that is about it, is off the top of my head as most of the time is just something I do without thinking

good writeup.. printed for when and if i bother to fix mine..
got a few other issues to repair before mine sees rego again

Completed it all... Found a few screws and bolts spare inside the dash area. Looks like someone had been in there before... After placing everything together, using the found screws/bolts, we ended up 1 short!

I didn't remove the front seats with my Verada Xi, though I could see the benefit if they were removed.
The torx for the steering wheel is T30.
A steering wheel puller is advised, as well as removing the wheel and stalks (they are only 2 screws each)
Make sure the clock spring is taped down and does not move, they do have a locating point mark down the bottom left of the area though.

Definitely remove all bolts on the AC and Heater boxes, makes life much easier.

Now to get a wet-dry vac to clean up the front carpets to get rid of some of the green crap!

And a bit thankyou to Madmagna for his awesome write-up. :)

Just bought a 2000 Verada and discovered that the heater and air conditioning don't work. I was hoping that it was the climate control, but alas, no :(
One of the plastic pipes has snapped off at the firewall and the coolant line is looped.

The picture earlier in the thread, am I really going to have to get that far into the dash??
At 505,000 Kms old, is there anything else I should tackle while the dash is out?

The rocker covers are leaking as well, so I'm going to have to pull the UIM to do that, will doing these two jobs in the same weekend make it easier, or do the heater elbows mount from inside the car?

Got a laundry list of things that need some TLC, but at $500 it was hard to argue - oh, and it's on gas too...

Just bought a 2000 Verada and discovered that the heater and air conditioning don't work. I was hoping that it was the climate control, but alas, no :(
One of the plastic pipes has snapped off at the firewall and the coolant line is looped.

The picture earlier in the thread, am I really going to have to get that far into the dash??
At 505,000 Kms old, is there anything else I should tackle while the dash is out?

The rocker covers are leaking as well, so I'm going to have to pull the UIM to do that, will doing these two jobs in the same weekend make it easier, or do the heater elbows mount from inside the car?

Got a laundry list of things that need some TLC, but at $500 it was hard to argue - oh, and it's on gas too...

The elbows mount onto the core, inside the dash. You'll need to take the dash out to replace them.
While you're at it, replace the heater core o-rings, and I'd also recommend replacing the core itself (all up the parts should cost too much more than $200, $60 or so of which are the elbows).

The rocker covers gaskets are unrelated, do it on the same weekend if you like, but give yourself plenty of time.

The thought behind doing it all at the same time was that with the UIM removed, I will have better access down to the firewall.
I was intending to replace the whole heater assembly. That consisting of the core, O rings and plastic elbows. Given the scope of the work I don't want to be having to do it again.

Is there anything else in the dash that requires servicing or should be replaced given the age? I don't want to be pulling the dash out again, ever.

The thought behind doing it all at the same time was that with the UIM removed, I will have better access down to the firewall.
I was intending to replace the whole heater assembly. That consisting of the core, O rings and plastic elbows. Given the scope of the work I don't want to be having to do it again.

Is there anything else in the dash that requires servicing or should be replaced given the age? I don't want to be pulling the dash out again, ever.

You don't need to remove the plenum when replacing the elbows. They poke through the firewall, that's it. All you'll be doing in the engine bay related to the heater core/elbows is disconnecting/reconnecting the battery, fitting hoses to the elbows when finished and, reattaching the evaporator hose at the firewall and refilling coolant, all of which you can do without taking the plenum off.

So do it at the same time as the rocker cover gaskets or don't, you're not going to gain a massive amount of time going about these two things as once.

And no, short of replacing items that normally don't fail (evaporator, etc) theres nothing else that should be replaced that I'm aware of, aside from replacing the two heater hoses that fit to the elbows in the engine bay.

Thanks :)
I figured there wouldn't be much in there that needs looking at, but always worth asking the question.

Won't bother doing two jobs on the one weekend, just leaves me too many places to look when something doesn't work once it's all back together!

To help give you an idea, this is my old heater core once I removed it, currently the plastic heater hose elbows have been removed, seals are still in place, the old foam has decintigrated a bit.

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad217/peaandham_bucket/IMG_3839.jpg (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/peaandham_bucket/media/IMG_3839.jpg.html)

New core vs old.
http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad217/peaandham_bucket/IMG_3842.jpg (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/peaandham_bucket/media/IMG_3842.jpg.html)

New core with new seals, elbows and weather stipping foam added.
http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad217/peaandham_bucket/IMG_3844.jpg (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/peaandham_bucket/media/IMG_3844.jpg.html)

Lift the LH carpet up unde the dash against the tunel, you will see resedue on the floor and soaked into the underlay

If you leave it too long or not know about it, the sun makes a lot of condensation which gets into your computer and terminals and can give you lots of trouble. I had the ABS , traction control and engine lights coming on often. Had it fixed and after the under felt completely dried up and solved the problem

Mine shorted out my ECU.