Hello, my core started leaking real bad, antifreeze on carpet. It has leaked a tiny bit for 3 years, but then about a pint leaked down pass side of trans hump.

So looked into replacing it and wow sounds like horror story, dash out drain A/C on and on. See labor charge of $700 for it.

So see from pic of it http://www.4wd.com/Heating-Cooling/H...pn=CRO56000049 that it is perpendicular to firewall and to right/pass of hump. So looking under dash looks like the lowest part of very large plastic molding is likely the bottom of core, a rectangular extension towards floor.

Is this correct?

If so it may be possible to use a hot knife to cut a big hole in that plastic molding, remove hoses from other side of firewall and pull the core down and out?

Any thought from those that have replaced the core? Anything that would block this method?

After replaced, then would use metalicc duct tape to put the molding back in place.

Thanks for any help in advance.

Darp

Fix it right or sell it.

Pulling the inner dash isn't the end of the world. Just pull it like normal peeps. You'll be glad you did. I never save any time when I try to save time. Pulling the dash right only takes a couple of hours.

If you want to save time, ditch your idea now. You try to save time and end up taking 3 times as long to do it and wreck things along the way. You're money ahead by doing it right.

X3 on the above. Did it the right way and it wasn't horrible. Just time consuming......

Not sure if it's the same process but on my '88 Comanche I just pulled the lower portion of the dash & removed the heater core. Not the entire dash.

Darp,


Just remove the two heater hoses at the firewall nipples and connect them together with a coupling. You really don't need heat in the hot weather do you.


When it gets cold out, put your Heep on Craigslist - Una$$ it. :-)

Please don't do this. Heater core replacement is a very common repair. If there were a shortcut, someone would have found it by now. All you're going to do is hack the **** out of your Jeep and end up either spending more time trying to undo your mistake or end up bypassing the heater core altogether and leaving your mess for the next owner, who will curse you and your entire lineage.

Yes for summer, have done that on old 53 ****** SW But I live in Reno, very cold in winter.

Interesting. Think 88 is different, but just guessing. Another solution can be to pull it all apart, then make it easier to work on next time by creating a removable bottom.

The factory could do that real easy but might add $2 a XJ. The core did last 220K.

The general concept was not wildly accepted here.

What will do as have inspection cam which will fit thru 1/2" hole is drill a couple of holes and I can see the inside accurately to see if feasible or not. The one smart thing Jeep and others do is have the hoses 100% under hood, so if leaks you know its the the core.

Cheers