You basically have to pull out the dash and enough of the crap behind it to get to the core. Then you have to remove enough stuff in the bay to get at the two hoses behind the motor going into the firewall. They can be a pain depending on how they are clamped in. I don't think I had to pull any AC lines when I pulled one out of a parts car, but it was couple years ago.
Here is a link to a version of the writeup I used the first time I pulled a dash. It could use some cleaning up, but it will help you get the job done. I've done half a dozen at this point. Your first one is the hardest because there are so many hidden screws. You can pull the dash without pulling the steering wheel, but You'll need to pull the front seats out and it is still a major PITA. It's worth it to make the trip to autozone/advanced and rent a steering wheel puller. It also helps to have a friend with you to help maneuver the dash.
Also, since you going to have to re-add a lot of fluid afterward, it's not a bad time to flush your coolant system if you haven't in a while. A little maintenance never hurt anybody. You may as well replace the heater core hoses with new ones too, they are a pain to change later IMO.
#105687, "RE: Really need a heater core replacement write up please" In response to Reply # 1
No need to pull the steering wheel, you can always just drop the column without pulling the wheel. Trust me, I've had mine out 4 times in the last 2 months
#105688, "RE: Really need a heater core replacement write up please" In response to Reply # 2 Apr-26-12 06:58 PM by bluespunk
I've done it with and without pulling the wheel. I pulled one about three weeks ago without removing the wheel because I needed to get moving on it and didn't have any money to rent a puller with. The one I did before that I got lucky and the wheel came off on its own with a firm pull.
You definitely don't have to pull the wheel, but I personally found it a lot easier to get the dash out by pulling it. Dropping the column helps, but not as much as taking it out. It's a classic time/patience vs money scenario. Go with whatever you have more of.
One thing I will say is that if you pull the wheel, mark the inside of the wheel and the spindle with a paint pen or something so you can put it back on straight. The first time I pulled one, I found out the hard way that it isn't as easy to eyeball it as it might seem. If you get it wrong, it won't mess anything up, but your hands will always feel "wrong" on the wheel when you are driving. That drove me nuts. You might also confuse some techs when you take it in for an alignment if your wheel isn't on straight too. That happened to a local guy here. He spent a few days not being able to make hard right turns before he could get it back to the shop to get it fixed.
#105704, "RE: Really need a heater core replacement write up please" In response to Reply # 3
Our cars must be completely different because I didn't need a steering wheel puller to take off mine.
There are 4 bolts holding the air bag in, then unclip the air bag and horn, then there is one 17mm ? (don't remember the size) nut holding the steering wheel on and wiggle it off.
There is no way to remove the heater box without taking off the a/c lines. It sucked, I had to get the system vacuumed back down and when I did I found out I ripped one of the o-rings so I wasted about 60 bucks.
#105705, "RE: Really need a heater core replacement write up please" In response to Reply # 4
They are the same, some are just on tighter than others. Sometimes you get lucky and they'll come off with some wiggling and a firm tug. Other times they won't budge. Like I said, my last parts car didn't need a puller to get the wheel off, but I did need one for the car I worked on before that. Exact same removal process, just got more lucky the second time around. My guess is that the wheel may have been removed before, so it wasn't pressed on as tightly as it would have been from the factory or had less time to rust to the column, but who knows.
Either way, at least you got it fixed. Sucks you had to spend money to get the ac back together though.
