Heater Core replacement

[98Chero]

I have a 1998 2.5 l 2 dr Sport cherokee.
apparently the blower for the heater/ac did not have a good seal on it and after 100.00 miles it has been completely clogged by dirt/dust etc coming in from the engine compartment and is not blowing out air thru my vents. the Ciltons manual I bought is not clear to me on how to remove/replace the heater core and the local jeep dealer says you have to remove eveything dash, steering wheel, center console, I mean everything to get to the heater core. I have removed most of the dash parts and the center console i am about ready to remove the steering wheel so I can finish disassembley of the dash. but i wanted to check with you guys first to see if there is a better way than completely disassembling the whole dash to get to the heater core?.

Mike

 

[90Xjay]

Are you wanting to remove the heater core to clean the coils?

 

[jay79cj7]

nope, not a better way.

 

[98Chero]

Are you wanting to remove the heater core to clean the coils?

Yes i would just like to clean the coils and I tried to clean them from what I could see of it when I had the blower off. I even tried to use a peice of garden hose at the end of my shop vac to remove the dirt by vacuming it out but it didnt work. I also tried blowing it out with air from my compressor and nada. one guy told me that I could use a water hose and wash it out the best I could, but I thought it might just make a big mess and not work very good.

nope, not a better way.

I was afraid of that! I think if I get the heater core out i will put a new one in instead of cleaning the old one. I have stared at this for hours thinking what in the world where they thinking when they built this jeep. do you guys think I can be sucsesful by taking a water hose and washing it from the blower housing hole ? or any other Ideas?

Mike

 

[jay79cj7]

I put a new heater core in my XJ last year because I damaged the old one replacing my evaporator coil. The replacement that I got (not from the dealer) is not as good of a heater core from a design standpoint. The old one has much finer and more dense heat exchange fins so that it will transfer heat better. The new one works ok, but save your old one if you can. If you have it full of mud, just soak it for a while and hose it out.

 

[RAVEN13xxx]

You don't have to "remove" the steering wheel, but just drop it out of the way by taking off the bolts that hold it to the dash. I have never taken out the center console to do it either, but it might make it easier by giving you more room to work. If you have never done it before, be prepared to have the vehicle down for a couple days. It is possible to do it without removing the ENTIRE dash, but this doesn't give you a ton of room either, but it can and has been done. And, YES it is a pain in the ummm..... neck.

 

[jay79cj7]

Like I said, I did this last winter. I got real good b/c I had to do it 3 times. The first time I put it back together I hit the heater core tube with one of the screws holding the housing together and didn't realize it until I had it all back together and running. The second time I had the blend door a little off the pivot and so then the heat was stuck on hot. Anyway, I have no idea how you could do this on an 97+ XJ without removing the dash... It seems like any way around that would be more difficult than just taking it out. Its not as bad as it seems, but takes a while.

 

[98Chero]

Thanks everyone for your input! I'm at a point where I have stopped because I have removed everything I can on the dash. 6 fastners across the top near the window, the two lower dash bolts, and completely removed the bracket between the transmission hump and the lower dash but it seems like something is still holding the dash implace? I dont see any fastners still within reach to remove so I can finish disassembling the rest of the dash. is there any more fastners behind the heater control box and the cig lighter?

98Chero

 

[jay79cj7]

I'm pretty sure that's it. You have to lift it off the studs near the the windshield and tilt it forward. Then you can lift it out.

 

[98Chero]

after removing the heater control cable the dash came loose with a upward and outward tug. the heater/ac box came out with a little difficulty still but I was glad to finally get to at the problem area! once I separated the heater box I found that the AC core was the one that was clogged with all the dirt and dust. I would say that it was 60% or more clogged. and the heater core was OK. I took the AC core and sprayed it with oven cleaner then rinsed it and repeated this process twice. it cleaned up really good! I also found that my vent door hinges where dust/dirt filled also this might have been alot of the cause of the air flow problems that I was experiencing. I used some white grease to lubricate all the hinges then put the heater/AC box back together. putting the box back in behind the dash was as hard as removing it but after wiggling it around it fell into place! I hooked up the heater hoses and vacum lines and blower motor wires and did a test to see if all was working right and to my surprise it was just like brand new! I think the hardest part of removing the heater core/ac box was the fact that you had to deal with so much other non related issues like draining the ac lines, removing the steering wheel. remove all of the dash parts and side panels, center console, seats so you can have room to work, vacum lines etc....If you are going to attempt this job I would recommend using some of these tools. duct tape for holding the insulating/vacum lines in place while you install the heater box, silicone for sealing the places where you cut the the insulation to break open the box. a shorty Phillips screwdriver, steering wheel puller, ac line disconnect tools, this has been a real challenge and I wonder what a dealership would charge to do this job? I wonder how much money I saved by doing this job myself???

98Chero

 

[jay79cj7]

Glad you got it worked out. I didn't use a steering wheel puller. I disconnected the harnesses and the steering column just in front of the firewall and took out the whole assembly, rather than just taking off the wheel.