- This topic has 4 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 2 months ago by
.
-
Topic
-
I have a ’94 Honda Accord LX, which has developed a bit of a coolant leak in the heater core. I get that faint sweet smell when I turn on the heat, and a light coating of crap on the inside of my windshield. It is a very slight leak right now, but I know it will only get worse, and nasty weather is coming to New York soon, so I probably should deal with this now.
Looking at the shop manual, this job looks like a nightmare. From what I can see, I have to drop the steering column, pull apart the center console, remove the steering column brace, tear the dash apart, pull out the AC evaporator (and I just put that AC back together) before I can even get close to removing the heat box.
Anyone out there done this job? Is it really necessary to tear all that crap apart, or are there some tricks to the job to make the disassemble list a little bit shorter?
-
Replies
-
This may be one of those rare cases where a capful of that silver stop-leak powder or similar magic nostrums might actually be the best solution. Assuming it doesn’t clog your radiator. Prepared for brickbats.
Believe me when I say that I seriously considered stop leak, BUT . .. it is a brand new radiator, and I will literally kick myself in the azz if I plug it up. On the positive side, I have had some issues with my heat control switch, not liking to switch to full vent position, and I have verified that it is the switch causing the problem, I have a crack in my dash panel, and at least one bulb out in my gauge cluster, so . . . I guess I can fix a bunch of stuff all at the same time.
On the down side, I only have an hour and a half a day to work on it, which means this is probably going to have my car apart for at least a full week, if not two.
It is a difficult job and you will need to evacuate the AC system and recharge it once you’re done. The console, dash, and HVAC unit need to be removed to access the heater core. It’s not horrible, but there are a lot of parts that need to be removed. One of the best tips I can give is to remove the front seats. It makes the work much easier. Personally, I don’t recommend stop leak. You may end up with other issues. Good luck and keep us posted.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.