Heater core leaking

[crimedog]

Well, pretty sure I have the dreaded heater core leak in my '06 Limited. I changed the AC evaporator a couple of years ago, a real nightmare. I really don't want to pull the dash apart again.

Before I go on, the reason I didn't replace the heater core then was due to a faulty part from Rockauto. I bought an aftermarket core and the crimps on the tubes was poor. I had to get the vehicle back up and running so I put the stock core back in.

My question is....anyone tried to remove the core without removing the dash? It sounds stupid, but you can actually remove the driver's side plate on the center console and have access to the core. It will slide out on the drivers side, provided you either cut the tubes or pry the crimps to allow the tubes to slip out.

You then have a couple of options when replacing. You can either cut the tubes, slide the core in and put a piece of heater hose double clamped on the tubes where they were cut. Or you can loosen the crimps on the replacement core, slide the core in, and install the tubes and re-pinch the crimps. Have seen where some people put FIPG on the crimp to help with stability.

I am tempted to buy a cheap heater core and try this instead of spending $350 for the OEM core and about 15 hours of labor in uncomfortable positions. If it doesn't work, I'm only out a little money.

Curious if anyone has tried this method? My Runner has almost 300k, love it dearly and it's been rock solid dependable other than a few small issues.

Thanks.

 

[Juppers]

I just did my evap a few days ago, and if my heater core needs replacing I will probably be going the uncrimp route like this video. how to replace heater core in 30 minute on Toyota 4 runner 4 gen 2002 to 2009 - YouTube
I don't see any technical reason not to take the shortcut. Pulling the entire front interior to avoid having to reconnect 2 easy to reach pipes just doesn't make sense in my mind.

 

[crimedog]

I just did my evap a few days ago, and if my heater core needs replacing I will probably be going the uncrimp route like this video. how to replace heater core in 30 minute on Toyota 4 runner 4 gen 2002 to 2009 - YouTube
I don't see any technical reason not to take the shortcut. Pulling the entire front interior to avoid having to reconnect 2 easy to reach pipes just doesn't make sense in my mind.

I totally agree. I saw that video and also read where a few guys had just cut the pipes and installed heater hose. I personally think cutting the pipes has less chance of failure than trying to re-crimp does, but I could be wrong.

 

[meltdowner]

Well, pretty sure I have the dreaded heater core leak in my '06 Limited. I changed the AC evaporator a couple of years ago, a real nightmare. I really don't want to pull the dash apart again.

Before I go on, the reason I didn't replace the heater core then was due to a faulty part from Rockauto. I bought an aftermarket core and the crimps on the tubes was poor. I had to get the vehicle back up and running so I put the stock core back in.

My question is....anyone tried to remove the core without removing the dash? It sounds stupid, but you can actually remove the driver's side plate on the center console and have access to the core. It will slide out on the drivers side, provided you either cut the tubes or pry the crimps to allow the tubes to slip out.

You then have a couple of options when replacing. You can either cut the tubes, slide the core in and put a piece of heater hose double clamped on the tubes where they were cut. Or you can loosen the crimps on the replacement core, slide the core in, and install the tubes and re-pinch the crimps. Have seen where some people put FIPG on the crimp to help with stability.

I am tempted to buy a cheap heater core and try this instead of spending $350 for the OEM core and about 15 hours of labor in uncomfortable positions. If it doesn't work, I'm only out a little money.

Curious if anyone has tried this method? My Runner has almost 300k, love it dearly and it's been rock solid dependable other than a few small issues.

Thanks.

What are the signs of a heater core going out? Heat stops working intermittently?

 

[Iluvboost]

I did it by uncrimping the heater core and putting the new one in and recrimping the pipes. The crimps are only to hold the pipes in place. The pipes have o rings to seal them.

 

[crimedog]

What are the signs of a heater core going out? Heat stops working intermittently?

Usually a smell of antifreeze in the cabin, or moisture/fogging of the windshield. That and the overflow reservoir will drop slightly.

 

[crimedog]

I did it by uncrimping the heater core and putting the new one in and recrimping the pipes. The crimps are only to hold the pipes in place. The pipes have o rings to seal them.

Yes, I'm just unsure which is the "cleaner" way to do it. Uncrimping or just cutting. Did you use FIPG on the o-ring area? I've seen it done with or without.

Thanks.

 

[Iluvboost]

Yes, I'm just unsure which is the "cleaner" way to do it. Uncrimping or just cutting. Did you use FIPG on the o-ring area? I've seen it done with or without.

Thanks.

Sorry, don’t really frequent the forums much. Definitely uncrimp it. It comes out clean. I don’t remember what I put on the oring. It might of been just a light grease. Not silicone. The oring seals it up. The crimp is just to hold the pipe from coming out.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I mean I guess that's one way of doing it... Aside from draining the coolant, I'd think the biggest pain in the ass of pulling the HVAC assembly out at home would be recovering the refrigerant and then recharging?

The 4Runner dash isn't too bad to pull and the HVAC assembly can be snuck out without having to fully remove the crash bar. But I suppose if you have the tools to re-crimp the connections on the heater core; you could do that too?

 

[crimedog]

Sorry, don’t really frequent the forums much. Definitely uncrimp it. It comes out clean. I don’t remember what I put on the oring. It might of been just a light grease. Not silicone. The oring seals it up. The crimp is just to hold the pipe from coming out.

Thanks!

 

[esb_t4r]

I did it by uncrimping the heater core and putting the new one in and recrimping the pipes. The crimps are only to hold the pipes in place. The pipes have o rings to seal them.

Have you had any issues with it since you did the job? Any suggestions? About to try the crimp method this weekend. I saw one video where the guy did this and then packed RTV in around the joint. Wonder if that was an afterthought. Also, oddly, in the video you can see heater hose around the metal tubes so it’s not clear if he ended up trying to crimp unsuccessfully and then decided to do the heater hose option.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[esb_t4r]

Well, pretty sure I have the dreaded heater core leak in my '06 Limited. I changed the AC evaporator a couple of years ago, a real nightmare. I really don't want to pull the dash apart again.

Before I go on, the reason I didn't replace the heater core then was due to a faulty part from Rockauto. I bought an aftermarket core and the crimps on the tubes was poor. I had to get the vehicle back up and running so I put the stock core back in.

My question is....anyone tried to remove the core without removing the dash? It sounds stupid, but you can actually remove the driver's side plate on the center console and have access to the core. It will slide out on the drivers side, provided you either cut the tubes or pry the crimps to allow the tubes to slip out.

You then have a couple of options when replacing. You can either cut the tubes, slide the core in and put a piece of heater hose double clamped on the tubes where they were cut. Or you can loosen the crimps on the replacement core, slide the core in, and install the tubes and re-pinch the crimps. Have seen where some people put FIPG on the crimp to help with stability.

I am tempted to buy a cheap heater core and try this instead of spending $350 for the OEM core and about 15 hours of labor in uncomfortable positions. If it doesn't work, I'm only out a little money.

Curious if anyone has tried this method? My Runner has almost 300k, love it dearly and it's been rock solid dependable other than a few small issues.

Thanks.

What did you end up doing to fix this? Crimp? Cut tubes? Looking at doing this job this weekend and any tips would be greatly appreciate. Most likely was going to try the crimp method.

Thanks!

 

[Cezar]

Any way to do this trick with the evap or it only works with the heater core?

 

[Iluvboost]

Have you had any issues with it since you did the job? Any suggestions? About to try the crimp method this weekend. I saw one video where the guy did this and then packed RTV in around the joint. Wonder if that was an afterthought. Also, oddly, in the video you can see heater hose around the metal tubes so it’s not clear if he ended up trying to crimp unsuccessfully and then decided to do the heater hose option.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I sold that 4runner like 4 years ago but yeah its still fine. I sold it to a friend so I would of known if there was a problem. Theres an oring on the pipe to seal it. The crimp is only to hold it in place since theres 15 psi of pressure in the coolant system.

 

[esb_t4r]

Hey thanks for your reply! Glad to hear your 4R (now your friends) didn’t have any issues. I ended up doing the crimp method as well, and fortunately have not had any issues with it so far.

Happy to talk to anyone else doing this in the future.