Heater Core, $65 but how much TIME
 

Hey Everyone!

I am curious if any of you folks have switched out the heater core in your trucks? The part is only $65, but if it takes me the whole weekend, I might just survive the winter cold, or take it to a shop. I have only heard bad things about heater core replacements, but our trucks are pretty simple trucks, I am hoping that it isn't as bad on first gens.

Thanks!

It is going to take you all weekend I am pretty sure. It took me 2 days and below is the carnage...
BUT, it is worth it. There is nothing like having no heat in cold weather and there is nothing like having heat in cold weather! :banger::banger::banger:
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...a/IMG_1043.jpg
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...a/IMG_1040.jpg
Below is the heater core. Kinda looks like some strange machine creature from a Gene Roddenberry episode :hillbill::hillbill:
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...a/IMG_1058.jpg

that does not look fun.

Just like any wrenching go slow and methodically and make sure you label or remember where everything goes. :guitar:

damn, all that for just a stupid heater core? boy I periodically get a wet passenger side floor board, I hope that's a hole in my floorboard and not the heater core leaking. hahaha. Haven't dared to really look into it too much. Not loosing coolant though that I have noticed yet.

Am I crazy or is the Factory Service manual for the first gens from TTORA not cover the heater core removal?

Have you folks had any luck with a flush, e.g. removing the heater hoses from the firewall and sending water backwards.

Red, STOP! lol.....

What is mean is, do some research before heading forward. It is very common for these to become restricted..... I know, mine IS, RIGHT NOW! lol. I have no leaking from it, but it's not allowing my heater to get, well, HOT enough, lol.

There is this 'stuff', designed for RV's or homes with certain types of water heaters, which can gently dissolve most of the crap in there, without eating through the thing. There are many home remedies as well... but from what I've heard, this stuff is VERY EFFECTIVE!

I'll be doing it, soon, as I often camp in the snow near the hot springs....NOT FUN WITHOUT HEAT! lol.

Just hold on, you'll get LOTS of opinions and feedback on here.. Weekends are NOTORIOUSLY bad for getting hits on this site.... we're mostly WEEKEND WARRIORS! lol. I'm a chef, so I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT A FREE WEEKEND IS ANYMORE! HAHAHA.

Do yourself a solid and flush the heatercore out.
In the pic below you see the heatercore copper line in the center of the photo this is where the rubber hose goes on. Take the rubber hose off on the right side and either put an air hose (compressor) or a garden hose on one of those copper lines and let er rip. Flush out all the gunk in there and see if that solves your problem. You might also have an issue with the heater control valve. That is the little mechanism to the right where the hoses connect. I would check those before I tore my interior apart.
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...a/IMG_1051.jpg

Hey Spearo....

You da man... BTW, you're saying that the open line in that pic(pass. side) is the 'INLET', right? I was told about this stuff that you basically remove both sides, flush and fill it with this solution from the RV store, and let it soak for 12hrs or something? It's supposed to remove almost ALL of the rust and crap in there, then flush it from one side out the other and plug it back up. Heard anything about that?

Yes, to my knowledge that it correct. :banger:
Inlet or outlet it will flush both ways. At least mine did and I didn't mess anything up.

Thanks, bud....And, Have you heard of that 'STUFF' spearo?

No problem. I hope that will help someone.
I have used something similar to that on our tractors. I don't know if it is the same but whatever it was worked well.

WHEW, weekend problem adverted, will FLUSH the core this weekend vs. rip dash apart. Sounds MUCH funner, Thanks!

See...come on though, you're showing photos and giving advice based on a SECOND GEN truck. Our dashboards are WAAY more simple. I need to do my heater core (but the tranny will come first...), and I'll admit I haven't looked at what it takes yet, but I can see, without taking any parts out, the actual box my heater core sits in.

Anyways, I did the heater core on my 87 Subaru and it sucked. Had to take the whole dashboard out. But even if you do need to take the whole dash out, it can't be nearly as complicated on an 83 as it is on the next model Yota.

Take a look at the FSM (if you have one) before freaking out. I don't have a scanner right now or I'd scan mine for you...

But yeah, definitely try a flush first. Mine heats fine, but is leaking, so it definitely needs to be replaced.

I'm pretty sure op has a 2nd gen truck.

Here's a write up on how to do it here with lots of pictures:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...cement-124222/

I have to do mine soon too :( I guess is you know what you're doing it takes about 3 hours. While you're in there you might want to replace the evaporator on your ac if you have one too.

YES! The 1st gen is easier, I agree.
After you get the 2nd gen tore apart it looks like a 747 crashed in your cab. The 1st gen only looks like a Cessna 172. :banger:

your telling me mine would actually be worse than this?

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...a/IMG_1058.jpg

And is that the heater control valve I gave ya toyospearo?

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...a/IMG_1051.jpg

nope.. that heater valve you gave me went in my 1st gen :hillbill:

You guys are making it sound harder than it is. You can change a heater core in a 84-88 truck or 4Runner in about five hours. Ive done two 86 4Runners by my self, it requires removing the complete dash to get to the heater box. Its more time consuming than anything else.

:good: i still personally think 5 hours is too much. mine took me about 2 1/2

The second heater core i changed took me just under four hours, it was the first one that i did that took me five hours to do because i had never done it before, and i was taking my time, finding out what all needed to come a part.

I sorta remember it not being that time consuming. I think I pulled the heatercore then went into town to get a new one and I ended up having to order one. I think the truck was down for two days but the actual work time was like 5 hours. Hell I don't remember

I picked up a ceramic heater that plugs into a cigarette lighter for 15 bucks at harbor freight!! :banger:

i agree with this too my first time, the second time was much easier around

I will give you guys another tip, when the stock heater valve corrodes and will no longer open or close, upgrade to a heater valve from an 89 or later truck or 4Runner, its plastic and will not corrode. Ive had one on my 86 4Runner for the past couple of years because the original one was rusted closed when i got my 4Runner.

hey, any photos of this? I need to do this as I have mine completely bypassed cus it was leaking and the fact that it would not open/shut. Did not know the new model would work. You can get these aftermarket, but the ones on the 1st gen runners are not available.

If you find that the core is leaking, I'd just replace it. The first gen trucks are much easier to get the dash out on. I did the heatercore on my '94 Pickup and had it done in one day, while tackling several other projects at the same time. There's a link in my signature, but again, it's for my '94 but will give you an idea at least. Just look at that, and then simplify it. LOL. :)

Being a CA.(mostly high desert trips and NO corrosion on my truck) guy, .... is it more likely that my Heater Control Valve is just frozen up with goop? I've never ran just water, and yet, starting a few years ago, it started to become difficult to move that lever back and forth, ...so I'd just go out and push it in and out under the hood.

Now I have very lil heat coming through the vents, even when fully warm. It's warm enough for my City uses...but NOT FOR THE SIERRAS AND SEQUOIA HOT SPRINGS in Winter! lol.

I was going to try a RV Water Heater De-Calcifying/Rust remover soaking solution I've heard about from Thook and others... and then maybe either try to clean out or replace my heater control valve.

I was thinking that my core was leaking, causing that "wet driver side corner syndrome" I had going on....but I think even that was too far over(near the area where my left foot would go) to be the core, and more than likely, it was the Clutch Master that WAS LEAKING before replacing it.(Also, it ate the paint away pretty well where it dripped)...any thoughts? Maybe I should reach up in there and check for dripity drips off the inlet outlet on the core side up in there?

I don't seem to be losing ANY coolant, even before the build, and I mean over a year, ...no drop in coolant level.

This is a heater valve from an 89 4Runner, it is a direct swap for the original heater valve that`s known for corroding and becoming in operable. when i got my 4Runner the original heater valve was corroded shut and the heater control cable was bent from the heater valve not working.

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...unner023-3.jpg

thanks man.

Well, I'm pretty sure we're in the pre-84, First Gen section of Yotatech, and op signature states 1983. But I could be wrong....
:hillbill:

Not only that, but he posted a link so something that is 3rd gen 4wd, lol.