How haed is this to do?Is it a comman thing to change out?I bent a line tryin to get the heater hose off lastnight.I planned on replacing it anyways but now im doing it right away. The dash is coming out so is there a trick to it? Is there any aftermarket ones that are as good as oem?


Thanks
Russell

 

It's a lot easier than on many vehicles.
Aftermarket should be as good as OEM, and waaay cheaper.

 

If I remember correctly, there are 2 extension tubes that pass through the firewall and connect to the actual heater core. Have done 2 some time ago (1 last year)

 

ok heres the thing i pinched the tubes coming out of the firewall and kinked one. the hose was stuck on and i thought i could grab it and twist ti to brake it loose and smashed it. Rather then bend it back and have a weak line that would bother me forever i figure replace it.Is that not the heater core then? On VW's (what i usually work on ) the heater core is right behind the firewall in the heater box and the lines run through it. I need to replace both of them now cause i pinched the other one off so the oil that was in there wouldnt leak all over the new paint while im working on it or swapping it.

 

I'm in the process of tearing down an '88, and what I have seen/learned is that to get to the heater core, the dash has to come out. The heater core is in front of the center part of the instrument panel and it is part of the whole HVAC system. The heater core itself is inside a plastic housing that makes up the HVAC system. If you are removing the dash pad, keep in mind there is a fastener behind the far right/passenger's side dash vent; you have to remove the dash vent to get to it. There is another fastener in the middle of the dash pad, accessible from underneath the dash. Finally there is one at the left end of the dash pad underneath the instrumet cluster. Hope this helps and that this is the information you are looking for.

 

Thanks, I will be pulling everything out of the interior(all i have is that dash to go) and replacing it. I think this is well worth it to replace while its out.

I have never even attemped the dash removal on a toyota.I know the heater core on a vw is about a 10hour job to do.

 

Dude, never pull on a heater core hose, twist or whatever. Cut the hose only!!! Core removal is basically the entire dash needs to come out. If you have AC, you will need to evac and remove the evap core. Now when your in there, the pipe in the firewall are seperate. They splice using an o-ring and a cheezey little clip. Most parts dept wont show the clip, but it is available w ith o-rings if they know where to look. Get the pipes in addition to the core. I have actually sweated the pipes to the core once just like sweating copper house pipe. Anytime you tug on a core hose, you can create a leak at this connection, especially on an older rig. Oh, and when you install the new rubber hoses onto the pipe, dont butt the hose up tight against the firewall. This way, if your hose leaks under the clamp, it doesnt run into the cab. And dont toss those OE spring loaded clamps. There is one with a little metal band sometimes. Cut those off and replace them with the sping type. Spring type works grea in the sense it doesnt dig into the rubber like a worm type does and also, it maintains pressure, even if the hose warms up and gets soft, these claps will bite down more. If you order anything from the dealer, get these too. These clamps are great in all applications. Please, dont discard these, reuse them. If needed, ordered new from Toyota if someone has already deleted yours. And a little heads up. If you remove a hose with one of these clamps, and the hose has an imprint of the clamp, install the clamp right back where it came from based on the imprint or it will most likely weep a little. A shot of silicone spray on the hose when installing them helps and silicone spray the hose where the clamp is, this allows the clamp to bite down better.

 

Thanks,I planned on replacing it anyways.The dash will be out to replace the pad and heater control and all the heater parts. this one is different then my 87.My 87 had strong hoses coming out and thats how i got the hoses off.I didnt get any leaks by twisting the hose off but it wasnt seazed on like this one.Oh well i guess when i go to the dealer for the heater core i will get all the clips clamps and o rings. My goal when this is all said and done is to have a "new 85 4runner" So far so good. in about a month i will have a new one.