kmerritt

I need to replace the heater core in my '01 ram 2500, has anyone did this repair ?? It looks like a lot of work just to get to it. My AC guy quoted me about $1,000 and he said that almost all of that is labor cost.. Any help much appreciated !!

Junk Man

There are pics somewhere where the guy pulled the passenger dash back & tied to the grab rail. Then shortened the heater core in & out tubes so he could get it in without messing with the AC. I forgot the price but a local shop doesn't think it is bad. Perhaps 4 hours which isn't near $1000.

I'm almost done with my 85 mercedes dash & did the 78 Datsun Z at the beginning of summer. It isn't too bad & I'm too cheap to pay shop labor. I'm going to replace my cracked dash while I'm there. Anyone know where Genos is getting the dash? I'd like cheaper.

kmerritt

Thanks Junk Man I will search for the pics. I also need to replace the AC condenser core that has a very small leak (a charge gets me about a year) guess I should have stated that. It just looks like you have to do a lot of work to get to the cores. I took out the glove box and part of the dash just to get a look and idea what I was up against, maybe I should shop around and get some other quotes... Thanks again !!

Max Well

I just did one this afternoon. Took me 5 hours, but I took the entire HVAC box out including recovering the R134. It's a tough job, maybe too big for a DIY project but it can be done at home. Only you can judge what you may want to take on!

kmerritt

Thanks Max I figured it was gonna be an 8 to 10 hour job, just thinkin of doing it myself to save some bucks since I just dumped a lot of money in rebuilding the transmission and such. It doesn't matter if the truck sits for a couple days while I make the repairs as I have a backup car.

Max Well

Then you should be fine. I, too have a real "problem" paying someone to do something I think I can do. You can always go to the library and check into the Mitchell manual to familiarize yourself with the procedure before you start. Just be sure to get help lifting out the dash...I never felt one so heavy and clumsy!

kmerritt

Ok thanks again Max, I will definately hit the library before tackling the job. So you have to actually remove the complete sheet metal dash assembly ??

mrclean

No, although the manual tells you to. The passenger side needs to go up and to the rear. You can use a small ratchet strap to secure it to the passenger side grab handle.

Max Well

I saw the pictures of just pulling the right hand side back about a foot, but that requires you to cut the pipes on the heater core shorter. I wasn't willing to do that so I removed the entire dash. It's really not that bad. You can't do it without removing the steering column, though. (Don't ask how I know!)

nkennedy

I did it on a 99 once, and we just dropped the steering column on the seat.

Junk Man

Or simply download the FSM from pdftown. They have the 01 and some others.

kmerritt

Wow this is beginning to sound like quite a job, my first thought is why the hell did this heater core only last 8 years when I have cars that are over 20 years old with no problem ?? Everything's better when it's built in Mexico right ??

nmen

I just finished mine last month. Replaced evaporator too. 90K miles. Pulled dash completely out. It will be faster the next time 10 years from now.