heater core

[yeahitsgottahemi]

hey guys i was wondering.. has anyone ever done a heater core on a 1992 camry with the 3VZ-FE engine??

if so... how long did it take and did you have to take the dashboard apart??

[mazdaverx7]

the dash should be removed in order to replace the heater core. estimated time for someone who has never pulled a dash is around two to three hours.

[rusty9]

Actually, it should take you about an hour. there is an access panel on the drivers side. Pull the carpet away from the center console by the gas pedal, and you should see a white or black panel held on by a couple screws and some velcro. Behind that is the heater core. It is held in by 2 clamps that hold the pipes. Once you remove them, you can wiggle the pipes off, then the unit just pulls right out.

Protip: Remove the hoses on the engine bay side of the firewall, and blow as much coolant out as you can

[yeahitsgottahemi]

so that means the dash doesnt have to come out??

[rusty9]

correct.

[yeahitsgottahemi]

Can i get to the evaporator like that too? or not?

[Stillrunning]

Originally Posted by yeahitsgottahemi

Can i get to the evaporator like that too? or not?

Much harder. There's a DIY here somewhere I believe.

[JohnGD]

Kudos for Japanese manufacturers for making some repairs so easy. It's not like Detroit heater cores you have to rip the dash out. Maybe that's why two in Detroit went bankrupt and the third is under new management.

Originally Posted by rusty9

Actually, it should take you about an hour. there is an access panel on the drivers side.

[rusty9]

The evaporator can be removed from the passenger side, the same way the heater core is removed (Assuming the system is discharged first). Although, you have to take out the blower motor first.

[ghettosled]

i have a DYI on here for removing the evaporator and replacing the expansion valve. much more involved than replacing the heater core.

[yeahitsgottahemi]

Alright... Thanks alot everyone ill give it a shot sometime and ill let you guys know!

[yeahitsgottahemi]

Hey everyone just an update...

Heater core on a generation 3 camry.... Easy! getting the hoses off where a bit of a pain but other then that, it only took me 2 hours tops. All I did was removed the carpet and behind it was a cover... It was very straight forward after that...

Thanks everyone for your help!

[tony_2018]

How were you able to take off the pips, can you explain that a little bit more in detail, I'm stuck there because it looks like crimp rings to me. Please help.

[tony_2018]

anybody have any suggestions? on those gold/bronze rings around the pipes?

[BMR]

Can you post a picture?... I haven't messed with mine so I'm not sure what you're talking about. Should be some sort of hose clamp on there. Sometimes they're not the reusable kind, in which case you cut them off and replace them with a worm gear type hose clamp.