OK folks, It's fun and easy! But seriously, it wasn't that terrible, just a lotta time. My heater core went from slow leak to Niagara Falls, so it had to be done. Took me about 12 hours, with cleaning and detailing. However, if you read through this, you'll save a few hours. Before we start:
1. Blue tape is your friend. Every time I disconnect or remove a part, it gets blue tape with sharpie writing of what it is or where it goes.
2. Use baggies for screws and write what it is. I also where possible left the screw threaded back into it's hole.
3. Follow the sequence or you'll have to go back.
4. If you have AC, take it to a shop to get the freon drained.
5. Sorry to say, to get at the heater core, everything must come out except the blower.
So here we go!
1. Disconnect both battery terminals. You don't want those airbags going off!
2. Pry off radio bezel and remove radio.
3. Remove center console and seat divider. They clip together but don't try to unclip them, remove both while attached. Remove shift knob and boot (or cover if you have automatic). Now pull it back enough to disconnect the lighter, and then remove. Pull the rear vent duct as well.
4. Remove driver side airbag. Make sure it's been a few minutes since you disconnected the battery. To remove, there are 2 torx screws on the back. Loosen them (they don't come out), then pry off the airbag unit. Unclip the wire and store the unit face up.
5. Remove steering wheel. Disconnect horn wire, use sharpie to give you a witness mark so it goes back the way it came. Then use a 21 mm socket to remove the center nut. Now rethread nut a few threads and work the wheel off the stud. Then remove. Doing this prevents injury!
6. Remove lower door rocker panel trim, attached footwell trim and the interior windshield pillar trim. No screws, all clips.
7. Remove kick panel under steering column. Make sure your hood is open. Now disconnect the hood latch release from the kick panel by unscrewing 2 screws and working it out. Remove the vent duct underneath, working it free without breaking anything. A single plastic clip attaches it to the dash vent.
8. Remove steering wheel clamshell. Remove clock which you can just pry out and disconnect.
9. Remove glovebox. It's held in with 4 bolts and 4 screws. Remove the one screw attaching the glovebox frame to the reinforcing bar.
![Image]()
![Image]()
10. Unplug passenger airbag, then remove 2 bolts attaching it to the reinforcing bar. I left the airbag in the dash.
11. Remove the climate panel. Pry off the bezel and remove the 4 screws. Go under the dash and disconnect three cables, blue, black and white. Make note of the path of the blue cable under and through the dash. There is only one path for this cable to work correctly. I spent an hour figuring out the right one. Pry out the AC switch and disconnect the wires for it and the fan. Now you can carefully extract the unit and the cables.
12. Disconnect the 4 way flasher.
13. Remove and disconnect the multifunction switch.
14. Remove the instrument cluster bezel and rear defrost switch.
15. Unscrew and remove the cluster. I had to go under the transmission and disconnect the speedo cable to give me enough slack to disconnect it from the cluster. The cable unclips at the cluster using a single depress fitting. Disconnect 3 wire connectors and pull the cluster free.
![Image]()
Take note when reinstalling: The speedo cable must be on the left side of the metal reinforcing strip behind the cluster. When the dash is out, the cable shifts to the right side, and if left that way the cluster won't go back in.
16. Disconnect the dimmer switch and the 2 screws attaching the dash to the reinforcing bar.
17. Remove the fuse panel and leave it dangling.
18. Now the dash is sufficiently opened up for you to go through and disconnect the many attachment points for the wiring harness. Some are plastic press-in clips, some have plastic supports which are screwed in. There are some components that clip to the reinforcing bar and they have to be free when that dash comes out. Each harness to dash that got disconnected got blue tape.
19. Now remove the 10 mm bolt on each side of the dash and pull that sucker out! To do it lift up slightly and pull towards you. At the base of the windshield there are 3 plastic studs and 2 plastic clips. Pull it just free enough to make sure it's totally unattached. Be firm but don't break anything! If it's all clear, send it out the passenger door.
![Image]()
![Image]()
20. With the dash out, now remove any wire clips attached to the reinforcing bar and the 2 center support struts.
21. Remove the center support struts.
22. Detach the steering column from the reinforcing bar, then remove the reinforcing bar. Leave the steering column resting in the footwell.
23. Remove the center duct from the heater box.
24. Disconnect and remove the ECU.
25. Under the hood, drain the radiator, then disconnect the heater hoses. Also remove the rubber grommets.
26. Now disconnect the 2 AC lines going to the evaporator. Make sure the system has been drained of freon. Also make sure to cap the open pipes to keep dirt out. I used a bit of plastic film held on with rubber bands. Remove grommet.
27. Disconnect the wires, remove the 5 bolts and remove the AC evaporator box. It pulls right out, then work the 2 firewall pipes through.
28. Finally it's time to remove the heater box. Take it to a bench for disassembly. To replace the core, there are several screws and metal clips holding the two halves of the box together. Get the box apart. The core is held in with a bracket and a single screw.
![Image]()
29. Now just replace the core and reinstall everything in reverse order. Road test, check for leaks, recharge your AC, and check your coolant level for a few days. Top off as needed.
1. Blue tape is your friend. Every time I disconnect or remove a part, it gets blue tape with sharpie writing of what it is or where it goes.
2. Use baggies for screws and write what it is. I also where possible left the screw threaded back into it's hole.
3. Follow the sequence or you'll have to go back.
4. If you have AC, take it to a shop to get the freon drained.
5. Sorry to say, to get at the heater core, everything must come out except the blower.
So here we go!
1. Disconnect both battery terminals. You don't want those airbags going off!
2. Pry off radio bezel and remove radio.
3. Remove center console and seat divider. They clip together but don't try to unclip them, remove both while attached. Remove shift knob and boot (or cover if you have automatic). Now pull it back enough to disconnect the lighter, and then remove. Pull the rear vent duct as well.
4. Remove driver side airbag. Make sure it's been a few minutes since you disconnected the battery. To remove, there are 2 torx screws on the back. Loosen them (they don't come out), then pry off the airbag unit. Unclip the wire and store the unit face up.
5. Remove steering wheel. Disconnect horn wire, use sharpie to give you a witness mark so it goes back the way it came. Then use a 21 mm socket to remove the center nut. Now rethread nut a few threads and work the wheel off the stud. Then remove. Doing this prevents injury!
6. Remove lower door rocker panel trim, attached footwell trim and the interior windshield pillar trim. No screws, all clips.
7. Remove kick panel under steering column. Make sure your hood is open. Now disconnect the hood latch release from the kick panel by unscrewing 2 screws and working it out. Remove the vent duct underneath, working it free without breaking anything. A single plastic clip attaches it to the dash vent.
8. Remove steering wheel clamshell. Remove clock which you can just pry out and disconnect.
9. Remove glovebox. It's held in with 4 bolts and 4 screws. Remove the one screw attaching the glovebox frame to the reinforcing bar.
10. Unplug passenger airbag, then remove 2 bolts attaching it to the reinforcing bar. I left the airbag in the dash.
11. Remove the climate panel. Pry off the bezel and remove the 4 screws. Go under the dash and disconnect three cables, blue, black and white. Make note of the path of the blue cable under and through the dash. There is only one path for this cable to work correctly. I spent an hour figuring out the right one. Pry out the AC switch and disconnect the wires for it and the fan. Now you can carefully extract the unit and the cables.
12. Disconnect the 4 way flasher.
13. Remove and disconnect the multifunction switch.
14. Remove the instrument cluster bezel and rear defrost switch.
15. Unscrew and remove the cluster. I had to go under the transmission and disconnect the speedo cable to give me enough slack to disconnect it from the cluster. The cable unclips at the cluster using a single depress fitting. Disconnect 3 wire connectors and pull the cluster free.
Take note when reinstalling: The speedo cable must be on the left side of the metal reinforcing strip behind the cluster. When the dash is out, the cable shifts to the right side, and if left that way the cluster won't go back in.
16. Disconnect the dimmer switch and the 2 screws attaching the dash to the reinforcing bar.
17. Remove the fuse panel and leave it dangling.
18. Now the dash is sufficiently opened up for you to go through and disconnect the many attachment points for the wiring harness. Some are plastic press-in clips, some have plastic supports which are screwed in. There are some components that clip to the reinforcing bar and they have to be free when that dash comes out. Each harness to dash that got disconnected got blue tape.
19. Now remove the 10 mm bolt on each side of the dash and pull that sucker out! To do it lift up slightly and pull towards you. At the base of the windshield there are 3 plastic studs and 2 plastic clips. Pull it just free enough to make sure it's totally unattached. Be firm but don't break anything! If it's all clear, send it out the passenger door.
20. With the dash out, now remove any wire clips attached to the reinforcing bar and the 2 center support struts.
21. Remove the center support struts.
22. Detach the steering column from the reinforcing bar, then remove the reinforcing bar. Leave the steering column resting in the footwell.
23. Remove the center duct from the heater box.
24. Disconnect and remove the ECU.
25. Under the hood, drain the radiator, then disconnect the heater hoses. Also remove the rubber grommets.
26. Now disconnect the 2 AC lines going to the evaporator. Make sure the system has been drained of freon. Also make sure to cap the open pipes to keep dirt out. I used a bit of plastic film held on with rubber bands. Remove grommet.
27. Disconnect the wires, remove the 5 bolts and remove the AC evaporator box. It pulls right out, then work the 2 firewall pipes through.
28. Finally it's time to remove the heater box. Take it to a bench for disassembly. To replace the core, there are several screws and metal clips holding the two halves of the box together. Get the box apart. The core is held in with a bracket and a single screw.
29. Now just replace the core and reinstall everything in reverse order. Road test, check for leaks, recharge your AC, and check your coolant level for a few days. Top off as needed.
