Heater core replacement. 1998 Ranger 3.0
#1
Heater core replacement. 1998 Ranger 3.0
Hey guys, long time no talk. Recently my heater core in my Ranger took a dump. I need to replace it as it is still cold in CT. How hard are these to replace??? Has anyone done it and can anyone offer any tips and hints??? I need to do this Monday, as it seems to be a heat wave day in ct, a whole 42 degrees.
#3
yep, gotta pull the dash.
i would disconnect the steering shaft right near the floor board on the inside, and the wiring at the firewall. from there, there are 1 or 2 bolts on the passenger door jam, and same on the driver's. i can't remember exactly how many. something is telling me two. they are large and gold colored. pop the defrost panel off at the windshield, and there are three or four more bolts up there. pull the a-pillars, and you should be able to slide the dash back and set it on the seats. i wouldn't take anything else apart unless you have to.
i would disconnect the steering shaft right near the floor board on the inside, and the wiring at the firewall. from there, there are 1 or 2 bolts on the passenger door jam, and same on the driver's. i can't remember exactly how many. something is telling me two. they are large and gold colored. pop the defrost panel off at the windshield, and there are three or four more bolts up there. pull the a-pillars, and you should be able to slide the dash back and set it on the seats. i wouldn't take anything else apart unless you have to.
#4
Hello folks I am in the process of changing out heater core in a 2002 Ranger. It is leaking and the smell of antifreeze is filling the cab alone with smoke that clouding up the windows. I watched about 6 videos on YouTube and got a general idea of the task. I then went to get a estimate to have it changed and the labor cost was $600. I decided to change it out with the help of my 21 yr. old college grandson. I made a numbered list of the procedures I found on line. I also bought a pack of paper cups to label and hold the bolts from each step and kept them in line as I took them out. I won't include each step, you can go to YouTube and get that. Sample of my experience is: 1. Remove cables from batteries. 2. Drain anti freeze and water from engine. Now step 3 thru 1,000,000. Taking trim off seems ok. Taking some cable connectors loose was a bit tricky. You just have to work at it slow. Some nuts and bolts are hard to get to. I did buy a trim release kit which was cheap and a retainer puller to pop the button retainers. Good lighting is a must. I have a Quartz light stand with 2 fixtures. Flashlights, big and small. Socket set standard and metric. What I have now is a dash that is pulled away from fire wall. I cannot pull heater core assembly out far enough to get to the top bolts. I have removed all bolts under the hood, I thought. My next step is to remove the fender liner which is located in the fender well of the passenger front tire. This will give me access to one more bolt I forgot to remove and I hope this will allow me to pull the heater core assembly back far enough to remove the old core and install new. I will update as I go forward. So far I have spend 4 hours. I suspect another 4 to finish job. Don't know yet.
#5
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Yes, it is one long disassembly to change the heater core on 1995 and up Rangers
One thing to do so it lasts longer is to rotate heater hoses at the firewall every 2 years or so, this reverses the flow thru the core, pushing out any larger bits, that can block passages, so they are pushed out the way they came in
Coolant has anti-corrosion chemicals, these only work when they are in contact with the metal parts, when a passage gets blocked, then no flow of coolant and no corrosion protection, so over time it will corrode and then leak
Same happens in radiators but you can't reverse flow in them, but you can in the heater core
Also change coolant of course, green is every 2 years, red or yellow is every 5 years, "lifetime coolant" is 5 years, thats the warranty, the "lifetime"
One thing to do so it lasts longer is to rotate heater hoses at the firewall every 2 years or so, this reverses the flow thru the core, pushing out any larger bits, that can block passages, so they are pushed out the way they came in
Coolant has anti-corrosion chemicals, these only work when they are in contact with the metal parts, when a passage gets blocked, then no flow of coolant and no corrosion protection, so over time it will corrode and then leak
Same happens in radiators but you can't reverse flow in them, but you can in the heater core
Also change coolant of course, green is every 2 years, red or yellow is every 5 years, "lifetime coolant" is 5 years, thats the warranty, the "lifetime"
#6
Heater core 2002 ranger
Hello folks I am in the process of changing out heater core in a 2002 Ranger. It is leaking and the smell of antifreeze is filling the cab alone with smoke that clouding up the windows. I watched about 6 videos on YouTube and got a general idea of the task. I then went to get a estimate to have it changed and the labor cost was $600. I decided to change it out with the help of my 21 yr. old college grandson. I made a numbered list of the procedures I found on line. I also bought a pack of paper cups to label and hold the bolts from each step and kept them in line as I took them out. I won't include each step, you can go to YouTube and get that. Sample of my experience is: 1. Remove cables from batteries. 2. Drain anti freeze and water from engine. Next step 3 thru 1,000,000. Taking trim off seems OK. Taking some cable connectors loose was a bit tricky. You just have to work at it slow. Some nuts and bolts are hard to get to. I did buy a trim release kit which was cheap and a retainer puller to pop the button retainers. Good lighting is a must. I have a Quartz light stand with 2 fixtures. Flashlights, big and small. Socket set standard and metric. What I have now is a dash that is pulled away from fire wall. I cannot pull heater core assembly out far enough to get to the top bolts. I have removed all bolts under the hood, I thought. My next step is to remove the fender liner which is located in the fender well of the passenger front tire. This will give me access to one more bolt I forgot to remove and I hope this will allow me to pull the heater core assembly back far enough to remove the old core and install new. I will update as I go forward. So far I have spend 4 hours. I suspect another 4 to finish job. Don't know yet.
Last edited by miskell2; 12-30-2019 at 06:18 PM.
#7
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