Evaporator Core Replacement - Write Up

Well......I'm past the point of no return. Picked up all the junk I needed this morning and got started around supper tonight. I'll post pictures tomorrow but it took me about three and a half hours and I finally got the dash out. Actually that's a lie, it's still connected by one of the big body connectors on the left hand side. I removed the big bolt but I can't seem to separate the two halves so I left it and kinda swung the entire dash out of the way. I think I might have a problem with the clockspring because when I removed the steering column, the wheel rotated a bit so we'll see.

Only snag I ran into other than the body connector was when I tried to remove the steering wheel, one of the bolt holes for the puller was stripped so I skipped that step and left the wheel on the column......didn't end up being an issue tonight but if my clockspring needs to be replaced......I might have problems. Also, when the dash was resting on the shifter, I guess the weight was too much and I broke my switch panel but that's not a big deal either cuz I plan on getting one with 3 or 4 holes instead of 2.....no biggie.

I'm sure with all the tugging at wire harness connectors and moving stuff around that when everything goes back together, some stuff might not work but not too much I can do about that now is there? I think for the most part, it went pretty smoothly (knock on wood) The temp control cable wouldn't come off the blend air door bellcrank so I just disconnected it from the control head.

SOOOOO for tomorrow, it's drain the coolant, open up some A/C lines and hopefully I'll have the HVAC box on the bench by lunchtime. My plan for tomorrow is to have the accumulator, heater core and evaporator replaced and the HVAC box reinstalled by the time it gets dark....unless it rains again then it might set things back. Oh yeah, if I have time I'm gonna replace the other o-rings in the system (compressor and condenser o-rings) I figure since I have the system drained anyway, it can't hurt. So, for tonight.....that's where I'm at......long job for sure but not too bad so far. Pics to follow.....

Wow, I am in the middle of the same thing! I have everything apart but did not remove the wheel. Tomorrow morning I need to remove the box holding the evaporator, any suggestions?

I'll report more and add photos tomorrow.

The only thing I did for removing the box tonight (because it was dark out) was unplug the green connector. Looking at the FSM, sounds easy enough: disconnect the two heater hoses, disconnect the accumulator and hard line from the evaporator and remove the 5 nuts holding the box to the firewall and unplug the vacuum hose. Obviously the refrigerant has to be evacuated but that's a given I'll post on here how it goes but I think the hard part is over with (removing the dash)

Ok, so I started around 8 this morning, had a bit of trouble with the A/C lines and the heater hoses getting them disconnected but I managed to get the heater box removed as well as the accumulator. Threw the box on the bench and started to disassemble it. Got the two halves separated and removed the evaporator and heater core. Now for my question.....for those of you that have done this, what did you do with the chunk of foam that sits under the evaporator? Mine is in bad shape, the aft end is completely rotted away and the rest is all brittle and crumbly. Now I looked in the parts catalog and there is no such beast listed.....can I just turf it or is it required to control or block airflow around the box?

the factory replacement has the foam attached. i dont know about an aftermarket one. i would transfer it over or the evap will rattle around and may leak again too

damn...I picked up the Four-Seasons evap core so it never came with anything......I'll install the old foam anyway and see what happens....hopefully I never have to do this job again

you can use any type of foam for that. The stuff that you put between a canopy and the box on a pick-up works great. (its sticky on one side so its easy to hold in place or layer for added thickness)

xjguy98 said:

The only thing I did for removing the box tonight (because it was dark out) was unplug the green connector. Looking at the FSM, sounds easy enough: disconnect the two heater hoses, disconnect the accumulator and hard line from the evaporator and remove the 5 nuts holding the box to the firewall and unplug the vacuum hose. Obviously the refrigerant has to be evacuated but that's a given I'll post on here how it goes but I think the hard part is over with (removing the dash)

Click to expand...

What 5 nuts!.. I just spent all day and still cannot figure out how to remove the box thing. I have the dash out(ish) and have access to the box but just can't seem to find out how to loosen it from the fire wall/ under the metal of the dash.

Also, how do you disconnect the a/c lines under the hood? The heater hoses were easy as I had just replaced them a couple of weeks ago.

Thanks for any assistance

on the newer ones i believe you cut the plastic strap to get them out

Hi Ron....for the 5 nuts, there's 1 nut just outboard of the blower motor, because I live in Canada it was hidden by the DRL module. the next 2 also hold the accumulator bracket to the firewall, and the last two are the hard ones. The upper one is behind 3 vacuum lines just above and to the right (when looking forward) of the engine centerline and the last is below that maybe 6". The vent hose for the transmission I'm guessing is mounted to it byb a plastic tab and a push nut.

For four of them I just used a 7/16" deep socket and a 1/4" ratchet but for the one hidden by the engine, I was only able to use a long 7/16" wrench and couldn't get much turn on it so it took the longest but with a bit of patience, it'll come out.....that's the hard part done Let me know how it turns out and if you need any more hints/help

Sory, for the A/C lines, I just went to the parts store and picked up a cheapee A/C line disconnect set. Basically you slip the disconnect over the evaporator side of each of the two lines, push either the accumulator side or the liquid line in towards the firewall while at the same time pushing the disconnect forward. You should hear a click and then the line will be able to be pulled forward. Mine have probably never been done (10 years) so they were a bit tricky so I had to fiddle with them for about half an hour but they came off.....putting them on is a lot easier