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Thread: heater core/ evaporator replacement tips?

  1. #11
    Senior Member
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    I just completed this job. I wouldnt say its difficult, just time consuming removing bits of interior.

    Make sure you note where the vac pipes go to on the box itself.

  2. #12
    Young Padawan With The DeLorean kings1527's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sdg3205 View Post
    They are in the same box. They will come out as a unit so to speak.

    The box will split open along the horizontal axis to give access to both.

    It's a truly time intensive job but worth it.
    Quote Originally Posted by dmc4087 View Post
    I just completed this job. I wouldnt say its difficult, just time consuming removing bits of interior.

    Make sure you note where the vac pipes go to on the box itself.
    Thanks for the responses, guys. I'm researching this so I have all the info ahead of time. Stupid question time: so since they come out as a unit, that definitely means that I'll have to drain all of the coolant and disconnect both the heater core and evaporator, even if I just wanted to get the evaporator out?

    If that's the case, I might just put in a new heater core even though mine's working fine right now.

    Alex Abdalla
    6575

    Late 1981, Grey 5-speed, 75k miles. Built 11/11/81

    A stock-look with modern, reliable technology.

    A full restoration with step-by-step "what I did" is in progress at www.delorean6575revisited.blogspot.com

  3. #13
    Owner since 2007 Farrar's Avatar
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    I didn't drain all of the coolant. In fact I didn't drain any. Instead, I placed papertowels and a bucket under the car to catch the coolant I knew I'd lose removing the heater core.

    Also, remove the carpet on the passenger side because you may spill out some coolant from the heater core as you twist the box to remove it.
    3.0L, automatic, carbureted

  4. #14
    LS1 DMC Nicholas R's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sdg3205 View Post
    They are in the same box. They will come out as a unit so to speak.

    The box will split open along the horizontal axis to give access to both.

    It's a truly time intensive job but worth it.
    Quote Originally Posted by kings1527 View Post
    Thanks for the responses, guys. I'm researching this so I have all the info ahead of time. Stupid question time: so since they come out as a unit, that definitely means that I'll have to drain all of the coolant and disconnect both the heater core and evaporator, even if I just wanted to get the evaporator out?

    If that's the case, I might just put in a new heater core even though mine's working fine right now.
    This is not true. They do not both have to come out at the same time. I've replaced the evaporator core twice now in my car and have never replaced the heater core. Never even gone near it. I just remove the evaporator core section of the HVAC box under the dash. Dont even touch the heater area. There is a horizontal split in the box, but there is also a vertical split that separates the evaporator section from the rest of the box.

    To do the evaporator, this is the only section of the box that has to be removed:
    delorean-evaporator-lower-c.jpg


    Likewise I know several others that have replaced heater cores without doing anything in the evaporator area.
    Last edited by Nicholas R; 03-29-2013 at 01:02 PM.

  5. #15
    Young Padawan With The DeLorean kings1527's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nicholas R View Post
    This is not true. They do not both have to come out at the same time. I've replaced the evaporator core twice now in my car and have never replaced the heater core. Never even gone near it. I just remove the evaporator core section of the HVAC box under the dash. Dont even touch the heater area. There is a horizontal split in the box, but there is also a vertical split that separates the evaporator section from the rest of the box.

    To do the evaporator, this is the only section of the box that has to be removed:
    delorean-evaporator-lower-c.jpg


    Likewise I know several others that have replaced heater cores without doing anything in the evaporator area.
    Outstanding, Nick. That's what I needed to know. Thanks!

    Alex Abdalla
    6575

    Late 1981, Grey 5-speed, 75k miles. Built 11/11/81

    A stock-look with modern, reliable technology.

    A full restoration with step-by-step "what I did" is in progress at www.delorean6575revisited.blogspot.com

  6. #16
    Owner since 2007 Farrar's Avatar
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    Nick, how were you able to remove the screws at the rear of the box? I had to remove the unit to get its three pieces apart. And sealing it back up with press-n-seal ... are you magical or am I an idiot?
    3.0L, automatic, carbureted

  7. #17
    DMC Midwest - 815.459.6439 DMCMW Dave's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Farrar View Post
    Nick, how were you able to remove the screws at the rear of the box? I had to remove the unit to get its three pieces apart. And sealing it back up with press-n-seal ... are you magical or am I an idiot?
    Removing the screws is hard. Getting them back in is darn near impossible. I've seen the aftermath of a few of these partial-removal jobs and screws are always missing. Nick must have tiny hands.
    Dave S
    DMC Midwest - retired but helping
    Greenville SC

  8. #18
    Young Padawan With The DeLorean kings1527's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DMCMW Dave View Post
    Removing the screws is hard. Getting them back in is darn near impossible. I've seen the aftermath of a few of these partial-removal jobs and screws are always missing. Nick must have tiny hands.
    So unless I have raccoon hands, really the only way to get the screws back in place in the rear is to remove the entire assembly? And that means removing the heater core and evaporator as a unit? Trying to get a visual of all this.

    Alex Abdalla
    6575

    Late 1981, Grey 5-speed, 75k miles. Built 11/11/81

    A stock-look with modern, reliable technology.

    A full restoration with step-by-step "what I did" is in progress at www.delorean6575revisited.blogspot.com

  9. #19
    LS1 DMC Nicholas R's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kings1527 View Post
    Thanks for the responses, guys. I'm researching this so I have all the info ahead of time. Stupid question time: so since they come out as a unit, that definitely means that I'll have to drain all of the coolant and disconnect both the heater core and evaporator, even if I just wanted to get the evaporator out?

    If that's the case, I might just put in a new heater core even though mine's working fine right now.
    Quote Originally Posted by Farrar View Post
    Nick, how were you able to remove the screws at the rear of the box? I had to remove the unit to get its three pieces apart. And sealing it back up with press-n-seal ... are you magical or am I an idiot?
    Quote Originally Posted by DMCMW Dave View Post
    Removing the screws is hard. Getting them back in is darn near impossible. I've seen the aftermath of a few of these partial-removal jobs and screws are always missing. Nick must have tiny hands.
    I got all mine out and back in both times. Oh yea, it's a major pain in the ass but still dooable. I have probably close to a dozen different quarter inch drive extensions in different lengths, some of which are wobble extensions, that I used on both replacements. To get the ones on the vertical split, I always had to go from the driver side with several long extensions. Sometimes I would have a friend guide the socket onto the bolt for me for remove. Same thing for installation. Any time I ever had to install a screw, I would take a tiny piece of paper towel, put it between the socket and the screw and press the screw into the socket, with the piece of paper towel sandwiched between the two. It created enough friction to hold the screw into the socket so it could be guided to the hole.

    To get the ones in the back was mostly by feel. I used the above photo as a guide so I knew where all the bolts I was looking for were. First I would try to get a finger on one just so I had and idea where it was, then send the socket up on an extension or two, moving it until I could feel it settle on the screw head. A lot of work was done while upside down under the dash. I also tried using a mirror to see what I was doing (which worked ok).

    For sealing I put silicone between the two halves before pressing them together.

    I'm trying to remember exactly the course of events. I know after the last time I wrote it down because there was only one way things would go in. I posted it somewhere on here but have no idea where. If I recall correctly, I would drop the lower half of the evaporator box with the evaporator inside (fan already removed), down but it couldn't be removed because of the angles. I think the upper half of the box had to be removed next, then the lower half and evaporator could be removed together.

    For re-installation I think it was just reversed. Install the lower half of the box with the evaporator set in the box (getting the aluminum hoses through the firewall) but still leave the whole assembly kind of hanging there in the footwell area (none of the box bolts in), then install the upper half of the box, then bolt up the lower half of the box.

    I cant promise 100% but I'm pretty sure this is what it was. Both evaporator replacements were so full of anger and frustration that the memories are kind of blurs, haha. This all may make it sound easy, but it's not. There are few jobs I wouldn't rather do than an evaporator. Give me a fuel accumulator over an evaporator any day!

  10. #20
    Member TripleZeroFilms's Avatar
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    I'm getting ready to undertake this job myself, and will be attempting to remove the evap without removing the heater side. That being said, can anyone tell me how many vertical and how many horizontal screws will need to be removed? At the moment, by feel, it seems like 4 horizontal screws connecting the sides together and 10/11 vertical screws holding the top of the box to the bottom. Can anyone who has done this before verify/correct these numbers?
    When this baby hits 88 miles per hour...your going over the speed limit.

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