Emit
02-25-2026, 06:32 AM
Did the HVAC over the weekend changed both cores, so I wanted to put in some tips extra to what I've seen here:
Took three days, one day to get the box out, a day to rebuild it and a day to get it back in - it's hard on the back but a fun project
If you've got it all out put some sound/heat insulation around and behind it
The nuts and threaded inserts in the cowl that hold the box in above the fan will all strip out - it is essential that when you put new through nuts and bolts there that you cut down the protruding plastic stand-offs into the fan housing (the height of your bolt head plus a washer), otherwise the bolt heads hit the squirrel cage and you have to cut them upside-down in the car
I blocked off the stupid door vents that leak a lot of air and dont seem very helpful, frees up a bit of space for the passenger
Make a note/picture of where the pipes are in relation to each other when you remove the box from the car, as the new ones need to be in the same place and it's a pain to get them lined up in the car
Clear out the evap drain when the box is clear - I was worried about getting it back in, but when it all lined up it just popped right back
A bunch of the knee pad fixings came out/snapped, have epoxy standing by
There isn't anything to stop small flying debris from making it's way into the heater box, get some wire mesh and stick it over the entrance to the cowl (I suspect that a raised bead of adhesive/silicone here will also stop lots of water from entering the cowl and getting dumped onto the fuel pump)
Took three days, one day to get the box out, a day to rebuild it and a day to get it back in - it's hard on the back but a fun project
If you've got it all out put some sound/heat insulation around and behind it
The nuts and threaded inserts in the cowl that hold the box in above the fan will all strip out - it is essential that when you put new through nuts and bolts there that you cut down the protruding plastic stand-offs into the fan housing (the height of your bolt head plus a washer), otherwise the bolt heads hit the squirrel cage and you have to cut them upside-down in the car
I blocked off the stupid door vents that leak a lot of air and dont seem very helpful, frees up a bit of space for the passenger
Make a note/picture of where the pipes are in relation to each other when you remove the box from the car, as the new ones need to be in the same place and it's a pain to get them lined up in the car
Clear out the evap drain when the box is clear - I was worried about getting it back in, but when it all lined up it just popped right back
A bunch of the knee pad fixings came out/snapped, have epoxy standing by
There isn't anything to stop small flying debris from making it's way into the heater box, get some wire mesh and stick it over the entrance to the cowl (I suspect that a raised bead of adhesive/silicone here will also stop lots of water from entering the cowl and getting dumped onto the fuel pump)