How hard is it to change the heater core?

[shanek]

After reading a bunch of posts and reading the Bentley manual it sounds like a giant pain in the ass but how difficult is it? I was quoted $750 for labour so I'm thinking I should attempt it myself.
It didn't start leaking until right after I had a rad. flush done, could that have something to do with it or is it just a coincidence?

[angrypancake]

do a search for it there are a few write ups, it will take about 6-8 hours, so you will need to plan accordingly with enough beer.

[wingman]

I've serviced heaters on 2 BMWs. Not the E34 though. If it's the same something becomes VERY obvious after a short while. BMW started with the heater and built the rest of the car around it. Pay someone else for the heartbreak:(

[shogun]

Do you have aircon or not?
If no aircon, it is a piece of cake.

[shanek]

After seeing your post a while back Shogun I almost wish I didn't have air conditioning. I can't believe the difference, half hour to an hour instead of eight hours.

[632 Regal]

problem with someone else doing it is they might not put it together correctly...

[neil_004]

I did the heater core on my car about 9 months ago. It really wasnt that hard. Just took a long time. I took out as much of the dash as I could a couple days before and put it back in after I knew that I had the core in witout problems. Kept me from getting frustrated by trying to do it all in one day. The hardest part I remember was trying to get the coolant pipes aligned and attached.

[Jay 535i]

Check this out:

http://www.homeofsbc.com/Fixes/Heater/heater.htm

[Robin-535im]

After reading a bunch of posts and reading the Bentley manual it sounds like a giant pain in the ass but how difficult is it? I was quoted $750 for labour so I'm thinking I should attempt it myself.
It didn't start leaking until right after I had a rad. flush done, could that have something to do with it or is it just a coincidence?
It takes time but it's fairly easy. MARK ALL YOUR FASTENERS!!! There are 27 different types of screws and bolts that all have similar thread patterns so it's easy to screw it up and/or have some left over.

I didn't bother fishing out the old tubes and in the new, I just kept the tubes and used new o-rings at the heater core connection (with the new core). I doubt the tubes can fail, and it looked like a huge effort to get them out. New core/o-rings fixed my foggy windscreen right nice.

I managed to finesse the cluster through the steering wheel so didn't have to remove it... but if you do remove it, Bill R. can help with how to reset the SRS light. ;)

HTH
- Robin

[shanek]

Did you tackle yours yet Jay? I've got that link in my favorites. That guys quick method is exactly how the Bentley manual says to do it.
Robin, that's the answer I was hoping for. I think I'll make a weekend of it once it warms up a bit. What all should I change once I'm in there?

[Jay 535i]

Did you tackle yours yet Jay? I've got that link in my favorites. That guys quick method is exactly how the Bentley manual says to do it.
Robin, that's the answer I was hoping for. I think I'll make a weekend of it once it warms up a bit. What all should I change once I'm in there?

Not yet. Qube and I are waiting for spring, then we'll tackle two cars together as a four-man team. Too bad you don't live closer to Toronto.

It's shocking how common this problem is, isn't it?

FWIW, I've found a few tricks to minimize the fogging.

1. Use anti-fog stuff on the windshield, but use it sparingly or it will streak.

2. Leave the top-level (i.e. defogger) vents closed as often as possible. That will delay the fogging. When the fogging does eventually happen, open the windshield vents ONLY IF the engine is completely up to temp. Then the vents actually will do a moderately good job of clearing the fog.

3. Don't even think about turning the heat on until the engine is up to temp. Otherwise, you're just accelerating the fogging, extending the engine's warm-up time, and not making yourself any warmer anyway.

[shanek]

Thanks Jay. I'm not having a huge fogging issue right now, its not cold enough, but the coolant level light keeps coming on so I have to top it up every few days. I'll have to go pick up some anti-fog stuff from Canadian Tire. Thank god its leaking outside and not in the cabin like my mom's old Chevy Nova did.

[Jay 535i]

Thanks Jay. I'm not having a huge fogging issue right now, its not cold enough, but the coolant level light keeps coming on so I have to top it up every few days. I'll have to go pick up some anti-fog stuff from Canadian Tire. Thank god its leaking outside and not in the cabin like my mom's old Chevy Nova did.

Hmm, you may be a little worse off than I am. Despite my problem my coolant level stays pretty steady.

At least we're both better off than the guy who put together that great heater core replacement guide. He got coolant all over his interior.

[uscharalph]

It takes time but it's fairly easy. MARK ALL YOUR FASTENERS!!! There are 27 different types of screws and bolts that all have similar thread patterns so it's easy to screw it up and/or have some left over.

I didn't bother fishing out the old tubes and in the new, I just kept the tubes and used new o-rings at the heater core connection (with the new core). I doubt the tubes can fail, and it looked like a huge effort to get them out. New core/o-rings fixed my foggy windscreen right nice.

I managed to finesse the cluster through the steering wheel so didn't have to remove it... but if you do remove it, Bill R. can help with how to reset the SRS light. ;)

HTH
- Robin
For once I'm glad I don't have airbags. LOL!!