Ever do a repair and then half way in decide its to much to handle?

[fudgie]

Kit heater core went out the other night on her way home. I bought one for $40 and thought I could do it. Repleced one on a 85 Chevy 1500 and a 89 S-10. Fig a 01 Blazer cant be to bad. Always heard these are a pain cause the dash has to be removed. My Haynes say about 12-15 steps. Ok, not bad. Called a guy and said he'd do it for $150-$200. But cant do it till mid next week. So I attempt it last night. Got every thing out and dash moved a little. A little. Dam, $200 is looking great right now. Still have alot of wiring, airbags, etc yet to go. Screw this! So I put everything back together so at least I can drive it. 2 extra screws when I was done.  I can drive it for about 3 miles before the windows fog up. She has been taking my Z-71 since she has further to go. Tommorrow I think I will bipass the heater core so she can drive it w/o a fog up.

Seems like every winter something goes bad. She just ran over a huge bolt and it took 2 strings to plug it. Last winter it was a new tranny. Bought it cause it was fully loaded and low miles. Bought it for $2k under KBB. Oh well.

[PAVALKER]

Should be easy to bypass and get it fixed later.... but a 12v heater/defroster might be in order if you don't do it right away.

As for tire plugging..... I have had no permanent luck with those "strings" and now have a Stop N Go mushroom plug kit   http://www.stopngo.com/categories/Tire-Pluggers/

Good luck

[hubcapsc]

bottom of the page in the Haynes manual: "go down to the autoparts store and rent
a slide hammer to pull this thing off"... so I got up out of the gravel driveway and went down there,
got the slide hammer, and pulled the thing off.

top of the next page: "the new part must be pressed on with a shop press"... 

-Mike

[fudgie]

bottom of the page in the Haynes manual: "go down to the autoparts store and rent
a slide hammer to pull this thing off"... so I got up out of the gravel driveway and went down there,
got the slide hammer, and pulled the thing off.

top of the next page: "the new part must be pressed on with a shop press"... 

-Mike

No offense, but that made me laugh!  I hate Haynes. More of a Chiltons man.

[fudgie]

Should be easy to bypass and get it fixed later.... but a 12v heater/defroster might be in order if you don't do it right away.

As for tire plugging..... I have had no permanent luck with those "strings" and now have a Stop N Go mushroom plug kit   http://www.stopngo.com/categories/Tire-Pluggers/

Good luck

I have on 1 string patches, this is my 1st 2 stringer. Only lost 10 psi in over a week. She ordered a tire today.

Good idea on the 12v heater. She has heated seats so that helps.

[flcjr]

$200 is a good deal. I have done several of them and I wouldn't do it for that unless was a friend. Just curios is the core leaking or just no heat? This model is famous for core plugging. usually back flush core and clean cooling system good fixes them if that is the problem.

[olddog1946]

If the heater core on the wifes Jimmy goes belly up, I'll trade it in. I can't believe you have to cut out the blower motor to replace it. Taking the dash loose isn't all that big of a deal, but I'm getting too old to do all that crap. I'll go riding and get her a heavier coat. Damn that reminds me, I have to get her another windshield washer housing.

[R J]

At the kid's shop we charge 11 hours to change one out.   The is what our hours book says, and we use it exclusively.

Those cores are a pickle to get out and repaired.

Dash we can have out in under 5 minutes, going back in it is like 15 minutes.   Some cores have taken 6 hours and others have taken 12.   Just depends on which model and year you have.

Just be patient with it and it will fall out and fall right back in.   When you go forcing things is when you run into trouble.

[GreenLantern57]

I looked up changing the one in my 95 Ford Taurus. Decided that 300 labor to install was a bargain! Like he said, I'm getting too old to do this stuff!  My body doesn't contour like it used ta!

[fudgie]

$200 is a good deal. I have done several of them and I wouldn't do it for that unless was a friend. Just curios is the core leaking or just no heat? This model is famous for core plugging. usually back flush core and clean cooling system good fixes them if that is the problem.

No it has very good heat but is leaking and fogs the windows right up with nebulized anti freeze. I back flushed it a winter or 2 ago and got out alot of sediment.
Kit stopped to make a appointment and said the place and she said it looks like a scene from Wrong Turn.  I called a shop to see what he would charge since he did some work for me and they wanted $720. Called a guy we work with that has a shop and will do it for $300. Goes up to him Tue.

[sugerbear]

had a guy (shop)offer to replace my glow plugs in  my 92 chevy for $100.

i said ok, picked it up later in the day. he said he would NEVER do that job again. not even for $300. 
but he laughed and took the $100, we're still friends.

[Robert]

How does 10 to 15$ sound?? GM makes sealing pellets that are used for some of the intake manifolds on caddys. They come in a blister pack of 5 and are the best at this type of repair I have seen these things do miracles,literally. I had a 57 caddy that I flushed out the radiator and then refilled when I did that there was about 20 leaks just spraying a little stream out. Put in 3 tablets and one by one I watched the leaks stop. Its not like other leak solutions and has never clogged a radiator or heater core but it has always worked even sealing the plastic intake manifolds. ONLY get the GM pellets its a blister pack and not everyone has them there are other manufactures of these but they have not worked. If you get them take 3 crush them with a pair of pliers into the radiator with the heater on full and you will be surprised. Many ac evaps job runs anywhere from 8 hours to 24 hours labor depending on car.  
Jaguar

BMW

[YoungPUP]

Embrace your inner Truckie, it'll come out real easy!!! 

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Tell you whats worse is pay someone to repair and then pay someone else to repair the same repair     Just did that on the van my wife drives.

[Dorkman]

I'm making a list of cars / trucks to avoid.  Thanks...   

[Westsider]

That is funny, only cause I do that Shi# to. A water pump on my dads mid 90 something oldsmobile. With the front wheel drive , water pump went out took a few days , lots of cussin, what a f ing pain . Oh well. Add that pos. Car to your list , what a maintenance nightmare....

[Jess from VA]

Went thru pulling the entire dash of a Dakota for a lousy $40 part (paid it done). (replaced two other $40 parts under there, because if you don't, they are sure to fail shortly after the first repair)  Two little shops just turned the work down....... we've done those before, we won't do it anymore.

What I think is that whoever designs a vehicle with a heater core (and couple other parts) you have to pull an entire dash to replace should be kicked in the nuts, then shot, then hung, then burned.  Then kicked again.  Especially when it is absolutely certain these parts will fail in a few years' time.

There should be access knockout panels from the firewall side.... or put them in the glovebox.

I'm not a big fan of having to take my battery out thru the wheel well either. 

[f6john]

    I always buy a factory service manual for my personal vehicles. Chiltons and Haynes have just enough info to get you in trouble and leave you hanging. Sometimes the FSM's have too much info to digest but it's there and usually with good diagrams. I still have the factory service manuals for a 1986 Mustang GT I bought new. Lucky for me, most of my vehicles have an excellent internet presence. The Valkyrie, Corvette, Impala SS and Titan each have excellent site devoted to them and there is hardly any problem that an answer cannot be found.

     I recently replaced the rear axle seal on my Titan. The right side seal started leaking 2 years ago I was in a time crunch. The dealer charged me $500.00 to replace. This time I bought the $69.00 seal and a $30.00 bearing and in less than 3 hours it was done.

[BigChris99]

I used to own a 1987 Ford Ranger, nice little truck. After the OEM heater core went, which lasted many

years, I bought a NAPA core with a lifetime warranty. Every two years, like clock work that heater core

would fail. I got to where I could change it out in 15 minutes.... BUT, Ford did a good thing for once,

they put the core up under the glove box. It longer to take out the glove box then to change out the

core. I still didn't really care for having to do the job every couple of years, but after seeing what

some of you guys are having to go through, I now realize  how much I loved that Ranger!

[KSDragonRider]

the late 80s full size fords were the same way. 15-20 min and you were out of there!

[Dogg]

I can do durangos and dakotas heater cores in about 5 hrs. Thats good considering mitchell says 11.5 hrs. I can do ford tarus in abot 3hrs. Those s10 trucks or blazers, same. Abot 4 hrs. Pain in the but , but, they have to be fixed. There is no easy way that in permanant.

[flcjr]

At the kid's shop we charge 11 hours to change one out.   The is what our hours book says, and we use it exclusively.

Those cores are a pickle to get out and repaired.

Dash we can have out in under 5 minutes, going back in it is like 15 minutes.   Some cores have taken 6 hours and others have taken 12.   Just depends on which model and year you have.

Just be patient with it and it will fall out and fall right back in.   When you go forcing things is when you run into trouble.

R J  what labor book do you guys use. The one we use says 9 hours. just curios they all have varying times on some jobs.

[Madmike]

I used to own a 1987 Ford Ranger, nice little truck. After the OEM heater core went, which lasted many

years, I bought a NAPA core with a lifetime warranty. Every two years, like clock work that heater core

would fail. I got to where I could change it out in 15 minutes.... BUT, Ford did a good thing for once,

they put the core up under the glove box. It longer to take out the glove box then to change out the

core. I still didn't really care for having to do the job every couple of years, but after seeing what

some of you guys are having to go through, I now realize  how much I loved that Ranger!

if there are punch outs in the firewall where the heater bibs go through check and see that they aren;t interfering when teh heater warms up, had a Chev pickup like that and finally ground out teh bib holes for some extra clearance and never did it again

[Robert]

Alldata book time is 8.9 but if you have ac you have to add 1.5 for evacuate and recharge this is for a 01 4wd s10 blazer. Warranty time is 4.1 of course add 1.5 for evac and recharge

[R J]

At the kid's shop we charge 11 hours to change one out.   The is what our hours book says, and we use it exclusively.

Those cores are a pickle to get out and repaired.

Dash we can have out in under 5 minutes, going back in it is like 15 minutes.   Some cores have taken 6 hours and others have taken 12.   Just depends on which model and year you have.

Just be patient with it and it will fall out and fall right back in.   When you go forcing things is when you run into trouble.

R J  what labor book do you guys use. The one we use says 9 hours. just curios they all have varying times on some jobs.

I haven't looked at the cover lately, but if I remember correctly it is Mitchell.  We have a dude who comes buy every so often selling his goods.  We buy one about every 3 or 4 years so as to get back up to date.

He also uses an online service, I think it is called All-Data, I've never used it.   If I have to figure an estimte, I always go grab the big old heavy Labor Bible.

[flcjr]

We have switched to alldata (nodata) I will be going back to mitchell. There online service is better I think. Haven't had a new hard copy in about six years. 4.1 warranty  no add for a/c with the oe warranty the flat rate mechanic just takes it and smiles.