Heater core replacement

[IowaEagle]

On the Concord?  Cap is good.

[eaglebeek]

I am afraid when I backflush the leaks will appear.  Will just try with plain water at first.  Those chemicals do not like 34 year old parts.

Better to find a leak while the car is in the driveway than to find it when the leak develops and the windows fog over while cruising the freeway in 80 mph traffic  .

[IowaEagle]

Very true.

[Nightpath]

Found out my heater core is leaking I think (also found the hose loose and dripping when the engine was off after this, so it may have been squirting it into the car).

Anyone find a cheap replacement that ships to Canada or within Canada? Or an alternative?

[vangremlin]

Found out my heater core is leaking I think (also found the hose loose and dripping when the engine was off after this, so it may have been squirting it into the car).

Anyone find a cheap replacement that ships to Canada or within Canada? Or an alternative?

I bought mine from RockAuto.  I don't know if they ship to Canada or not.

[eaglefreek]

With the amount of work to install the heater core, I would recommend not going with the cheapest. Mine started looking recently and looked at many online reviews and couldn't find and bad reviews of the Spectra brand. The replacement gas tank I bought was from Spectra and was a quality piece. Plus, they are made in Canada and not China. I got lucky and found one on Ebay for less than $100, but they only had one.

[Nightpath]

I go for trusted brands first, but if I'm in a bind I go for the cheapest

I think what happened is the heater core hose slid off a bit and was leaking fluid into the car. I reseated it and poured some pepper into the radiator, no leaks to be seen now.

Just have to figure how to get that f*ing greasy layer off of my windows from the coolant fog. Sucks even more that it's below freezing and any water freezes to the window.

[Jurjen]

Glad to hear that Pepe is well again, you know I have a soft spot for that car.

[vangremlin]

Glad to hear that Pepe is well again, you know I have a soft spot for that car.

Thanks Jurjen! 

[carnuck]

Dawn dishwashing liquid works as a degreaser then use winter winshield washer fluid after.

[Nightpath]

Dawn dishwashing liquid works as a degreaser then use winter winshield washer fluid after.

Great ideas    I'll be using them this weekend n_n

[eaglefreek]

With the amount of work to install the heater core, I would recommend not going with the cheapest. Mine started looking recently and looked at many online reviews and couldn't find and bad reviews of the Spectra brand. The replacement gas tank I bought was from Spectra and was a quality piece. Plus, they are made in Canada and not China. I got lucky and found one on Ebay for less than $100, but they only had one.

I'm in the middle of replacing the heater core on my TV Eagle. I compared the one I bought off Ebay to the original one and they are practically identical. I took a look at the box it came in and thought the box looks old. I noticed under the shipping label was another label with instructions that looked like it was printed a couple decades ago or more. There was also the Spectra label that was over another label. I carefully tried to peel it off and in stuck pretty good to the old label tearing most of it off, but I was able to see part of the AMC symbol and part number. So either Spectra is the original OE supplier and this was a left over from years ago or someone put a Spectra label on it.

[vangremlin]

Now that's pretty cool!  Hope the install goes well Eaglefreek!

[Beaverseagle]

I just did this replacement and did not put any kind of foam rubber around the heater core.   I wanted to get it done and was in a hurry. I should have done it, but I've had not issues.  I thought it might rattle around.  Nope no problems.  Just food for thought if you have to get the job done and don't have any foam rubber.

[Still Pat]

Okay, y'all. I believe the PREFERED method is to restart the old one rather than start another one on the same subject. I have one that leaks & have called a couple places for ESTIMATES. These people are outta their  minds!!!! Can I ask y'all what they charge where you are? Most shops around here are $100.00 - $125.00 PER HOUR!!!!