Heater core replacement???

I need to replace the heater core on my 08 JKU. How hard a task is it and are there any write ups on this? Thanks in advance for the help!!!:thumb:

Are you sure that it's bad and that you don't just have air in your system? Replacing it requires you to completely take apart your dash and that's no easy task.

Are you getting the sweet smell of antifreeze in the interior and or fogs up your windows all the time! Sure its not moisture getting in the fresh air duct? Like Eddie said it can suck. You can have it apart pretty quickly but its getting it back together that is like a twisted up slinky! You take the whole dash cover off which reveals the exoskeleton of the dash. You may get away with leaving the radio, cluster, air bag and main cable attached by taking out all of the attaching bolts of the aluminum frame and tilting it out to get out the box but I have my doubts. Be careful you have airbags that can be set off accidently. There is a procedure for this with minimum unhooking battery and bleeding off the power to the controller. I would personally disassemble the whole thing and take a lot of pictures for routing of cables and the duct work. Unhook heater hoses and bleed, then blow out before disconnecting from fire wall to minimize mess. I don't remember if you can get the steering column out of the way enough for either of the above ways either. Anyway I would talk to a tech or someone who has done this recently and make sure it is the core before taking it on and not a hose or something else. Its been three years since I had mine apart but I am sure it will come back if you need help! Good Luck!

Ya taking the dash apart it's not fun it's a pain in the rear

Its leaking and smells sweet. Pretty sure that is what Im looking at. This is gonna suck. I have more time than money right now so I'll dive into it tomorrow. Wish me luck.

I have personally completely dismantled my dash to replace my heater core. Its overly difficult, however it is very tedious and requires a lot of organization to make things easier. the only thing I really had an issue with was getting one of the cables that connects from the steering wheel to the shifter to disconnect. the result was me having to shimmy the dash panel around the steering wheel. I actually still have the dash frame and parts for a heater core in my garage as we speak.

like everyone says its a pain, but its certainly doable. I took lots of pictures and put screws in zip lock bags to keep them organized. also i marked the steering column so when it was reinstalled I was able to put the wheel back on straight. the biggest pain that i can recall off hand was figuring out how to remove the dash frame. Turns out there are several (8 if im not mistaken) bolts in the engine bay that must be removed to get the dash frame out. just know that replacing it means you are stripping everything down to the firewall. if you need more specifics or have questions, let me know and I'll be glad to help.

as for the actual cause of the issue you're having, it sounds like some of the other guys know a lot more about heater cores than I do. mine was shattered so it needed to be replaced...

well I bought the core already but it sounds like something I dont want to do now.

Papa Joe said:

well I bought the core already but it sounds like something I dont want to do now.

Click to expand...

its really not that bad. just tedious. if you have any concerns, let me know.