I'm looking at picking up a new tow vehicle, a '96 CTD Ram 3500, and the only major problem with it is that the heater core leaks a little (just enough to get an antifreeze smell in the cab). I am pretty set on picking up this truck, but this is the only thing i'm going to have to do pretty soon to get it where I want it. Question is -- how horrible is this job to do? I've been reading some stuff online, but I always figure there's the 'by the book' way, and the way everyone else does it.

Plan on using up a whole day or maybe a weekend. Pretty much the entire dash has to come out. IIRC there is a writeup on one of the Dodge forums, can't remember which one. I googled it when I was researching the job for a customer.

Personally, I would add 3-4 GM coolant stop leak pellets available from a GM dealer. I have witnessed them stop a radiator from streaming out coolant on several occasions and it stopped the heater core in our 84 W350 shop truck from leaking as well. Just make sure and crush them up really well before adding to the radiator. This would be a good thing to try to get you by until you decide you want to completely disassemble your truck.

I just did one on a 96 1500 (same thing) earlier this summer. They are not fun by any means but doable for the average home wrencher. The dash has to be pulled out to get to the heater box. Drop the steering column down. Remove all the screws along the top of the dash and the whole dash assembly will pivot down. Pop the right side off it's pivot and pull it away from the firewall. most of the wiring switches will stay in place inside the dash structure....theres a few things you'll have to unplug, you'll know what they are when you get there.

Some say you can fight the core out of the HVAC box without removing it from the firewall but I don't know how much of it is heresay. It just simply unbolts from the firewall (stud run thru it with nuts on engine comparment side) but to remove it you have to disconnect the a/c lines which requires the system to be evacuated.

The truck I did I cheated on, the a/c leaked all the freon out a long time ago so I just popped the lines off....they're the quick connect style that you need the little plastic disconnect tools to release the connections. If I remember correctly once the box was dropped down and away from the firewall, there was a plastic cover with a couple screws that came off and the core just pulled straight up out of the box. installation is reverse order:smokin:

One thing you might want to do if you plan on keeping this truck awhile as it's older is swap out the a/c evaporator while you're in there. If you change it while you're there you can definately do the heater core the easy way.

I'm a class 8 truck mechanic by trade and spin wrenches on the side at the house on cars/trucks so I'm pretty quick at figuring out messes like this but it can easily be done by someone with a little common sense about things under the hood and a decent selection of hand tools. I did this one in an afternoon which I didn't think was too bad for never doing one on this model vehicle, not having a shop manual for referance and the old lady bugging me every 15 minutes over some petty bullshit going on in the house which I really could have cared less about at the given moment.

Go ahead and be looking for a dash if it isnt already busted up. 90% of them are broken, and the other 10% will be broken soon enough. Especially since you will be messing with it when doing a heater core.

Stephen

Ive done 3, and its not too bad. If you pull the dash out a foot or so, you can cut the lines off of the old heater core and pull it straight up and out. Doing it this way you don't have to pull the whole hvac unit out, and you don't have to mess with the A/C. Just make sure to get the new heater core with the swiveling ends. The factory heater core has fixed tubes on it, but the ones Ive been getting from NAPA have swiveling tubes, that allow you to slide the new one back in with the HVAC box still installed. They do sell the fixed style too, so open the box and look.

It takes me about 4-5 hours now that I know what Im doing, most of which is removing, and reinstalling the dash.

Good Luck!

Ive done 3, and its not too bad. If you pull the dash out a foot or so, you can cut the lines off of the old heater core and pull it straight up and out. Doing it this way you don't have to pull the whole hvac unit out, and you don't have to mess with the A/C. Just make sure to get the new heater core with the swiveling ends. The factory heater core has fixed tubes on it, but the ones Ive been getting from NAPA have swiveling tubes, that allow you to slide the new one back in with the HVAC box still installed. They do sell the fixed style too, so open the box and look.

It takes me about 4-5 hours now that I know what Im doing, most of which is removing, and reinstalling the dash.

Good Luck!


well that explains how i saw where people were changing them without pulling the heater box out. never knew anyone offered a core with moveable inlet and outlet tubes so thats why i thought it was bull as i couldn't see a way to sneak it in or out of there with the hvac box in place

did the one in my 01 a couple years ago and it was a little more than 1/2 day with clean up.
Make sure you get a decent core. Don't want to have to do it again

Well, its good that the Napa one seems like the one to get, I get a pretty good deal there :D Might be tearing in to it this weekend, just picked up the truck today. The leap from big block -> diesel is wayyyy better than the previous one from small block -> big block

Start reading
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/search.php?searchid=3717283

here is a decent site
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/index.php