The time came to finally remove that pesky heater core that has been leaking onto the carpet. I found a fairly detailed write up for the core removal without the removal of the entire dash. Heater Core Removal Instructions The procedure called for the removal of the glove box to allow for room to slide the core out. I feared that the core removal would be a chore but it turned out to be one of the easiest tasks yet. I removed the glove box which had an unusually large amount of dust and leaves sitting on top of it.

I removed the ventilation duct and temperature sensor tube. Then I moved onto removing the covers that concealed the core inlet and outlet tubes. I was greeted by green oxidation dripping from the clips that attach the inlet and outlet tubes.

After removal of the clips and moving aside the solid tubes that protrude through the firewall and moving aside the electric/vacuum actuators, I was able to slide the core out. The core appeared in good condition although it did show signs of oxidation and corrosion. The leak appeared to be between the inlet/outlet end cap and the center core section. I was surprised to see that the core was bare and not painted. Most of the pictures of the 968 cores I have seen are painted black, including the replacement I have seen online.

Seeing as the leak was clearly at the end cap, I decided to give a local radiator shop a shot at repairing it. I decided on Intermountain Radiators in Poway, which seemed to be well reviewed and was recommended by a friend. It has been mentioned online that many of the heater cores fail at this same location which suggest it’s a design issue. Having it repaired is likely to make this location stronger than a replacement as the radiator shop is likely to goop a lot of braze material at the leak location. At $75 it appeared to be a low risk endeavor, especially since a new heater core goes for over $300.

I was hoping that the shop would be able to clean up the oxidation and corrosion that has formed on the surface, especially since I made the mistake of storing the core outside for a couple days which made it worse. The shop sealed up the leak but did not want to do anything to clean up the core as they were worried it was too delicate. I am not exactly happy with the oxidation and corrosion that is present as my intention is to paint it. I plan on cleaning and painting the core myself later on prior to installing it. Another option for repairing the heater core would have been Pacific Oil Cooler Service. They quoted me a standard $135 for cleaning and an additional $100 for the repair, although the repair price can change depending on the work required. I have heard many praises about their work, especially since they specialize in aircraft heat exchangers, but the price was too close to a new unit to seem reasonable. I will see how this one works out. Since the removal is much easier than I expected, there is not much risk.