Thanks for this video. My recently purchased 1966 GT A code has a new aluminium radiator and my heart sank when I noticed a soaked passenger carpet. Tested cowl, even though it's not water tight, the carpet has an oil texture to it so I'm fairly confident it's the heater. This video is exactly what I need to tackle the problem, much appreciated from a new mustang owner.
Sorry about your leak issue, but I'm glad you were able to pull some value from my video! :) Maybe I could offer a heads up? When you pull the heater box to replace the Coil, it's the best time to service the gaskets and other moving parts in there since you'll have it out of the car. To do so in the future would require all the same work to remove it. I debated about doing the same and looking back I wish I made the choice to do so. I never use the heater or venting system but it was one of those "while you're here" things that I passed on and wish I didn't. Also, hopefully you won't have the same issue I had with getting the air out of the system. I feel like an idiot since I missed it during the Radiator install, but it's better now. My guess is that the high pressures in my system (from not getting all the air out) is what forced the Heater Core to fail. Good luck!!
Sounds like you've been in that state of awareness where you're looking at all the gauges and listening for the slightest sound to help identify the source of the coolant. For about 15 seconds it was pure panic. :)
I changed the heater box & heater core on my 65 about 3-4 years ago. I got the heater core from autozone. I knew it wasn’t a good one when I compared it to the old one. I looked under there last year & noticed it’s leaking slightly. The hoses are tight. I bought a new one with the long tubes & new hoses from cj pony parts last spring. I still haven’t got back under there to replace it. I’m not looking forward to doing that again. It was murder on my back getting under there doing that. I want to pull that passenger side seat out to make it easier for me.
@@GeeBoogie78 That hose problem you mentioned is why I wanted the long tube core. :) Removing the passenger seat will definitely help. Surprisingly I struggled more with the glove box cardboard-thing that I thought I would. I'm not looking forward to going back in there when I do the reseal kit down the road.
Good video. But I have one suggestion. When doing this job you can just cut the hoses on the engine side if the firewall and pull them out with the box. If you are using the long tube replacement, you will be able to still use the same hoses. But as cheap as hoses are-buy them from a roll at the parts store, you might as well replace them when doing the job. You could also pull the entire hose through the firewall and then have a better chance of removing them from the core if you are determined to reuse them.
You don’t even need to cut the hoses. Just unhook them from the engine, plug them up with something and pull them through the firewall when you pull the heater out. That way you never get coolant on the carpet. Also you shouldn’t need to pull the glovebox. There’s just one screw up there and you can easily reach it from below.
If your car has an air conditioner, it will be in the way of removing the heater box. Just remove the one screw of the top bracket mounting it to the dash on the passenger side. Then pull the ACU forward, twisting it a bit left which will get you the 1" you need for the fan motor to clear the firewall. Pull the heater box forward and down. Also, there is a duct box attached to the driver side of the heater box. It is cardboard, and will tear apart when you remove the heater box. There are two screws on the top, which, of course you can't see or access, and two at the bottom. Hope you have better luck than I did.
All the hole does is make it easier to get the air out of the block after putting the coolant back in. This will naturally occur when the motor gets up to temp and the thermostat opens, but not all the air may get out in the first round. It may take getting the motor up to temp a few times to get all the air out. With the hole, you can skip all that stuff. :)
Those 10.00 heater core rubber ends don't fit the aluminum heater cores. They will work on the brass ones though. I found that out by reading the reviews on the parts before buying.
ive got a set of rubber end caps left over also LOL. i even saw some sites "these wont fit aluminum cores" notes but somehow forgot and ordered them anyway. The scott Drake repro core with the longer tubs is soo much better than the stock one that had the heater hose connections inside the car. what a dumb idea.... (68 cougar, but same stuff)
Another great video! Would you be able to start posting links to the items you are installing? That heater core with the extended tubes is great, I definitely need to find it!
This is a great idea. The only down side I see is if the retailer changes their site or links to the items, then the links wouldn't work. How about a compromise? What if I put the Site and the Part #, just in case they change things? CJ Pony Parts, Part #HC26.
@@jlahners No problem. I just went back and updated the videos with part numbers and other details about where parts were ordered from. Hopefully that will help. :)
@@AndyKruseChannel Just an FYI...love the idea of extended tubes, but CJ didn't have any listed anymore... I found it at this link. Thanks so much for the videos. I appreciate that you show how somethings don't always go as planned and you show how you can adapt or fix the problems that popped up. :) www.vividracing.com/-p-153770255.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnvOaBhDTARIsAJf8eVOwwf8gV9bozQvnO1FJKSOgQMU3fdyqwnKjlrbxA-h71t4Arn3euVwaApaNEALw_wcB
@@jenniferbunting8087 I checked CJ's site and you're correct, they don't offer that heater core anymore. The one you linked is essentially the same unit. At this time, it looks like other popular sites are out of stock for this heater core, but the link you provided doesn't show is it's in stock or not. If it is, get'r done! :)
Drilling a small hole in the thermostat allows the air bubbles to escape before the thermostat opens. I thought I had done that when I installed the Radiator in an earlier video, but I did not and that is a big reason why my heater core failed.
"make sure you get the air out before you put the coolant in." What did you really do? I'm sure you didn't vacuum fill it. While it's messy, what I've done is put water in, run it outside until it stops glugging water out, and then top off with fresh antifreeze. Another way is to install one of those "flush and fill" kits since you have the heater hoses off anyway.
I'm going to say this right off if your watching this don't do it like this, just take the whole thing out, also DON'T use an aluminum heater core or you will be doing this job again, SOON.
@@AndyKruseChannel If you read my other comment it’s actually super easy. Four speed nuts on the fan motor and and one screw on the housing. Then just the two hose clamps at the engine end. Plug the hoses and pull it all out. Unless you’re filming it there’s no reason to pull the glovebox.
Thanks for this video. My recently purchased 1966 GT A code has a new aluminium radiator and my heart sank when I noticed a soaked passenger carpet. Tested cowl, even though it's not water tight, the carpet has an oil texture to it so I'm fairly confident it's the heater. This video is exactly what I need to tackle the problem, much appreciated from a new mustang owner.
Sorry about your leak issue, but I'm glad you were able to pull some value from my video! :)
Maybe I could offer a heads up? When you pull the heater box to replace the Coil, it's the best time to service the gaskets and other moving parts in there since you'll have it out of the car. To do so in the future would require all the same work to remove it. I debated about doing the same and looking back I wish I made the choice to do so. I never use the heater or venting system but it was one of those "while you're here" things that I passed on and wish I didn't.
Also, hopefully you won't have the same issue I had with getting the air out of the system. I feel like an idiot since I missed it during the Radiator install, but it's better now. My guess is that the high pressures in my system (from not getting all the air out) is what forced the Heater Core to fail. Good luck!!
Great video Andy , I’ll be tackling the same project this afternoon and this video definitely helps. Keep them coming
Fantastic!! It's easier than it looks, and if you don't need to worry about setting up a camera to film it, it should go pretty quick. :)
The sweet smell of coolant. The smell no car enthusiast ever wants wafting through their nostrils. This car is certainly a labor of love.
Sounds like you've been in that state of awareness where you're looking at all the gauges and listening for the slightest sound to help identify the source of the coolant. For about 15 seconds it was pure panic. :)
I changed the heater box & heater core on my 65 about 3-4 years ago. I got the heater core from autozone. I knew it wasn’t a good one when I compared it to the old one. I looked under there last year & noticed it’s leaking slightly. The hoses are tight. I bought a new one with the long tubes & new hoses from cj pony parts last spring. I still haven’t got back under there to replace it. I’m not looking forward to doing that again. It was murder on my back getting under there doing that. I want to pull that passenger side seat out to make it easier for me.
@@GeeBoogie78 That hose problem you mentioned is why I wanted the long tube core. :) Removing the passenger seat will definitely help. Surprisingly I struggled more with the glove box cardboard-thing that I thought I would. I'm not looking forward to going back in there when I do the reseal kit down the road.
Good video. But I have one suggestion. When doing this job you can just cut the hoses on the engine side if the firewall and pull them out with the box. If you are using the long tube replacement, you will be able to still use the same hoses. But as cheap as hoses are-buy them from a roll at the parts store, you might as well replace them when doing the job. You could also pull the entire hose through the firewall and then have a better chance of removing them from the core if you are determined to reuse them.
Good advice, thanks!
You don’t even need to cut the hoses. Just unhook them from the engine, plug them up with something and pull them through the firewall when you pull the heater out. That way you never get coolant on the carpet. Also you shouldn’t need to pull the glovebox. There’s just one screw up there and you can easily reach it from below.
You make it look so easy, wanna try my 1992 land cruiser🤞
Sure, bring it by and some money. Don't forget to grab your sunglasses before you leave.
If your car has an air conditioner, it will be in the way of removing the heater box. Just remove the one screw of the top bracket mounting it to the dash on the passenger side. Then pull the ACU forward, twisting it a bit left which will get you the 1" you need for the fan motor to clear the firewall. Pull the heater box forward and down. Also, there is a duct box attached to the driver side of the heater box. It is cardboard, and will tear apart when you remove the heater box. There are two screws on the top, which, of course you can't see or access, and two at the bottom. Hope you have better luck than I did.
Thanks for the heads up!
A new foam seal kit for the heater box is less than 20 bucks. You should look into replacing all of that crusty foam in there.
Agreed, when I was editing the video I had one of those shoulda-coulda moments, but it's on my list for future projects. :)
Great information, thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
I just put a new thermostat in my 302. I didn’t drill a hole in it, is it necessary to?
All the hole does is make it easier to get the air out of the block after putting the coolant back in. This will naturally occur when the motor gets up to temp and the thermostat opens, but not all the air may get out in the first round. It may take getting the motor up to temp a few times to get all the air out. With the hole, you can skip all that stuff. :)
Andy geat vidio were did you buy the radio plate .
Found it on Ebay.
The cap should be put back on before shutting the engine off to prevent coolant from going everywhere.
Truer words have never been spoken! :)
Was driving and my passenger carpet had hot coolant leaking onto it! Hope nobody has that happen to them while wearing flip flops
Agreed!
Those 10.00 heater core rubber ends don't fit the aluminum heater cores. They will work on the brass ones though. I found that out by reading the reviews on the parts before buying.
Haha, I usually do the same and have even changed my order based on reviews. But this time CJ Pony got a few more of my dollars. :)
ive got a set of rubber end caps left over also LOL. i even saw some sites "these wont fit aluminum cores" notes but somehow forgot and ordered them anyway. The scott Drake repro core with the longer tubs is soo much better than the stock one that had the heater hose connections inside the car. what a dumb idea.... (68 cougar, but same stuff)
Another great video! Would you be able to start posting links to the items you are installing? That heater core with the extended tubes is great, I definitely need to find it!
This is a great idea. The only down side I see is if the retailer changes their site or links to the items, then the links wouldn't work. How about a compromise? What if I put the Site and the Part #, just in case they change things? CJ Pony Parts, Part #HC26.
@@AndyKruseChannel Yep, that's perfect!
@@jlahners No problem. I just went back and updated the videos with part numbers and other details about where parts were ordered from. Hopefully that will help. :)
@@AndyKruseChannel Just an FYI...love the idea of extended tubes, but CJ didn't have any listed anymore... I found it at this link. Thanks so much for the videos. I appreciate that you show how somethings don't always go as planned and you show how you can adapt or fix the problems that popped up. :) www.vividracing.com/-p-153770255.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnvOaBhDTARIsAJf8eVOwwf8gV9bozQvnO1FJKSOgQMU3fdyqwnKjlrbxA-h71t4Arn3euVwaApaNEALw_wcB
@@jenniferbunting8087 I checked CJ's site and you're correct, they don't offer that heater core anymore. The one you linked is essentially the same unit. At this time, it looks like other popular sites are out of stock for this heater core, but the link you provided doesn't show is it's in stock or not. If it is, get'r done! :)
How long did this take you to do, Andy?
A couple hours, but that's because I have to worry about setting up the camera, lighting, and stuff like that. :)
How did you get the air out of the engine block?
Drilling a small hole in the thermostat allows the air bubbles to escape before the thermostat opens. I thought I had done that when I installed the Radiator in an earlier video, but I did not and that is a big reason why my heater core failed.
"make sure you get the air out before you put the coolant in." What did you really do? I'm sure you didn't vacuum fill it. While it's messy, what I've done is put water in, run it outside until it stops glugging water out, and then top off with fresh antifreeze. Another way is to install one of those "flush and fill" kits since you have the heater hoses off anyway.
I let it run too long, and when the thermostat opened, all the hot coolant needed a place to go. :)
Take the plenum box out at the same time.
Good to know.
Andy I luv yeah but don't give up your day job.
Deal.
I'm going to say this right off if your watching this don't do it like this, just take the whole thing out, also DON'T use an aluminum heater core or you will be doing this job again, SOON.
Not sure which part you are referring to, I removed the whole system to replace the heater core.
Don't use aluminum heater cores, they don't last.
That was painful to watch. If you have to do that with your Fastback don’t do it that way. 😜
It was painful to do. Not sure what I’ll do with the next car. 😁
@@AndyKruseChannel If you read my other comment it’s actually super easy. Four speed nuts on the fan motor and and one screw on the housing. Then just the two hose clamps at the engine end. Plug the hoses and pull it all out. Unless you’re filming it there’s no reason to pull the glovebox.