Ford F150 - Replacing Heater Core

Hi all.. about a month ago we discovered my heater core is leaking. after taking it to Ford, we were told it would be around $800-$1000 to fix.. my father won't trust just any mechanic to fix it, so he decided we're doing it ourselves.. Ford won't tell us how to do it, except that the dash needs to come out.. I have a Haynes manual for the truck, which doesn't cover the heater core.. How hard is it to replace? Any hints or tips?

If someone could possibly write up a short how-to thing I would be eternally grateful .. but i know that's probably asking for a lot..

Thanks for any help

I did my heater core, its a B****. I found the dierctions by searching the site. I dont have any idea how to upload them or i would do it for you. but if you search around they are on here. Its a big step by step write up, it helped me a lot. Good luck

AHA! I found the 20 page directions with pictures and whatnot.. is this what you were talking about?

Now I know this may be a dumb question, but will these directions work for my 98? It says 97, but did anything change between 97 and 98?

and or 99...i think im getting the same smell you were having. im really not looking forward to changing this out, but i cant stand having a dirty smelling truck. OBTW where did you find this? let me know how it goes, ie problems you run into...

I would imagine they're both the same. I don't think Ford did any major huge upgrades between those two years. Even if they're not the same, the steps should be relatively close.

I was going to do mine myself untill I read about the air bags! AND the AC part! I don't have the tools to recharge the AC nor do I want to set off the air bags. So I paid!$$$$$$$

Agree. I did the same thing. I had intended to do this myself until I read about all of the steps that needed to be performed in order to do it right. I said screw it and took it to the dealer. My biggest worry was if I did go through all of the trouble to do this myself and I didn't get it right the first time, I didn't want to have to tear into my dash again right down the road. Plus the dealer will guarantee it for a year. To me, that's worth them doing it.

http://my.voyager.net/~sscully/F-15097H ... xp_002.doc

after searching, I found that link with the instructions.. We know it's a big job, but my father was once a mechanic so he wants to tackle it.. he has the tools needed to recharge the ac, and apparently you just need to disconnect the battery completely to avoid setting off the airbags.. i printed out the directions but who knows, he may see them and then decide to take it to the dealer

Nothing wrong with that. I have read where there is a ground strap that you must NOT forget to plug back in or else you risk ruining your new heater core by electrolysis. I believe that it is in the engine compartment but don't quote me on this. Good luck to you and I hope that it works out.

Changing the core doesnt need a/c discharge.
Its really as simple as the instructions in the link say.
The 1997-2002 F150 trucks are pretty much the same for using the same set of instructions.
I got a lot of advice when I put those together and added more tricks over the years from forum readers who responded after saving $500-700 in labor costs alone. Im still just as grateful as the next guy to use them.
Best of luck,
Don

I have a 99 F150 with the 4.6L. I did the heater core replacement last fall and used the same instructions. They were invaluable. The whole job took me about 6 hours but I was taking my time.

good to hear it's not totally impossible.. we havent gotten to it yet, right now she's in the auto body getting some painting done.. sometime by the end of the summer

hy there i did it with my 98
what i did was read everything well before you start
get all the right tools in place
the night before unhook the batterie cables and empty the radiator
don t be scared of the airbag its only the passenger side the other one stays in the steering wheel
and please don t forget to order the 2 clamps to connect the water hoses to the core
olso have some ropes or tie downs to hold the dashboard
oh and the core is taped with some special bandage to the corehousing, dont forget to buy that to ,because the old one will be sooked with coolant


goodluck from the netherlands

thanks for the tips.. ill have to keep this thread handy for when we do it.. still havent even started it, or thought about starting it. procrastinating

ive got a '98 also and need to do the same thing to mine. where did u say u got those instructions cause my dad owned his own car lot awhile ago and he is good at fixing vehicles so we are gonna do it ourselves. thanks