W30post Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 What has GM done to me? I replaced the heater core in my sisters 96 Monte with no problems to speak of. On my 04 Friday on the way home I could smell antifreeze... Looked under the passenger's mat when I got home and it was wet and green. I searched around to find a new one that will show up tomorrow. So to get started on it today and make sure I could do this. Well guess what, GM doesn't use screws in the heaterbox assembly anymore. Dangit.... They have a plastic type rivet where the screws would be. How do I get these out and how do I affix it back once replaced? I need this thing drivable for Monday. May have to do a bypass until I get the heater core replaced but this really sucks not having any bolts/screws in this assembly. Does the console have to come out? It looks like it will but just asking. I read the 3100 9x-95 Grand Prix thread in the FAQ and it seems I will have to remove it, Sisters car was a bench seat car.. That bites a big one also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W30post Posted July 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 Maybe I'm the first of the W-body owners to start this process. I'll get some pictures of this assembly and what I can come up with to put it back together! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W30post Posted July 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 Looks like GM was good to us. They left the screw bosses in the retaining piece and the sccrew hole outline in the cover piece. Just push through once you get ready to replace. I ended up with the entire dash out of my car. Can it be done in the car, probably but I used a RotoZip bit to cut off these plastic mounting pieces to get the box apart. I was afraid I would zip right through a wire harness since there are so many in the car. I will post up pictures of the mushroomed assembly and the hole locations later tonight. As for placement, all holes are located in the same spots as the older cars. Once this has been completed the first time you will have the same access points as before. One down side I saw on the newer car, no mounting points on the heater core anywhere. It is held in place by the plastic that is the heater box. I installed the hoses before I enclosed the heater in the box to reduce the stress on the heater core. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W30post Posted July 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Since I like talking to myself. The first one shows one of the plastic mushrooms. Not a great picture but you get the point. Second is of the housing halves that cover the core. You can see the holes I had to remove and the locations GM left in place for reinstalling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubsfan24 Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Man that sucks that you had to take the entire dash apart to get to the heater core. How hard would it have been for GM to make a secret little compartment that the heater core was in that you could remove and change within 10 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Wow, that sucks. 2004 and it already failed is a pretty short life. Unfortunately for you, most people on here don't own a car that new, or have worked on a newer W, so your on your own for a lot of stuff. However, having the information here on what/how you did it is always welcome!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W30post Posted July 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Just for the record, this most likely could be done without taking the entire dash out. I did it because I could not see anything and I didn't want to cut any wiring accidentally. I guesss what was even more funny is I had to take the gas pedal assembly out to get to the last bolt, 4 total in the box from the factory. So I found it wasn't exclusively these plastic mushrooms around the box. Next time will be easier. I still don't have a reason why htis one failed. It looked as good as the new one with only minor green tinting on the inside of the supply lines. Last gripe is that they got rid of the combo drain with the AC. Now it leaks into the interior again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloick Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Now it leaks into the interior again. thats a really bad design. i had to change one in a 95 lumina and it was cake, 20 minutes tops. it didnt have a console so it was right there. that one leaked to the outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W30post Posted August 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 So the car has been back together for about 2 weeks and I have some noise from the heater core area like I still have a pocket of air trapped. It goes away after a couple minutes of driving. I still get a smell of antifreeze when the car has been sitting with the windows up, start the car and turn on the air. I really don't like the smell of antifreeze. How long have you guys noticed the lingering smell? Could this and the small amount of noise be associated with a small leak in the new core? Last thing is I think I didn't install the top dash pad correctly. The defrost cover isn't staying in the clips right. Either that or it is the dreaded GM dash curl starting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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