crazyd Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 The smell started a couple days ago in the vents. I knew what it meant, but wasn't sure what I was in for. After checking the manual, getting at the heater core seems to be pretty straightforward. I pulled a heater core from a 2000 Lumina in the yard today and it wasn't too bad with a 3100, I just climbed on top of the engine and got the clamps off pretty easily. I came home and went to work on my car, and pulled all the lower covers and got to the heater core in about half an hour. But... the other side? Getting at those hoses with an LQ1 in the way, it looks like I'm going to have to pull the whole engine out! The manual talks about removing the lower secondary cowl, which I did but it does nothing to get access below the wiper arms. Anyone been through this before with some suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 Pull the intake plenum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyd Posted September 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 Thanks Matt, I figured it would come to that, but was hoping for some other way. I'm halfway through the job now (old core is out & new core is in) and man, what a bich of a job. After pulling the plenum you discover you have to blow the A/C as well, because the lines to the evap core are in the way. $60 down the drain, and if you're smart it also means new O-rings. And that foam from the old core has to be carefully removed and glued on the new one. This makes the alternator job look easy!! So much simpler on the Fieros, without an engine in the way... Taking a lunch break now before I finish putting the engine back together, then I'll reassemble the interior ductwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 I did mine in a Red Roof Inn parking lot (at a w-body meet no less) on my Z34 a few years ago. 4-5 hr job and I didnt touch the A/C system Glad to hear you got it done regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyd Posted September 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 (edited) Just now finished getting the engine back together. I broke the EGR pipe trying to get it out of the way, noticed it when I bent it back. Should've removed it in retrospect, but hindsight's 20/20. Necessitated a trip to the junkyard, but they had no LQ1's there, and I couldn't find a suitable substitute on any of the various 2.8, 3100, 3800, or 4.9's that I checked. No LQ1's in the u-pullit yards nearby either, so I reluctantly had to use the one off the spare in my garage that's supposed to go into the Fiero after this project's finished, putting that project on hold. Hopefully another one will turn up soon so I can resume that swap. Then I had to reroute, clean up, re-cut and insulate some vacuum hoses that were melting, leaking or had come apart completely, repainted the STB, refilled the coolant, then vacuumed down the A/C and gave it an oil charge. All good things that needed to be done anyway, besides the A/C. Tomorrow I'll recharge the R134a and finish putting the interior ductwork back together, and HOPE that nothing else breaks in the meantime. As for your parking-lot repair, I can sympathize and have been there myself before. I had to change a throttle cable and plug wires on my V8 Fiero a few years back, at a meet, in a hotel parking lot. At least half the reason that I don't do car-club meets anymore is that whenever I tempt fate with a trip like that, I usually end up being the guy under his car, fixing it in the hotel parking lot. With a plastic box of shiny new Wal-Mart tools, a lawn chair and a half-rack of brewskies. If I'm not, I'm helping the guy who is. Or at least helping drink the half-rack. The other half of the reason is that meets are always in the Midwest, and that's over 2000 miles of fate-tempting. Edited September 6, 2013 by crazyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyd Posted September 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 Got it mostly back together (the backseat duct port is just not going to happen) and tested it out, temperature is fine - about 135 degrees at the vents. However, maybe I never noticed this before, but is it normal for the volume of air output at the vents at full HI on VNT mode to be cut about in half when I move the temperature slider from full cold to full hot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 temperature is fine - about 135 degrees at the vents. Should be more like 170. Was the engine fully-warm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyd Posted September 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 Yep, fully warmed up. Seemed really hot at 135, can't imagine 170. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 Yep, fully warmed up. Seemed really hot at 135, can't imagine 170. 135 won't heat the passenger compartment if it's really cold out. Figure something like 20--30 degrees less than the coolant temperature. If the coolant temp is 220, you might have 190 degree heater air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyd Posted September 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 Yeah, it was just sitting in the driveway when I got 135. When I took it out for a real drive it went to 165. So, question remains, is it normal for the heat side to cut the air volume in half? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 It doesn't in my vehicles. ('92 and '93 Lumina Euro 3.4s) Any chance you've got excess air coming out the defroster ducts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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