Mustang Monthly Homepage Mustang Monthly

Fox-Body Ford Mustang Heater Core Replacement



 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
With the four bolts out, the armrest is removed.
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
Several screws hold the ashtray and lighter portion of the center console in place. Remove those, thread the piece up and away from the parking-brake handle, and unplug the cigarette lighter and power-mirror switch.
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
Whether your car has the stock cassette-deck or an aftermarket head-unit, it needs to come out. Remove it from the center stack (usually accomplished by removing four screws), and unplug it from the speaker harness.
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
At this point, we're ready to remove the console. Carefully pry off the shift handle and shifter boot, and remove all screws that hold the console in place. With the shifter in Second or Fourth gear, we just get the console up over the handle without breaking anything. Work slowly and carefully on these Fox-body interiors because everything is made of plastic and can break easily.
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
Remove the front screw on each sill plate so the kick panels can be removed from the footwells.
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
The HVAC control panel is unbolted from the dashboard by removing the four Torx bolts. Drop down the panel of three rotary knobs; it doesn't have to be unplugged and totally removed.
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
The steering column is next. Four bolts are removed to drop it down from the dashboard. These two closer to the firewall near the pedals...
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
...and two more near the hood-release handle that also drops down with the column.
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
The plastic trim pieces from the column are also removed to access the gauge-cluster binnacle and the cluster itself. Unbolt and remove the housing as shown by removing the appropriate Torx bolts to access the gauge cluster.
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
On '87-'93 Fox Mustangs, the cluster housing contains the switches for headlights (and foglights on GTs), emergency flashers, and the top on convertibles. Unplug all of these so the bezel can be removed to access the gauge cluster. If necessary, use a screwdriver to carefully unplug the factory harness plugs.
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
We've removed the gauge cluster by taking out its Torx bolts and unplugging it from the dash. These are the two plugs and the speedometer cable that are unplugged to remove the gauges.
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
Directly under the windshield is a plastic trim piece that must be removed to access the Torx bolts holding the dash in place at the firewall. Carefully pry it up as shown, being careful not to break it during removal.
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
Under the trim piece removed in the previous photo, there are three Torx bolts that hold the dash in place. Two others are on the outside.
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
Finally! With the five Torx bolts out, the dashboard is separated from the firewall and dropped down far enough to access the heater-core/evaporator-coil case, visible here behind the passenger side of the dash up against the firewall. Getting the dash out of the way is a major hurdle, but we still need to get to the core itself. Luckily, this car is a convertible, which makes it considerably easier for us to shoot photos of the action.
 Ford Mustang Replacing Heater
With the dash out of the way, access the evaporator case (where the heater core is located) by unbolting the heater case from the firewall. The bolts are located at the bottom of the case as shown here.

Prev  | 1  | 2  | 3  | Next
Get Adobe Flash player
FREE, no-hassle price quotes on the new Mustang you’ve been looking for.
 
SVT Owners Association - Back On Track
After Three Years Of Uncertainty, The SVT Owners Association Has Been Reorganized Under The Leadership Of New Director Marcie Cipriani... more
 
1965 Ford Mustang GT350R Shelby & 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 - Pony Tales
Exclusive Ford Mustang Stories, featuring a 1965 Ford Mustang GT350R Shelby, 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302, and much More!... more
 
Atlantic Blue 1998 Ford Mustang Saleen Cobra - Only You...
Exclusive Atlantic Blue 1998 Ford Mustang Saleen Cobra, featuring a 4.6L DOHC Cobra V-8 engine, BFGoodrich Comp T/As, and More!... more
 
Electric Red '93 Sedan - Sanitary Sedan
We couldn't pass it up and, quite frankly, if we had, we might have been bludgeoned within an inch of our lives by nightfall. Three years in a row, the Electric Red '93 sedan of Tony and Jossie... more
 
Shorty Headers, Strut Brace And More - Late-Model Corral
Getting Ahead (er)I have an '89 GT and I just bought new equal-length shorty headers. Do you have any tips about removing and installing them, particularly the right side? Should I remove the... more
 
'73 Mach 1 Centerforce Clutch Setup - How-To
Hard clutch pedal. You groan every time you see a traffic light and your left leg looks like you've been working out with Ahnald and the boys at World Gym. You're constantly wondering why the clutch... more
 
1969 Shelby GT350 - Shelby Fever
"Ownership is not necessary . . . "... more
 
1966 Ford Mustang Convertible - Drive Time
Despite all the clichs about Southern California-sipping designer water, yakking on a cell phone in traffic, consuming chips and guacamole over margaritas, and signing on the freeway using a single... more
 
Supercharged 2003 Ford Mustang Roush 380R - R Is For Rip-Roaring
Roush's New 380R Ups The Ante For Supercharged Mustang Performance... more
 
1970 Ford Mustang Grabber Fastback Boss 302 - Grabber Blue Persuasion
John Wilgus' Trick Is Convincing People His '70 Grabber Fastback Is Not A Boss... more

 

Get Adobe Flash player