The heater core in your Dodge Dakota, as is the case with any vehicle, is perhaps the most important component in the heating/air conditioning system. The coolant must pass through it in order to generate heat, and a bad core won’t let the coolant pass through. You can usually tell this through coolant leaking into the passenger compartment or a sweet smell coming out. Removing the heater core for replacement can be a long task, as it requires you to get inside the dash itself.
Things You’ll Need
- Wrench
- 3/8-inch diameter hose
- Pliers
- Container
- Screwdriver
- Spring-lock coupling tool
Preparation
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Take the truck to have its air conditioning system discharged if it has an air conditioner. This can only be done by a licensed technician; one can be found at the dealer service shop.
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Disconnect the Dakota’s battery at the negative cable.
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Connect a 3/8-inch diameter hose to the radiator drain, open the drain with pliers and drain the engine coolant into a large container.
Removal
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Disconnect the heater hoses at the firewall using pliers on the hose clamps then disconnect the air conditioning lines. The AC lines may require a spring-lock coupling tool.
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Remove all the trim panels on the dash board, lower the steering column using its tilt lever then remove the dash — disconnect all electrical connectors, remove the mounting screws and nuts with your wrench/screwdriver and lift the dash out.
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Label all the electrical connectors, vacuum hoses and temperature control cables on the heating/air conditioning unit then disconnect them all.
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Disconnect the evaporator’s drain tube and the defroster duct that is above the heater/AC unit.
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Remove the mounting nuts on the firewall studs connecting the heater/AC unit using a wrench and remove the unit.
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Remove the unit’s housing cover and pull the heater core up and out of the housing.