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14. Your Jeep, however, now looks like this:
Figure # 3
15. If you have air conditioning, you need to discharge and recover the a/c
refrigerant (i.e., ‘Freon’, although that specifically, is no longer used). You
then need to disconnect your refrigerant lines from the evaporator. This is
necessary since the entire heater / a/c housing assembly will be removed from
your Jeep.
I’m really not going to detail this since the EPA has gone to great lengths to
protect our ozone layer from this stuff.
Suffice to say that these steps would best be performed by a professional. [See
Figure 4]
16. Disconnect both heater hoses from where they enter the interior cabin.
Notice that the top hose is larger in size, while the lower one is smaller. Take
note of the hose orientation. The two ends of the spring clamps may be squeezed
using a channel-lock pliers. Note that you may need to twist the hose to loosen
it up. A coating of warm, soapy water may also do the trick, although you should
avoid getting this into any openings. [See Figure 4]
17. Disconnect the vacuum supply line connector. [See Figure # 4]
18. Remove the L-shaped evaporator drain tube that protrudes from underneath the
evaporator canister.
Figure # 4
19. Remove the five (5) HVAC housing-to-chassis nuts using a
7/16 socket or wrench. [See Figure 5] They are found (when viewing from the
engine compartment):
• To the left and bottom of the blower fan (1)
• Holding the evaporator canister bracket (2)
• In the middle, above the engine (1)
• In the middle, just above the cylinder head. Note that this one holds the cowl
plenum drain tube. The nut holding the drain tube must be removed, the cowl
plenum drain removed, and then there is another nut underneath. (1)
Figure # 5
20. From within the cabin, remove the floor duct from the bottom of the HVAC
unit. This can be done by removing the two (2) front and one (1) rear screws
with a 7/16 socket or wrench. The duct can then be slid to one side and removed.
21. Remove the screw holding the HVAC unit to the firewall bracket, near the
fuse panel, using a 7/16 socket or wrench.
22. Straddling the center console, slide the entire HVAC housing toward you,
being careful to clear the center air ducts. Remove the entire system and place
in a suitable area where you will now begin the disassembly.
23. Using a 7/16 nut driver, remove all screws holding the upper and lower HVAC
housing halves together. Gently remove the top cover of the unit. I’ll be
honest; I had a lot of trouble here and had to gently pry the thing apart.
24. Remove the leaking heater core from the housing. When viewing the HVAC unit
as it appeared in the cabin, the heater core runs across the back from the left
side to the middle, where the tubes exit the housing.
25. If possible, clean the housing of any oil/antifreeze leftover from the
formerly leaking core.
26. Replace the leaking core with the new unit.
27. Refit the upper and lower halves of the HVAC unit together and replace all
screws.
28. Repeat all prior steps in the reverse order to reattach the unit, refit all
hoses/lines, reassemble the dash, and reassemble the steering column.
29. Replace your coolant or have it flushed by a professional.
30. Crack open a cold one and give yourself some credit. Use the $500 you saved
and treat your Jeep to some new goodies.