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Replacing your heater core

Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:48
by sheetsofsound
Below

Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:58
by sheetsofsound
After receiving so much helpful advice on this forum, I hope this will be of use to some of you.

I was looking for an alternative to spending over $200 for a new heater core and stumbled across a core that has similar dimensions to the one that inhabits our non-A/C cars. It is from a VW Jetta and is made by VISTA-PRO Part # 399901. Total cost was around $60, so I gambled and ordered it online.
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You can see the angle of the inlet/outlet pipes is different, so some modifications to the heater matrix box needed to be made, specifically, to the hole on the top left side.
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Using a Dremel, the plastic can be cut away from this:
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To this:
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With that done, the VW heater core drops in pretty easily. You will just need to seal the ends with some foam tape.
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It all works pretty well and is a lot cheaper than buying a new core, or trying to get your hands on seals to fix an old, leaky one.

Posted: 08 Jun 2014 05:53
by john 215
Hi,

Interesting mod, what year VW Jetta did it originally live in, is the 'old ' shape or ' new ' shape one ? May look into this myself as the matrix in my FHC is weeping [:(]

Looks very similar to these on a quick Fleabay search -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HEATER-MATRIX ... 540a5690ff


This one even gives you the dimensions -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HEATER-MATRIX ... 2ec36eca7e

Got spare heater box will have to get the tape measure out.

Cheers John

ImageImageImage Image
LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!

1976 Speke FHC Beauty Now with an overdrive conversion

1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)

1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6, BUILT NOT BROUGHT !!!!

Posted: 08 Jun 2014 06:19
by jeffremj
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">May look into this myself as the matrix in my FHC is weeping [:(]<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I have mentioned many times that using this sort of matrix is the best way to go as all the usual leaks will stop. When I replaced my heater cores in the 1990s, my radiator repairer supplied (as a standard refit?) one of these (or very similar). Note that my heater core didn't need any mods. - other than to the core to the bulkhead piping.

So, just go to your radiator supplier with your original core and ask for one of the 'new' type.

Posted: 08 Jun 2014 11:56
by moodyblue
The new modified ones available for the TR7 in the UK are very expensive, around £110, so I think I'll go with this idea or similar for my next project, thanks for the info.

Posted: 08 Jun 2014 12:03
by jeffremj
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by moodyblue</i>

The new modified ones available for the TR7 in the UK are very expensive, around £110, so I think I'll go with this idea or similar for my next project, thanks for the info.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Not when I bought them, they were cheaper than the originals. IIRC, it cost £15 and so they should be around £30 now. I suggest you try a standard radiator supplier rather than eBay - they may have a cross reference on it.

Posted: 08 Jun 2014 12:29
by Workshop Help
Very good! Sheetsofsound, please move this to The Workshop Manual.

Mildred Hargis

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 00:00
by sheetsofsound
The model year I ordered was from a 1981 Jetta, but I'm pretty sure the cores that john 215 linked to are the same.

Mildred; I'm not sure how to move the thread over to the Workshop Manual section.

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 17:13
by john 215
Hi,

Allow me,duly moved.

Cheers John

ImageImageImage Image
LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!

1976 Speke FHC Beauty Now with an overdrive conversion

1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)

1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6, BUILT NOT BROUGHT !!!!