Page 3 of 18 FirstFirst 1234513 ... LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 171

Thread: DIY: Heater core replacement

  1. #21
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Scotland
    Country
    Scotland
    Posts
    18
    Garage empty: add car
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 8 Times in 4 Posts
    Hi Daox,

    Thanks for the awesome write up. Really helpful.

    I have a Right Hand Drive Mirage, and the heater matrix/core is obstructed by the blower box under the dash (I don't have air con). Do you know if the blower box can be dropped without opening up the dash?

    Thanks.



  2. #22
    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Cleveland, Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    10,156
    Thanks
    4,039
    Thanked 2,788 Times in 2,107 Posts
    Hello MikeUK and welcome to the forum.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


  3. #23
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Scotland
    Country
    Scotland
    Posts
    18
    Garage empty: add car
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 8 Times in 4 Posts
    Hi Daox,

    Also, did you ever get round to trying different flushing fluids on the matrix you removed that was full of the Vaseline type gunk?

    Thanks

  4. #24
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Scotland
    Country
    Scotland
    Posts
    18
    Garage empty: add car
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 8 Times in 4 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Eggman View Post
    Hello MikeUK and welcome to the forum.
    Thanks Eggman. I'm looking forward to taking part in discussions on all things Mirage in the future

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to MikeUK For This Useful Post:

    Eggman (11-28-2019)

  6. #25
    Administrator Daox's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Germantown, WI
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    4,999
    Thanks
    2,892
    Thanked 1,804 Times in 1,017 Posts
    Hello MikeUK.

    From what I remember, there is no way to drop the heater box without taking the dash out. There are nuts on the top of it that need to come out and you won't be able to get to them with the box in place.

    I have not followed up and tested things to dissolve the gunk unfortunately.
    Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block

    Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)


  7. #26
    I assume I pissed off the pro heatercore guy? Woulda been nice to know how he replaced one that fast. I assume he just uncrimped the lines and slid the old one out and did the opposite for the new one? I like wasting money and would probably give this a shot to save a ton of time, worst case you ruin the heater core or it leaks and makes a mess and you gotta re do it or give up and pull the dash out and replace the core with the tubes attached.
    Mirage videos:

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


  8. #27
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Scotland
    Country
    Scotland
    Posts
    18
    Garage empty: add car
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 8 Times in 4 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Daox View Post
    Hello MikeUK.

    From what I remember, there is no way to drop the heater box without taking the dash out. There are nuts on the top of it that need to come out and you won't be able to get to them with the box in place.

    I have not followed up and tested things to dissolve the gunk unfortunately.
    Thanks for getting back to me Daox.

    I'm now at the stage where I'm very tempted to blast the inside of the heater core with some compressed air. With you having opened up the heater core and looked inside, do you think this could dislodge the gunk? And if so, do you think it could dislodge the gunk without damaging the core?

    Thanks
    Mike.

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to MikeUK For This Useful Post:

    inuvik (12-16-2019)

  10. #28
    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Cleveland, Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    10,156
    Thanks
    4,039
    Thanked 2,788 Times in 2,107 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by MikeUK View Post
    Thanks for getting back to me Daox.

    I'm now at the stage where I'm very tempted to blast the inside of the heater core with some compressed air. With you having opened up the heater core and looked inside, do you think this could dislodge the gunk? And if so, do you think it could dislodge the gunk without damaging the core?

    Thanks
    Mike.
    That's a pretty darn good idea. One could adjust the air blast from a compressor using a pressure regulator - clamp it on and let it run into a bucket to see what comes out.

    I bet it would be more effective at warmer temperatures.

    By the way, which heater tube gets the coolant and which one returns it? I forget.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


  11. #29
    Administrator Daox's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Germantown, WI
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    4,999
    Thanks
    2,892
    Thanked 1,804 Times in 1,017 Posts
    You can certainly try it. I don't think you'll damage the unit. Let us know if it works for you!
    Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block

    Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)


  12. #30
    Senior Member Wallythacker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Niagara region
    Country
    Canada
    Posts
    2,455
    Thanks
    56
    Thanked 542 Times in 434 Posts
    Well well well. gues who discovered they get about 30 degrees less from the right side than from the left?

    I didn't get my car right up to temp but it was plain to see the output was poor from a clogged heater core. You'd think this would be classed as a defect in manufacturing and be eligible for warranty coverage regardless of age or mileage.

    It's not like there was anything the user could do to prevent their heater output from being impaired, nor was there anything the user could do maintenance wise to make the problem minimized or go away, short of a core R&R.

    My '17 is about 165F all across the dash. My '14 goes from about 130F to 100F across the dash idling in my driveway.


    Zero, 2014 ES Plus 5MT, written off but not forgotten.
    Zero II, 2014 SE, 5MT, climate She's HOME now!
    Shelby AKA "Cute", 2017 ES 5MT, A/C.

    Mirage owners look at the world differently than everyone else, but in a better way
    We're driving the Beetle of the 21st century, the greatest small car now available!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES PLus 1.2 manual: 39.0 mpg (US) ... 16.6 km/L ... 6.0 L/100 km ... 46.8 mpg (Imp)


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •