Heater core comparison question

webshot · Jan 10, 2007

Is the core that 50resto sells much better than what I would find at lets say autozone? I need to replace mine this weekend. But not sure if I want to wait for 50resto. Its freezing up here right now.

Jkstang78 · Jan 10, 2007

Heater core is A heater core. I don't think there will be any difference. Between the 2.

89RedFoxGT · Jan 10, 2007

not trying to jack your thread but how hard are they to put in? I need to replace one in my car.

webshot · Jan 10, 2007

Judging from posts I searched thru, its easier to catch a fart and paint it green than to put a heater core in.

bubba-dough · Jan 10, 2007

Most will tell you to get an Ford one but I will not. The last 2 Ford ones I have put in have been ass. Not even lasting 6 months.

The one I just put in my '90 was an Autozone one.

As far as the difficulty. It will vary and depends on whether you have working ac or not. You can do it in about 2.5 hrs, I can (you find alot of shortcuts the 2nd time). But it will take you a great deal longer if its your first one. Alot of shops will not touch one in a fox.
Here's a link for some info. http://users2.ev1.net/~calley/Sally/heater_core/

webshot · Jan 10, 2007

Hey Bubba
Great link, but I read the first paragraph and it mentioned a wet floor and anitfreeze smell. See the thing is I am not experincing none of this. The heat just blows cold. Doesnt leak or nothing. SHould I go thru with a change of core?

trbkrb · Jan 10, 2007

If it is blowing cold with no antifreeze leaks, could be the diverter flap (AC/heat blend door) in the vents. Check the hoses at the firewall. If they are attached properly and both warm and do not have anything blocking the water flow through the heater core, it could be the vent flap.

bubba-dough · Jan 10, 2007

No I wouldn't change the core if you are not leaking any coolant.

If it is a "new" car to you, make sure that the heater core isn't bypassed under the hood. There should be heater lines connecting to it. Sometimes when they leak people just bypass them for a later fix. Make sure the blend door is operational. Make sure all the vacuum lines on the hvac are attached. There is also a small black one that runs through the firewall to the engine bay vacuum tree.

ALMOST STOCK · Jan 10, 2007

FWIW;
Whoever 50 resto used to supply there heater core for them a few yrs ago had no idea how to solder a stabilizing brace (GLOB of solder) on the inlet pipe to the core like the Ford core has……… or whoever Ford buys there’s from?

I have installed a 50 resto heater core before and after installing the 50 core I attached the inlet and out let hose to the end of the piping in the engine bay but never put a clamp on either of the hoses.. later decided I didn’t like the way the throttle cable was routed near the heater hoses so I pulled off the heater hoses back off the 50 heater core I had just installed a few days prior.. Big mistake….. I also pulled out the inlet pipe of the heater core because it had no brace or glob of solder to hold it to the heater core.

All I’m suggesting is that you take a good at any heater core before you install it, not to say any one heater core is better than the other but the Ford seems to have a better reputation and what I went with after installing the 50 core.

In my case the original heater core(OE) only lasted 7 yrs and had about 80K on it… the 2nd Ford core had over 70K and I thought it needed replacing even though there wasn’t a hint of a problem w/ it, but since I had the dash out I thought why not replace it.

Here are a few pics of the trouble I had with the 50 resto heater core.

Ford core
View attachment 412162

50 resto core
View attachment 412163

Brace or Glob of solder
View attachment 412165

What could possibly happen without Glod or Stabilizing Brace of solder
View attachment 412166

Black1987Stang · Jan 10, 2007

Advance auto one....2 years so far and going strong, I agree with whoever said it above, you'lll know exactly what to do once you do it once.

86bluecobra · Jan 10, 2007

personally i would buy one from Ford. After all there original lasted for quite a while.

ALMOST STOCK · Jan 10, 2007

89RedFoxGT said:
not trying to jack your thread but how hard are they to put in? I need to replace one in my car.

These might also be a help to you thru you’re heater core replacement.

http://home.netcom.com/~skent/mustang/1990/heater_core/hcore.html

http://www.mustangsteve.com/heatercore.html

http://www.mustangmonthly.com/howto/5652/index.html

bubba-dough · Jan 11, 2007

ALMOST STOCK said:
FWIW;
Whoever 50 resto used to supply there heater core for them a few yrs ago had no idea how to solder a stabilizing brace (GLOB of solder) on the inlet pipe to the core like the Ford core has……… or whoever Ford buys there’s from?

Not nick picking but that is not solder. It is a braze. Its paste that is then heated on a carousel. It is not near as strong as solder. But it is waaaaay cheaper and it is applied by a machine. Its all automated. That stabalizer that you make note of is not suppose to be there. It was just a clump by either the operater or the machine. Sometimes the feed tubes clog up and they get purged. That will cause an ass load to be shot on the part. When its that thick it will have air bubbles and be just brittle as hell and should just flake off. Actually the Ford one you picture is a chitty part by our quality standards. After looking at it some more you can tell it was just way to much braze applied and it slid down the part. Notice how thick it is at the braze joint? It would still go out the door but that machine that done it needs some serious set-up.
Our sister plant makes those for Ford. Well 98% goes to Ford 2% goes to Napa. We made the rest of the hvac system for Ford. I have seen those things made as well as our plant had similar machines. I have ran those brazers before. If you don't know what you are doing or not paying attention you get chitty braze like the Ford part you displayed.

kiohio · Jan 11, 2007

Not hi-jacking either, it fits the original posters problem.
I to am not getting wet floors but am blowing cold air.
Is there a website etc that shows how to fix the "Blend door"?

Thanks KO

crazypete · Jan 11, 2007

The most effective heater core I have ever used is...ironically...a stacked plate 28,000 GVW tru-cool transmission cooler. It belts out so much heat, it puts the heater core to shame and the plates are so thick they wil never rust through.

Best part, they are only $80 on ebay new in the box and they are even smaller than the mustang heater core to boot.

Best of all worlds. If you think about it, a cooler and a heater are basically the same thing. You are dumping engine waste heat into the cabin.

webshot · Jan 11, 2007

thanks folks.

webshot · Jan 11, 2007

bubba-dough said:
No I wouldn't change the core if you are not leaking any coolant.

If it is a "new" car to you, make sure that the heater core isn't bypassed under the hood. There should be heater lines connecting to it. Sometimes when they leak people just bypass them for a later fix. Make sure the blend door is operational. Make sure all the vacuum lines on the hvac are attached. There is also a small black one that runs through the firewall to the engine bay vacuum tree.

Ok I think my heater has been bypassed. but I am not totally sure. I see a inlet pipe on the passenger side rear firewall that looks like a hose went there once upon a time. But I am not totally sure. Anyone have a picture of what that area is supposed to look like? Or a schematic or something?

trbkrb · Jan 11, 2007

From the last link Almost Stock posted above, here is a pic of the heater core inlet & outlet under the hood. You can see them under the AC hose right in the center of the pic. There should be two rubber hoses running from metal tubes on the lower intake manifold to the heater core inlet & outlet:

If the metal tubes are not on the lower intake, it is possible someone completely removed them and plugged the holes in the coolant passages. Hopefully not if you want heat.

Oh, and here is a pic with the hoses installed. A lot of the time people just connect the two hoses together to bypass the heater core, (myself included!) :

webshot · Jan 11, 2007

yea mine looks like that, but since they are already gone. I was hoping someone could let me know where to put them. And what size hoses when I go to re-install.

Black1987Stang · Jan 11, 2007

webshot said:
yea mine looks like that, but since they are already gone. I was hoping someone could let me know where to put them. And what size hoses when I go to re-install.

I dont think you can just get new hoses (like from a hardware store) and throw it in, because of the severe bends. I got both of mine from Ford, direct fit for 20 bucks.and you cant mix them up, theyre different sizes so one will only go to one pipe etc. (one size is 1/4 I know that)

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