heater core help!!

[4.6vertGT]

recently the airbag light on the dash turned on. then right after that, i noticed antifreeze on the drivers side floormat. i came to the conclusion of a heater core. however i did do some searches and many people are saying that the heater core is on the passenger side. i have a 96 gt and i was just wondering if it is in fact a heater core since my leak is on the drivers side. and anybody know if the airbag light is somehow connected to this? i already know that this job is going to be an all day PITA job. i just need to be assured that im going to be doing all this work for an actual cause and i also need to know about the air bag light. all suggestions welcome! thanks!

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Well you are going to have to remove the dash regardless of which side the leak is on. So take it off and you should be able to pinpoint the exact location.

You should try to get a shop service manual or at least a Haynes manual. It will help a lot. It also helps to have proper tools such as a trim fastener removal tool. Be careful or you will have squeaks and rattles when you put the dash back on. Use 1 inch squares of felt all over the place to prevent noise when re-assembling.

 

[4.6vertGT]

thanks alot kilgore! ill get the haynes manual when im ready to replace it. so youre pretty sure based on my information that it is indeed the heater core? and do you know anything about the airbag light?

 

[Mike97gt]

the coolant ont he floor is from the heater core, the coolant can travel across the plenum and drip out on the drivers side.

Most likely the air bag light is a different problem, if you count the flashes when it flashes I can help you diag it. the light should flash stop then flash again so if you see somthing like this

3 flashes then a pause a 1 flash then the code is 31.. let me know what your code is and I will try and help.

 

[4.6vertGT]

thanks for the info svttech76. it is quite late right now so i will check the flash sequence tommorow. but on the forums that ive searched for this have also reported the same air bag problems, but nobody seems to know how to fix it or what causes it... it could be shear coincidence but i dont know...

 

[4.6vertGT]

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=500007&highlight=heater+core+airbag ... example of airbag problem

 

[Mike97gt]

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=500007&highlight=heater+core+airbag ... example of airbag problem

that is a different problem.. that guy already replaced the heater core then after he was done he had a airbag light on, not before the reapir but after.. so he messed somthing up when putting the dash back in.. Since you unplug the air bags when doing the job the most likey thing that happend to him is he left one of the connectors undone or he pinched a wire when putting the dash back in.

 

[madmatt]

Be prepared for the WORST install on these cars EVER. Im serious. You will pull the dash, radio, cd, center console, glove box, shifter bezel, and drop the heater box. Honestly, if I could do it over, I wouldve gotten a quote from a dealership or someone else that did them. Its a bitch.

 

[BlackenedSVT]

Dont know much about heater core leaks, never replaced one in a ford yet. But from his diagnosis of the problem, I was kind of guessing that the coolant leaked from the heater core and got the Air Bag connectors wet or somethign and that was why it was intermittently tripping the airbag light

So I was kind of thinking they were related SVT Tech

 

[4.6vertGT]

thats what i started to think since some of the wires were going to be right there where the leak was occuring. im not to worried about the replacement itself cause i have 2 mechanically inclined freinds that are helping. one of them has also changed out the heater core on a fox body and he said it shouldnt be that much different. so would my best bet be to take it to the dealership for the airbag lights? thanks for all the help guys.