August 18th, 2004
My Car
Over a period of three days, and 16 hours, I’ve replaced the heater core in my 1992 Ford Taurus. Here’s a brief rundown -
Part: 24.95 In stock at the local auto parts store – terrific.
Antifreeze: about 6 bucks
So I have about 30 dollars invested. Why do mechanics charge 400 to 500 dollars to replace such an inexpensive part?
IT’S A BITCH!
I wish I had remembered my camera – all three times.
Fortunately my mom’s place is big and has a covered outdoor spot we all use to work on our cars. I had the dash out, the radiator drained, etc. My stepdad helped the last day. We had to make a few cuts in the air conditioning lines to get the box like enclosure out of the car. Since I already don’t have A/C, no big deal. It took about 5 minutes to replace the heater core. Back in with the enclosure, back out, move the wires to the front, and back in with the enclosure.
All in all, I’m pretty impressed with myself. After my first heater core experience with my wife’s old Dodge Shadow, she only had floor and defrost. Fortunately for me, everything works, and I didn’t have any left over screws or bolts – a rare accomplishment for myself.
So that’s that.
I’m slowly reworking the dustinfluke.com homepage. I finally have a design layout I’m happy with. I have no idea when I’ll be able to finish.