How long will it take me to replace my heater core (2000 Civic)?

[California98Civic]

You got this! We're counting on you... July, and the one year mark, is just a few weeks away. thumbs up.

[Xist]

I found the cable. If I can just figure out how to attach it I can get my car on the road almost immediately.

I tried video chatting between my phone and a laptop, but you cannot use the flash and it was too dark to see clearly.

Of course there wasn't enough room for the camera to focus.

I decided to use Google Hangouts for video chat, thinking that it would be simpler than Zoom.

It was not.

I have been chatting with an SLPA through Google Hangouts, so I tried to see if she had suggestions for getting video chat to work.

She just told me to trade in for a new car.

She is a Chrysler girl...

[Xist]

I connected the cable to the only thing that looked possibly correct, but none of the mechanisms down there move, not when I move the temperature control knob, and not when I move the blend door. I spent hours trying to find out more information. These pictures indicate that I attached the cable to the right spot, but I could not find any explanation for why nothing moved, so I asked where I found the previous images, where I found this one, and on Honda-Tech.com. I despised asking in forums where someone may or may not respond and people may or may not try to be helpful, but I figured that I the sooner that I did it, the sooner that I might possibly have a potentially useful response, like this:

Originally Posted by tech8

See this other thread (post # 2) for the service manual section regarding adjustment of the air mix control cable.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-...s-hot-3079605/

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-.../#post52202352
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Someone asked for help, Former User, who posted over 45,000 times in 9 years, but only had 15 likes, shared the temperature control adjustment procedures for a 1996 - 1998 Civic.

Ah. Right. That is in my instructions. Hopefully I followed everything else from my 13 pages of instructions, which missed how to remove a bracket, something else, and then I needed to print off the SRS diagram, so those instructions will be more like 18 pages.

The original poster said "I have no idea what the heck this picture shows, but I will give it a try."

Apparently he died. There is not a follow-up. What happened?!

Open the cable clamp under the hood, disconnect both ends of the heater valve cable, and disconnect the clamp under the dash.
Set the temperature control dial on Max Cool with the ignition switch On (II).
Attach both ends of the heater valve cable.

96 - 98:

99 - 00?


It is just weird to me that it sure looks like

[California98Civic]

I would try to be more helpful, but I have never yet worked on this system. I'll check the Honda FSM editions I have for the sixth gen Civic and get back to this thread in a little while (this morning).

[California98Civic]

So, you are following the 96-98 guide, but yours is a 99-00 Civic, and the system was redesigned. In the 96-2000 FSM, the instructions for the 96-98 and 99-00 heater core are in separate sections. Dunno yet if that makes a difference.

[Xist]

They changed the stereo, HVAC, and HVAC controls. The two diagrams that I posted last night show that the cable attaches to a different part for 1999 and 2000 than it did for 1996 - 1998, but it still has a component that looks like where the cable attached for the older models.

My family is still sleeping, but it is 0931 here. I am going to try to connect the cable, take care of the battery, and start her up.

[California98Civic]

This part of the install does not seem to vary much or at all between 96-98 and 99-00. But... any chance you are missing this step in practice and not just in your list of steps? It follows wht you list above. Also is there any chance you have left slack in the cable? In the image below, check by holding the heater valve arm in the closed position and gently pull on the heater cable putter housing to take up any slack. (paraphrasing/quoting the FSM).



Hope that helps...

[Xist]

The cabin fan does not turn on, either.

Of course, dumping fluid indicates a bad heater core. I put a pan against the firewall and put more distilled water into the radiator, wanting to watch for any leaks in action.

Not only did I miss the leak, it missed the pan. I kept adding water and trying to see where it went before I moved the pan and found a puddle.

So, I need to send it back for a warranty replacement and do everything all over again.

I replaced it, I just should have known to test it before installation.

I am stopping the clock. I did not finish replacing the head gasket until around March 7th, so it officially took 3.5 months, although I ordered the heater core soon after I created this thread.

I will start the clock again once I have the replacement.

I paid $46 for this one. AutoZone sells the same one for $125, although I would need to order it. However, I am sure that is far faster than a warranty return.

[California98Civic]

Clock stopped! Did my posts yesterday help at all or was that redundant information?

[Xist]

The bad heater cores are distracting me from smaller problems. Harbor Freight closed before I got there on Wednesday. I returned on Thursday and they had every pump but the one that I wanted to flush my system, so I ordered it, but the radiator fluid ran clear after one bottle of Dollar Tree CLR and two liters of water, although I am going to flush out the CLR.

I am supposed to reverse the hoses and backflush, right? Hopefully the other hose is long enough. I chose this setup to ensure that the funnel was higher than the fender, but I should have run the tubing over the front of the car anyway.
Is it too late to cancel the pump?

I e-mailed the eBay store every day this week and never heard back. I cannot even leave negative feedback. I just ordered the same part from AutoZone for a couple of times as much (with discount!), but it will not be here for a week and a half.

I guess that I will remove the dash tomorrow and then try to clean the carpet.