2004 dakota heater

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jimjimjimmy

jimjimjimmy

lobsterman
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not an a body but my Dakota 4.7 4wd the windshield is steaming up or wont clear off very good . I know, heater core ,but there is no antifreeze smell and it will hold 10 psi over night, so that rules out the heater core . this is an a/c truck if that helps . is there a moisture control system or anything like that ?
 
Check for moisture puddling up from dirt, leaves, etc. in the cowl vent area and getting diverted into the heater box. Rain water and heater cores make a wonderful sauna!
 
I warmed it up with the rad cap loose then pumped it up to 10 psi and i'm afraid the heater core is leaking . the engineers who designed this should be tied to a tree and deep heat smeared over there nuts ,taint and asshole . the whole dash needs to come out the ac needs to be drained steering colum droped at least a dozen plugs unplugged and more im forgetting .
 
I really hate that for you... I imagine anymore that the first thing going down an assembly line is a heater core and a/c evaporator and the the rest of the vehicle is constructed around it.
 
just for fun I called my local dodge dealer for a quote on the repair he said the minimum labour charge is 860.00 $ plus all parts at least he told me to buy my own core since the cheapest one he can get is over 300 bucks . rock auto the best one is 65 bucks go figure .

so anyone that knows me knows i'm far to tight for that , so im just going to loop it for now and fix it when I have some time .
 
jimjimjimmy said:
just for fun I called my local dodge dealer for a quote on the repair he said the minimum labour charge is 860.00 $ plus all parts at least he told me to buy my own core since the cheapest one he can get is over 300 bucks . rock auto the best one is 65 bucks go figure .

so anyone that knows me knows i'm far to tight for that , so im just going to loop it for now and fix it when I have some time .
Click to expand...

Which should be around next fall...right?
 
Before you get too excited, if you have antifreeze in the system, just taste the "steam" on your windshield. Antifreeze has an unmistakable flavor. The sides of your tongue have instant receptors, but the tip ain't far behind.
A lick won't hurt you, half as bad as take-out food. Pork can hurt you bad.
 
AJ/FormS said:
Before you get too excited, if you have antifreeze in the system, just taste the "steam" on your windshield. Antifreeze has an unmistakable flavor. The sides of your tongue have instant receptors, but the tip ain't far behind.
A lick won't hurt you, half as bad as take-out food. Pork can hurt you bad.
Click to expand...


it's leaking for sure getting worse by the day .
 
I've junked out some Dakotas, and changed one heater core, but they were all older models, 97--01 or so. No fun, for sure. If you are patient and pay attention, round up a service manual, etc. Biggest issue for me was figuring out how to unlatch some ofthe $*%&#@( electrical connectors while trying to reach up under the dash.

On mine, pull part of the column upper housing apart, to assess the connectors, pull the dash lower and upper bezels and trim, and remove the glove box. Unplug just about everything you can find. Drop the column after removing the seats for operating room

Then there are several screws up by the windshield, and side bolts down on the lower left and right. You either need help or have to be strong enough to lift it up some and hinge it down

At some point some of the heater control cables/ vacuum, etc has to be unlatched, and if memory serves, the defrost duct One you get everything unhooked, the entire dash just lifts right out


Got the seats, column, and dash out of the way here

img_0859cs-jpg.jpg


The old core and the AC evap. Consider replacing it as well "just because." On this truck not shown, NAPA showed two cores, one a BUNCH thicker. By cutting a couple of plastic "tits" out of the box, I was able to fit the larger core

img_0863cs-jpg.jpg
 
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