What a bitch.  I am changing the heater core on my GFs cavalier.  My god, after I took out about eveything that is attached to the firewall/dash/etc..  I finally see it.  It seems that I can get to it from under the dash maybe.  Another 50 screws and I think I am going to be able to get it out.  I am taking a break to watch "trucks" though.

Man if that was my crappy old chevy I could have done it in 5 minutes.

www.autozone.com has free online repair manuals

Quoted: www.autozone.com has free online repair manuals

from autozones website.

"
1.  Disconnect the negative battery cable.

2.  Properly drain the cooling system.

3. Disconnect the heater inlet and outlet hoses from the heater core.

4. Remove the heater outlet deflector.

5. Unfasten the retaining screws, then remove the heater core cover.

6. Detach the heater core retaining straps, then then remove the heater core.

7. Installation is the reverse of removal. Refill the cooling system. Check heater system for proper operation.
"

Step five involes 45 minutes of figuring out where the F the "screws" are and how to get the rest of the dash out of the way so I can get to the "heater core cover"


edited to add: Thanks for the tip though I didn't know they had online repair manuals.  That may come in handy one day.

No kidding.  The first time I changed the starter on my Neon, I had to unbolt the front motor to twist the motor out of the way.  Unbolting the starter was easy; it's just that there was no opening big enough to get it out of.

Quoted: www.autozone.com has free online repair manuals

I've found the AZ online instructions a bit generic. IMHO, if you are going to pop for 20 or 30 large on wheels a factory service manual at $100+ is a cheap investment and is model specific. Now, that being said, if there are any Caddy techs out there we can do some business if you can help me diagnose the transitory misfire from hell.

Even when I work on my 95 Impala its a pain, the 78 TA is normally better....

They newer they get the worse they are.

Changing a headlight in a 2000 Celica was a big pain in the ass

where I work, we customize our customers cars with aftermarket electronics.. the new vehicles are becoming more of a challange to do anything on.  

they are designed to go together as quick as possible, by freakin' monkeys who get paid a billion dollars/hour to do so.

IMHO cars today are built with one goal in mind, to reduce the cost of assembly to the minimum possible.  A car designed on CAD and assembled by robots with no expectation that the owner will do anything but drive it.

There is NO thought about anyone but a professional with factory supplied diagnostic equipment, tools and manuals doing ANYTHING to the vehicle except put in fluids, swap fuses and bulbs and maybe replace tires and brakes.

I have to remove the intake manifold, injector rails, electronics and a bunch of other stuff just to change the back 3 spark plugs on my 95 Toyota V6 Camry.
I did it once....never again!

89 Cavalier Z24 here....there are times I want to beat the GM design team that came up with some parts of it.....severely beat them......


First off, the idea of putting the engine in farking sideways.  WTF?  Changing the three sparkplugs on the front side is a 10 minute job tops.  Changing the three on the back side of the engine can be a good two hour job, assuming you don't break anything in the process.  Had the engine been mounted PROPERLY (ie, fore and aft) you would have been able to get to both sides.  But NOOOOOO....that woulda been easy.....can't have that.....


Sealed hub assemblies.....wheel bearing goes out, you gotta buy a whole farking new hub assembly....maybe cheaper to build that way, but it sure as hell ain't cheap to replace.

Lets see...what else.....oh, using a PLASTIC gear for the speedometer pickup...yeah, that breaks WAY too easily.....so I said fuckit, I don't need a working speedometer

That said.....I'm not buying anything newer.....I've dealt with new neons (don't even go there) and new GMs and Fords.....Grandpa's old 1973 Pontiac TANK is looking more and more appealing....dirt simple, bigassed engine, and made out of thick enough steel that it'd take a friggin semi to hurt it.  Of course, the gas mileage sucks....but oh well....at least you could work on them with nothing more than a basic socket set.

This thread just reinforced my plan after my van dies (which won't be long now).

Get a nice, clean early to mid 90's 4Runner from somewhere here in Kali.  Not likely to have been used off road and seen mostly freeways in its life, no salt from winters in the snow.  Spend some good money to rebuild what needs to be rebuilt and some trick out stuff (lift kit, bigger/better tires, etc.) and then plan to keep it forever.

End up with a better built and more reliable vehicle than you can buy new, something that myself or any decent mechanic can keep running and not have to worry about all the bullshit newfangled tracking and monitoring stuff that keeps getting proposed.

Oh, my old '89 buick century....yeah that was another one that made me want to beat GM engineers.....

"Lets leave less than 1/4" clearance between the positive terminal on the battery and the chassis.  And then we can put a structural brace across the top of the battery."


First time I had to replace the battery I ruined three wrenches.  2nd time I had to replace the battery, I relocated it to the trunk.  Much easier to get to.

Quoted: I have to remove the intake manifold, injector rails, electronics and a bunch of other stuff just to change the back 3 spark plugs on my 95 Toyota V6 Camry. I did it once....never again!

Are you serious ??
It literally takes me 15 minutes to change out ALL 6 plugs on ANY V6 Toyota, Sienna included !
Move a couple of hoses, a bracket and reach around, no worries.

Quoted: Move a couple of hoses, a bracket and reach around, no worries.

You give your car a reach around?  Sounds like you're closer to your car than most people

Lightning_P38: I had a Volvo 240, when the car was being built they used a secret technique to hang the heater fan in mid air, and built a car around it.

Come on now...Volvos are the most simple cars to work on (if you exclude 60's Mopars).

MT anyone have a spare 240 Volvo sitting around?