Heater Core Leak

[jazz-n-tj]

I know this has been talked about way too many times. I just have a couple quick questions. I am going to tackle it myself, not a difficult job, just time consuming. I won't have time for a couple months to get to it since I don't want the Jeep down for a couple weeks while I work on it in the evening. Since I'm in SoCal, I am going to just bypass the heater core for the time being. Here are my questions.


2000 TJ Sport MT with 91k miles
1) What is the best brand for the heater core? From what I can tell OEM is no longer available. Obviously if they are available I want to go OEM, but I cannot find anywhere that has it. I have seen multiple threads saying that it is discontinued, but a few recent threads where the OP said they are purchasing an OEM one, so I a confused. If I do have to go aftermarket, which is the best brand for longevity. I don't want to do the job again in a couple years.

2) Should I replace the AC Evap while I am in there? It is a bit more of an expensive part. Again, it looks like the OEM has been discontinued, so should I go aftermarket or stick with the OEM one that is working just fine. Just knowing my luck, 3 months from now it will start leaking. The Jeep is fairly low miles with only 90K, so I'm guessing it's better to not mess with it since it isn't broken.

3) Since I am going to be tearing everything apart, I want to get everything done the right way. I want to replace the seals for the everything. This is what I am looking at right now (since I have them siliconed since they were breaking down anyways).
https://parts.mopargenuineparts.com...R4NSDmGzdPGFeCAcpjk-sCqPiMTHk2zAaAsHlEALw_wcB
Is there anything else I should replace while I have everything dissassembled? Are the other gaskets/seals that I should look for on the HVAC box? I would prefer to have everything ready to go so I don't have to get half way through and wait on more parts.

4) For bypassing the heater core, from what I have figured out, one hose is a 9/16 ID and the other is 3/4 ID. Is that correct? I would prefer not to have to keep running back and forth to the auto parts store. My other option is to find a store with both hoses in stock and then figure it out that way.


Thanks for the advice.

 

[Chris]

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...-your-heater-core-heat-not-blowing-hot.47253/

 

[RMETeeJay]

What @Chris said for core.

I took mine to my preferred shop to get the AC system evacuated before I began the job and then brought it back afterward to have them test and fill. They covered the evap pipe openings in plastic. I didn't replace the evap, and so far everything is fine, but if you also take it to get evacuated go with whatever they recommend.

I found a thread somewhere that recommended using straps to hold up the dash from the rollbar instead of completely removing. That's what I did and it worked well. Take photos and use baggies to store the various pieces as you go. It wasn't fun, but compared to doing a lot of the cars on the road today, not that bad.

I didn't do that seal kit you linked, but it's not a bad idea. I just re-glued any foam that was messed up. This is probably obvious, but when you have it apart, clean the old coolant and grit thoroughly before putting the box back together (so it doesn't still smell through the vents). Also, make sure all of the blend doors move freely before reinstalling the box on the firewall.

 

[qslim]

What is the best brand for the heater core? From what I can tell OEM is no longer available. Obviously if they are available I want to go OEM, but I cannot find anywhere that has it. I have seen multiple threads saying that it is discontinued, but a few recent threads where the OP said they are purchasing an OEM one, so I a confused. If I do have to go aftermarket, which is the best brand for longevity.

Some guys on here have been having luck with Performance Radiator. That's where I ordered my heater core, I'll be installing it in the next week or so.

https://www.performanceradiator.com/

 

[MountaineerTom]

Some guys on here have been having luck with Performance Radiator. That's where I ordered my heater core, I'll be installing it in the next week or so.

https://www.performanceradiator.com/

Based on reports of a few people on here that have used them, I’d go with that too if MOPAR cores aren’t an option.

 

[MountaineerTom]

I replaced mine a few years ago and put some info down here that may be useful to you.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/another-heater-core-replacement-and-a-c-evap-core.15568/

 

[Sancho]

X2 on making sure your blender doors are freely moving.


Be careful if you removing the steering wheel... dont let the wheel rotate too much.

Overall.. its a pretty easy job.. just time consuming.

 

[eastbloc]

If you ever thought about insulating your Jeep, this will be a great opportunity to do it to a firewall.
To this day i still kick myself for not getting it done while everything was out.