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Post Title: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C
Posted by: cbutterVW at 9:57 PM 9-16-2008
I replaced my heater core without having to recharge the A/C system. I did not include pictures showing proper removal of steering wheel and airbag, or removal of plenum covers and wipers at top of firewall under hood.
*remember* when re-attaching the negative ground to battery (your final step), you must have ignition switch in “on” position so as not to damage airbags! (also, don’t let anyon in car at the time of reconnection – airbag may go off)
Notes:
Most screws Phillips head.
Airbag mounts hex head.
Need slot head to remove heater box clips and screws for direction indictors.
Sockets mostly 10 mm, 13mm, and 16 mm.
Get one of those tools that retrieves small parts when they fall in hard to reach places.
83 mounts for right vent (2 screws). Vent pulled off
82 pass knee protector
81 pass side knee protector screws
80 see 79
79 dash mount screws
78 slide cover right to remove
77 see 75
76 removal of pass. airbag
75 Pass. Airbag mount screws
74 driver knee protector
73 screws for knee protector
72 my car has security system and mount…
71 knee protector with ground wire of some sort…
70 driver side knee protector and screws
69 pry out light switch and airbag indicator
68 see 67
67 heater control cuff screws (6)
66 shield goes between radio and heater controls
65 see 63
64 heater control harness
63 heater control cuff and switches
61 see 59f
60 see 59f
59f indicator arm screws (removal of direction indicator and wiper controls)
59ee see 59e
59e instrument panel cuff screw left
59d see 59b
59c see 59b
59b instrument panel cuff right screw
59aa Instrument panel cuff
58h screw for central vent
58g see 58f
58f removal of screws thru vents is not necessary. You can grip vent (near either side on a horizontal slat) with pliers and pull straight out.
58e see 58d
58d central vent showing screw holes (4)
58c central vent and radio
58bbb Central vent
58bb dismantled central vent louvers
58a see 58
58 instrument cluster screws
57 removal of instrument cluster
56 Rear of instrument cluster. Note some clusters have more or less orange indicator lights.
55 see 54
54 speakers (yours are hopefully nicer)
53 see 52
52 Dash mount bolts
51 dash mount thru plenum at pass side
50 see 48
49 see 48
48 dash mount bolts thru plenum at windshield wiper motor
47 cut insulation under support to remove
46 clip for insulation
45 firewall insulation
44 temperature vent cable clips
43 Accel pedal footguard for heater box and vents (plastic screw)
42b passenger knee protector screws
42a passenger knee protector
42 see 41
41 see 40
40 removal fo Black foam under pass. knee. 3 plastic screws
39 see 38
38 defrost vent connector screw
37 see 34
36 see 34
35 see 34
34 central heater vent bolt left. Yeah. That's blood. See "Leona Lewis".
33 central heater vent bolt right
32 clip lower end of central heater vent
31 removing console support angle
30 rear passenger vent elbow connection screw
29 console support angle removed
28 see 27
27 see 26a
26a console support
26 rear passenger vent elbow connect
25 see 24
24 floor vent
23 see 22
22 floor vent attachment screw (at tip of screwdriver)
21 clip heater box top
20 clip heater box front – remove with sharp screwdriver. Ones in back are a pain, but doable. Otherwise you will have to remove A/C box (and pay to have the system recharged)
19 heater box to A/C box clips (two front and back, one each on top and bottom)
18 vent flap control and clip
17 control cable clip removed
16 vent flap control cable
15) see 14 – connected
14) wire harness to heater box – disconnected
13) lower connection thru firewall to heater box
12) see 11
11) firewall upper connection to heater box
10) Base of heater box attach thru firewall
9) Heater core thru-firewall bolt
8)
7)
6) heater core in place with vac hose
5) heater core in view (this is actually the newly replaced one)
4b) Heater box twisted to view flap and remove damaged core
4a) damaged A/C flap
4) damaged vent flap (no foam or fabric for tight seal)
3) Heater core slot from top. Repaired vent flap.
2) Repaired vent flap from front. HVAC 200 degree rated adhesive foil. Not remnants of ruined thin foam on floor of vent. Replacing this foam prevents whistling in certain vent flap configurations.
1a) Repaired vent flap from connection to A/C box
Modified by cbutterVW at 11:08 PM 9-16-2008
Modified by cbutterVW at 11:16 PM 9-16-2008
Modified by cbutterVW at 11:33 PM 9-16-2008
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (cbutterVW)
Posted by: andyztoy at 10:12 PM 9-16-2008
looks like a sweet diy but the pictures aren't showing up for me 
did u host them correctly
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (andyztoy)
Posted by: dthomson at 2:16 PM 12-23-2008
This DIY was critical for my heater core project. 
Some notes:
* The plug in the back of the steering wheel airbag pulls straight out (I scratched my head at it for a bit, afraid to break it)
* For those attempting this method of keeping the A/C box where it is, you have to pull the rebar out _a lot_ to make room for the heater core to come out. The holes at the end of the rebar will need to clear the edges of the doors; I had to pull back some trim.
* Try not to distort the shape of the rebar. I think I warped mine to some degree, and there are some small gaps in my dash now.
* I did not need to drill out the steering column bolts or otherwise mess with that in any way.
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (cbutterVW)
Posted by: taurus at 3:01 PM 12-23-2008
that was his first post and only so far. i missed this one when i did mine a month ago. could have come in handy.one thing i noticed is that the passenger airbag should have been removed after hte dash. would have been eqasier.
i'm also curious what brand of heater core that is..?
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (dthomson)
Posted by: Pineapplegti ! at 3:10 PM 12-23-2008
Before you mislead other texers into more work here are the steps that are not needed..
Hvac controls.. leave them connected to the clips..
Hvac cables .. dont take them off the heater box..
heaterbox.. dont take it off the a/c box.
.. here is the trick. ive done 4 of these this year.. disco everything that was listed in the previous posts (sans the stuff i listed..) Shimmy the hvac box loose from the firewall.. then keep moving it haha .. move it enough to where it wont pull out any further " by hand" .Then wedge breaker bar between firewall and hvac box and gently .. i mean genly pry back.. You will have to pry the box about 3-4 inches so that the heatercore clears the upperbulk head. The new core goes in much easier than the old comes out.. Make sure the plasitc cover is off the new core before you install.
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (cbutterVW)
Posted by: redskinsboy326 at 3:14 PM 12-23-2008
Nice to see someone finally do a write up on it. It is a pain in the ass to do, but well worth it. 
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (redskinsboy326)
Posted by: wikedphil at 7:12 PM 12-23-2008
i did mine last year and i did it slightly different. there are little metal clips that allow the heater box to seperate instead of bending all that stuff. i wish i took pictures and maybe it was already mentioned, but i took those off and separated it and when i was done they popped back in. didnt have to touch the ac stuff at all.
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (wikedphil)
Posted by: florida_gator at 7:24 PM 12-23-2008
i just did this yesterday, but i didnt touch my rebar...i separated the box by taking off the clips. a little bit of a pain in the a$$ but i was afraid of prying too much. i definitely agree about the HVAC controls, leave them on
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (florida_gator)
Posted by: jhayesvw at 9:43 AM 2-14-2009
what brand core is that? is it all metal?
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (jhayesvw)
Posted by: Pushin PSI at 10:29 AM 2-14-2009
My heater core just went out on me Thursday. You have got to be kidding me, right? Taking the WHOLE DASH apart? For a stupid heater core? Now I'm pissed!!!!! I was thinking I could just knock it out in an hour or so like a MK2. Great write up tho
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (Pushin PSI)
Posted by: kevissick at 10:44 AM 2-14-2009
really good write up. If my heater core ever craps out on me, I'm gonna set my s*** on fire and collect the insurance.
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (kevissick)
Posted by: SlowVRT at 11:34 AM 2-14-2009
best diy i've seen in a while.
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (SlowVRT)
Posted by: brobs is back at 11:48 AM 2-14-2009
for real. i've never heard that you are supposed to have the key in the on position when you reconnect the battery. 
Post Title:
Posted by: super_chief at 12:01 PM 2-14-2009
Yessss. One of these days I WILL have a functioning heater core and it WILL be because of this DIY 
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (brobs is back)
Posted by: Venkman at 12:16 PM 2-14-2009
| Quote, originally posted by brobs is back » |
| for real. i've never heard that you are supposed to have the key in the on position when you reconnect the battery. |
me either...I never did after removing the airbag to do my ignition swtich. Good DIY though
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (Venkman)
Posted by: I haz cheezeburgerz at 12:37 PM 2-14-2009
all I want to know is where you got that heatercore.you friggin killed my computer with all those pics man...!!!!
somebody PM me if you find out about the core, I don't wanna have to load the pictures again. literally 10 minutes to load it all. I have cable internet too. 
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (I haz cheezeburgerz)
Posted by: fourie_marius at 2:27 PM 2-14-2009
pdf format hereplease share (or rehost) as I have very limited bandwidth.
http://fourie_marius.webs.com/...e.pdf
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (I haz cheezeburgerz)
Posted by: brobs is back at 2:41 PM 2-14-2009
| Quote, originally posted by I haz cheezeburgerz » |
| all I want to know is where you got that heatercore. you friggin killed my computer with all those pics man...!!!! somebody PM me if you find out about the core, I don't wanna have to load the pictures again. literally 10 minutes to load it all. I have cable internet too. |
you must have slow intrawebs because it all loaded for me in like 20 seconds.
Post Title: FV-QR
Posted by: FlatlanderSJ at 8:05 PM 2-14-2009
| Quote, originally posted by I haz cheezeburgerz » |
| all I want to know is where you got that heatercore. somebody PM me if you find out about the core, I don't wanna have to load the pictures again. literally 10 minutes to load it all. I have cable internet too.
|
x2 can we find out what core... nice diy btw, i think i have to do this soon because i smell coolant, it's disappearing, and I have the nasty film on the windshield.
Post Title: FV-QR
Posted by: vwabbitman at 11:35 PM 2-14-2009
| Quote, originally posted by brobs is back » |
you must have slow intrawebs because it all loaded for me in like 20 seconds. |
Im on a verizon wireless internet pc card and it loaded in less than 30 seconds for me. Good diy. saving this for when my heater core decided to poop/piss on me.
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (cbutterVW)
Posted by: taroy1 at 10:45 PM 2-20-2009
I believe my heater core gave up the ghost today. All of a sudden it looked like a Holywood fog machine blowing out of the vents and the windshield fogged up immediately. I don't suppose that red liquid on the floor is my daughter's spilled coolaid? 
Just finished doing my valve seals, timing chain and guides, and new clutch. Was looking forward to some worry-free driving for a while. Guess not.
Post Title: FV-QR
Posted by: vwishndaetr at 10:49 PM 2-20-2009
That's commitment. That is a lot of picture taking.
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (taroy1)
Posted by: taroy1 at 3:36 PM 2-21-2009
| Quote, originally posted by taroy1 » |
| I believe my heater core gave up the ghost today... |
Half of the coolant is gone from the reservoir and there are only a few drops on the floor. Where did it all go? Is it all pooled up in the ductwork somewhere and am I going to have a big mess to clean up once the dash is out?
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (Pineapplegti !)
Posted by: MVTWIN2426 at 5:15 PM 3-8-2009
Your just the man I want to talk to. Doing a heater core replacement on a '97 Jetta 2.0 GLS. I'm stuck on what to do and here's my problem. I can't get the frig-in rebar pulled back enough. It attached to the steering column and to remove the sheer bolts is going to be a bitch. I read one of your posts on this subject you state that you've done 4 of these. How did you move/shift/adjust whatever it took to get to the heater core. Here' some pic's. Any help would be greatful appreciated. 
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (cbutterVW)
Posted by: vwOnly4Me at 1:47 AM 3-17-2009
Fu## here we go bought the mk3 vr6 withought a heatercore(hence) blown...so ill be attempting this...ill be saveing this thread in my tracked topixs 
thanks fr the help
(cheers) awesome pics
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (MVTWIN2426)
Posted by: taroy1 at 9:27 PM 3-25-2009
| Quote, originally posted by MVTWIN2426 » |
| How did you move/shift/adjust whatever it took to get to the heater core. |
Did you ever get an answer or figure it out yourself? I'm stuck, too. The box just doesn't seem to want to twist, slide, or rotate enough to clear the bulkhead.
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (taroy1)
Posted by: jhayesvw at 10:39 PM 3-25-2009
i pulled the bolt that attaches the steering shaft to the rack down by your feet.
its simple
then the rebar pulls out REALLY FAR and very easily
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (jhayesvw)
Posted by: dubtech001 at 11:07 PM 3-25-2009
You don't ned to pull the passengers airbag out either. Nor do you want to have the key in the "on" position when connecting the battery. You can not only set off the airbag, but also fry the ECM. Who told you to do that? ? ?
Whenever you need to disconnect the airbag, a rule of thumb is to "voodoo" the battery cables AFTER you have removed them (+ & -) from the battery. Voodoo is a term used that simply means touching the positive and negative cables together for 10 secs. This discharges any static charge in any electrical system in the vehicle. Just make sure that you don't do this when the cables are still on the battery terminals. That would be bad!!
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (cbutterVW)
Posted by: vitos97GT at 11:17 PM 3-25-2009
i also partook in this event over last week.... it sucks but sure did sae me some cash$$$
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (jhayesvw)
Posted by: taroy1 at 2:18 PM 3-26-2009
| Quote, originally posted by jhayesvw » |
| i pulled the bolt that attaches the steering shaft to the rack down by your feet. |
You mean the bolt just above the little u-joint that goes through the firewall?
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (dubtech001)
Posted by: taroy1 at 12:10 AM 3-27-2009
| Quote, originally posted by dubtech001 » |
| ...Nor do you want to have the key in the "on" position when connecting the battery... Who told you to do that? |
This directly from the Bentley Service Manual: "Once airbag unit installation is complete, switch ignition ON. Leave vehicle and close driver's door. Connect battery negative (-) cable. Check that no malfunction exists, as indicated by an illuminated or malfunctioning warning light. Caution - If the ignition is not switched on BEFORE connecting the ground strap, the airbag control unit could be damaged."
Modified by taroy1 at 9:12 PM 3-26-2009
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (cbutterVW)
Posted by: blacksox at 2:56 PM 4-22-2009
Had to bump this. I just finished replacing my heater core and repairing the vent flap foam yesterday. I have to give props for this DIY and all the other search results that helped me. I'm no mechanic so this took me two half days and two full days to complete. There were many times when I wanted to quit and there was always fear that I wasn't going to get it back together again. I ended up with two extra screws, that I had labled as for the inside dash but couldn't figure out where the missing screw holes were, one missing nut from the firewall above the A/C connections which fell into the engine bay somewhere, one broken pin for the door strap, that I didn't touch, and one snapped thread for the wiper motor. I did not do the coolant bypass since I had to replace my coolant anyhow. I did not disconnect my A/C conncections but I did undo the clips that hold the heater box to the A/C box and the two bolts and "clam shell" in the engine bay around the A/C connections. I did not disconnect the vent flap control wires. This came useful when testing my flap repair, which I used Foamies from Michaels craft store. I did remove the four star bolts in the door jambs and the trim up the P.S. side so I could bend that carrier assembly out a bit. I removed the two bolts on the stearing column but I didn't have to drill them out, like people said. For me they just unscrewed normally. I put them back the way they were. Maybe these weren't the stretch bolts that I thought they were? Not understanding that there was a zip tie attached to the back vent frustrated me to know end when trying to remove the dash. Dropped screws behind things and down in things caused many hours of frustration when putting everything back together. I bagged and labeled everything in snack bags. It felt dedious but when it came time to reassemble I'm glad I did it.
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (blacksox)
Posted by: jhayesvw at 5:28 PM 5-27-2009
bump this up because i still would like to know where he got the all metal heater core.
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (jhayesvw)
Posted by: MkIII_Paul at 6:39 PM 5-27-2009
since you tore apart your dash, I was wondering if you knew where the a/c evap is. I have a weird screech coming from the pass side of the dash when my a/c is on, and was thinking it might be related to something expanding and contracting in there. any thoughts?
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (MkIII_Paul)
Posted by: jhayesvw at 11:25 PM 5-27-2009
its on the passenger side in your dash.
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (jhayesvw)
Posted by: MkIII_Paul at 8:10 AM 5-28-2009
| Quote, originally posted by jhayesvw » |
| its on the passenger side in your dash. |
yes, I've guessed that much. what I intended to ask was how is it situated in there. pics would be extremely helpful.
thanks
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (MkIII_Paul)
Posted by: jhayesvw at 1:03 AM 5-29-2009
its inside the A/C box under your dash. i dont know the exact orientation since i never opened mine up.
sorry.
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (jhayesvw)
Posted by: MkIII_Paul at 8:19 AM 5-29-2009
thanks for replying anyway
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (MkIII_Paul)
Posted by: 81rabbit at 2:30 AM 10-30-2009
wish the pies worked they could really help me out right now 
Post Title: Re: heater core replacement 1996 Jetta 2.0L ABA engine with A/C (cbutterVW)
Posted by: TuhTuhTom at 11:07 AM 11-3-2009
yeah it would be extremely helpful if you got these pictures up...please
Post Title:
Posted by: rockinpandas at 2:22 PM 12-11-2009
indeed pics would be awesome right about now
Post Title:
Posted by: tylerlb at 2:55 PM 12-11-2009
right click the pis and copy the address to the address bar and click go you will see the pic. Or use the DIY posted just before you posted in this old DIY
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