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Thread: Stuck on heater core replacement

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Long Island, NY
    Posts
    352

    Default Stuck on heater core replacement

    I managed to get to the heater core quickly, but am having problems removing it. The new one came with pipes attached, and I'm hoping the pipes aren't the problem, and that by removing the core seperately from the pipes, I'll save alot of time and effort.

    However, after getting the front pipe dislodged, I'm having problems removing specifically the pipe that's closest to the front of the car(firewall). It won't budge, and it seems there isn't much wiggle room in the compartment that the heater core actually sits in.

    Any tips/tricks or advice on how I should procede?
    '94 540I 6spd/205000 miles

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Long Island, NY
    Posts
    352

    Default

    RANT RANT RANT!!!!

    Got old core out, and put the new one in...BUT....

    I used the old pipes, and they seat properly, but the bracket that holds the two pipes that attach at the left side of the core isn't fitting the new heater core properly.

    It seems that a plastic tab just below where the pipes mount is thicker on the new heater core, and the old bracket from the old pipes has a protrusion such that it hits the tab before seating fully so that the pipes can be tightened.

    What is the purpose in changing the tab and bracket on the pipes when they are otherwise the same?

    To that end, I presume I have three options. 1) sell the car. 2) try to alter the old bracket to fit the new heater core by shaving/grinding it. I have a dremel, but doing this with the pipes installed might be a pain, not to mention that the heater core is installed which makes that task even more risky and difficult. 3) install the new pipes that came with the new heater core, and everything should be happy-- I think.

    If I opt to install the new pipes, I haven't seen much in the way of write-ups on this. How difficult will it be, given that I have most of the interior already apart to follow through with the installing the new pipes? Do I need new gaskets or anything where the pipes enter the engine bay and connect to rubber coolant hoses?

    Thanks....so much for a trival 5 hour job.
    '94 540I 6spd/205000 miles

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Columbus, OH 43212
    Posts
    41

    Default Install the new pipes...

    They should just pull right through the firewall to the inside with little work...heck you probibly already worked them loose anyway moving them around so much. I'm assuming that your new pipes have the firewall gasket thingie already on them like mine did, and you can just leave the old pipes connected, pull it out a little, then pull the pipes through the firewall...also saves a mess on the inside. Keep at it, and you'll figure it out, just try not to scratch anything since paint is very thin in this area.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Long Island, NY
    Posts
    352

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by saconnect
    They should just pull right through the firewall to the inside with little work...heck you probibly already worked them loose anyway moving them around so much. I'm assuming that your new pipes have the firewall gasket thingie already on them like mine did, and you can just leave the old pipes connected, pull it out a little, then pull the pipes through the firewall...also saves a mess on the inside. Keep at it, and you'll figure it out, just try not to scratch anything since paint is very thin in this area.

    Thanks... I'm leaning towards replacing the pipes as well. Do you know if I have to remove the dash to do this? Or is this pretty much a game of try to wiggle it through to the engine bay blind?
    '94 540I 6spd/205000 miles

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    1,171

    Default

    Pictures help a lot when you get stuck. There are a few tricks to changing the heater core on these cars that makes the job go much easier. Inside the engine bay right where the three pipes protrude the firewall there is a single clamp held by a bolt that keeps the piping in place when connecting the hoses inside the engine compartment. You want to remove this clamp for fishing new metal piping which I am not convinced even needs to be done.
    The trickiest connection is aluminum most driver side pipe to the core. Many spoil this connection which is a single bolt by pulling on the flange. One must rotate this flange not pull on it. When you get it apart you can bend the finger that goes behind the core to readjust for just the right amount of pre-load. The best trick for getting it back together is to use a long screwdriver and not your fingers to rotate this flange back into place.
    Anybody who needs help on here should own an inexpensive camera and post pictures. Many on here know every bolt on these cars and pictures make the difference.
    Good Luck,
    George
    P.S. the dash does not have to come out to change the piping however the piping likely does not need to be changed.
    Last edited by George M; 08-13-2006 at 07:35 AM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Long Island, NY
    Posts
    352

    Default

    Here are some pictures of the stuck clamp. I have more pictures for documenting the whole process, but nothing better to show where I'm stuck yet. When I get the heater core back out I'll take a picture comparing the thickness of the two tabs.





    The pictures don't show the tab that extends out from the left of the heater core just below the pipes by the clamp that won't slide down into position. After thinking for hours it was the pipes themselves that was causing it to be stuck we eventually determined that the tab on the new core is about twice as thick inbetween the pipes as the old one.
    '94 540I 6spd/205000 miles

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Long Island, NY
    Posts
    352

    Default

    Heater core out, old and new compared-- look at tab. There is a notch for the clamp to close on, and I'm unsure why I was unable to get it to do so in the car. In any event, old pipes are coming out, and new ones will be in. Hopefully this doesn't take too long.

    '94 540I 6spd/205000 miles

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Washington DC
    Posts
    120

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by saconnect
    They should just pull right through the firewall to the inside with little work...heck you probibly already worked them loose anyway moving them around so much. I'm assuming that your new pipes have the firewall gasket thingie already on them like mine did, and you can just leave the old pipes connected, pull it out a little, then pull the pipes through the firewall...also saves a mess on the inside. Keep at it, and you'll figure it out, just try not to scratch anything since paint is very thin in this area.
    You clearly have no clue how to do this repair. JT540i and I spent several house just messing around with the damn pipes. They are extreamly hard to get through.

    I would do everything possible before messing around with new pipes.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Benneton (United Colors of)
    Posts
    3,067

    Default

    i would bet that new pipes would make no difference in that latch closing down fully. the clasp is a "bitch" that requires that the pipes be 100% in, it really isn't like putting a heater hose over a nipple. anybody that has a 1/91 or newer e34 and has done a heater core can attest to that clamp being a PITA to get back on. if you have new pipes, by all means, go ahead and change them out while everything is apart, as you've hit an impass anyways.
    "..Torchinski v. Peterson that it is legal to carry a concealed weapon, so long the weapon is totally slick like a huge ass machine gun that you carry under a trench coat, like in the Matrix."


  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA.
    Posts
    571

    Default no need to remove the upper dash.......

    the heater box has a cover that is removable where the pipes come through.
    it was not easy, but do able. make sure you replace the o-rings if you decide to use the old pipes. my heater core was not the problem, it only needed o-rings, but i had it apart & i already had the core so in it went.
    here is my pics.
    http://www.tntcomp.com/tim%20s/heatercore.htm
    tim s.

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