Replacing the Heater Core 1999 SeaView on F53 Ford

[TheBeachHous]

Howdy again folks... Well, we're finding that this RV we purchsaed a couple months ago has sat around most of its life in one spot, and while that may be a good thing for the mileage factor, its not a good thing for any of its mechanical moving parts... or engine parts... .or tires... or seals... etc. etc... Anyway, its a damn good thing we're handy!! (ok i'm not handy but my dad is and we're in 50/50 on this thing..)

Has anyone had any expierence with replacing the Heater Core on a 1999 National Sea View (or any of the years where the body style wouldn't change much).
My dad is more handy than your average guy, and this is frustrating him because he refueses to 'send work out' to be done... I'm at the point where we'd like to use this thing and this is one of the last projects we've got going on and i'd just like it done...
We need to replace the heater core, its got a massive leak in it but can't get it out of the 'box' that its in..
Anyone able to lend me a bit of wisdom in can pass on to the old guy???

[Rook]

Okay, I'll take a stab at this......I had a 94 GMC Suburban with a leaking heater core and the shop manual said the recommended way to get at it was to remove the whole dash assembly, and the heater core and the AC evaporator as a unit put it on the bench and open up the plastic cover to get at the heater core. Of course, this requires a complete AC recharge and many hours of work. UGH!!

I found a guy in San Antonio who said he could do it at an attractive price, so I said yes! He used a Dremmel and a cutting wheel, cut the plastic cover on 3 sides, both sides and the bottom, prized it open, removed and replaced the core, taped the crack in the cover with strong tape and PRESTO! Repair finished!! Good luck. Rook

[Butchviii]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBeachHous Howdy again folks... Well, we're finding that this RV we purchsaed a couple months ago has sat around most of its life in one spot, and while that may be a good thing for the mileage factor, its not a good thing for any of its mechanical moving parts... or engine parts... .or tires... or seals... etc. etc... Anyway, its a damn good thing we're handy!! (ok i'm not handy but my dad is and we're in 50/50 on this thing..) Has anyone had any expierence with replacing the Heater Core on a 1999 National Sea View (or any of the years where the body style wouldn't change much). My dad is more handy than your average guy, and this is frustrating him because he refueses to 'send work out' to be done... I'm at the point where we'd like to use this thing and this is one of the last projects we've got going on and i'd just like it done... We need to replace the heater core, its got a massive leak in it but can't get it out of the 'box' that its in.. Anyone able to lend me a bit of wisdom in can pass on to the old guy???

Unless u are going to use it in the winter time i suggest to plug the heater hose(clamp it closed ) so no water is going thru the core and go on a trip and not have to worry about the leak....

[George Schweikle]

Is your 1999 RV on a GM chassis?. As rook said, you can cut a hole in the housing to replace the heater core. On my 1999 Safari Trek, GM chassis, the housing is thermoplastic. This means it can be re-melted, and I cut through the housing with the blade that came with my electric soldering gun. Once finished, the part can be held in place with RTV. See below.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBeachHous ...Has anyone had any expierence with replacing the Heater Core on a 1999 National Sea View (or any of the years where the body style wouldn't change much). My dad is more handy than your average guy, and this is frustrating him because he refueses to 'send work out' to be done... I'm at the point where we'd like to use this thing and this is one of the last projects we've got going on and i'd just like it done... We need to replace the heater core, its got a massive leak in it but can't get it out of the 'box' that its in.. Anyone able to lend me a bit of wisdom in can pass on to the old guy???

[ga traveler]

I found several motorhomes that came in with heater core leaks that had good cores. Make sure the clamps are tight on the hoses. Antifreeze can spew into the heater box and run out the bottom of the box and look like a core leak.

[TheBeachHous]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ga traveler I found several motorhomes that came in with heater core leaks that had good cores. Make sure the clamps are tight on the hoses. Antifreeze can spew into the heater box and run out the bottom of the box and look like a core leak.

We just replaced the hoses and clamps and then drove it for a hundred miles or so and by the time we got back to the driveway (this after 1&1/2hr on the side of the highway changing a blown out rear dual) the reserve fluid tank was empty and the box was draining out one side... No other areas were leaking as they were before we changed all the hoses, so we'd have to assume the HC is bad... I'm pretty sure because this thing has very low miles on it, that it sat for a very long time recently and we're driving all the bugs out of it... Figuratively and sometimes literally...
My question to you is... Can or should this be tackled at home or should we have someone who's done this a few times get to looking after it?

[chboone]

Have you double checked your hose clamps? All coolant hoses heat set and the regular hose clamps will loosen up a little as they cool down, as they could do while changing your tire. When I changed the original hoses on my 99 Dolphin they had two clamps at each end. Why, I do not know, maybe there was a problem with leakage using one clamp. When I changed my heater hoses I used the high temperature silcone hose (not the kink resistant) and constant tension worm drive hose clamps. They are both pricey, but the silcone hose will last forever. The constant tension clamps will never lossen up if installed correctly. I use them on all of my vehicles, and at work on emergency generators. BTW, I did not use double clamps on the new hoses.

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr