Replacing the E30 Heater Core and Valve

[Huff]

OK R3v, here's what I'm up against. Not sure if this was just a self explanatory thing, but I have an extra obstacle in my way:


The hell is this thing? It looks like there are three bolts holding it in, two along the transmission tunnel, and one under the steering wheel trim pieces:



Can I take this out? Or will it end up being the backbone of my E30 and everything will fall off my car?

wtf?? never seen that before

i saw this at the yard...on 2 cars...they were on late model cars...and for this reason i couldnt get a heater core! but the ones i saw at the yard were welded...atleast yours are held by bolts...

any word on removing that strange metal piece? I have the same problem....

I tell you those "SQUARE HEADS" have nothing better to do then to mess a perfectly good design up due to boredom; I have no idea what that metal plate serves and this is the first one I've seen or heard of in the 12 cars I have owned all being mostly late models. It seems this is a US problem because it Canada I haven't encountered this.

That's the support for the knee bolster in air bag cars. There should be 3 bolts that hold it into the shift tunnel. They are not welded in (it might have been really dirty and seemed that way). Once you unbolt them, it's easy to move out of the way. I have two air bag cars that I've done this for, it looks scarier than it is..

[quikveedb2]

I guess i'll just go for it then... i'll alert the board if my car falls apart

=

[T La]

I guess i'll just go for it then... i'll alert the board if my car falls apart

[Ceeker]

I tell you those "SQUARE HEADS" have nothing better to do then to mess a perfectly good design up due to boredom; I have no idea what that metal plate serves and this is the first one I've seen or heard of in the 12 cars I have owned all being mostly late models. It seems this is a US problem because it Canada I haven't encountered this.

[T La]

any word on removing that strange metal piece? I have the same problem....

[T La]

what are the part no.s for the pipes going into them though?

[quikveedb2]

My driver's foot well has been damp with coolant for a while now, and is greasy windshield a symptom of failed heater core? becasue i've been having that issue as well.

them be the symptoms, replace it asap! as far as i know most us cars have the metal inlet pipes.

[T La]

My driver's foot well has been damp with coolant for a while now, and is greasy windshield a symptom of failed heater core? becasue i've been having that issue as well.

I have a 91 318is and i was wondering if my car has the metal pipes that this DIY is meant for, also, does anyone have a part # list for this replacement?

[thesheikh]

+1 on this thread. very helpful

[///digitalme]

i saw this at the yard...on 2 cars...they were on late model cars...and for this reason i couldnt get a heater core! but the ones i saw at the yard were welded...atleast yours are held by bolts...

OK R3v, here's what I'm up against. Not sure if this was just a self explanatory thing, but I have an extra obstacle in my way:


The hell is this thing? It looks like there are three bolts holding it in, two along the transmission tunnel, and one under the steering wheel trim pieces:



Can I take this out? Or will it end up being the backbone of my E30 and everything will fall off my car?

[Jean]

iirc, it's better to just plug the hoses rather than loop them, as it can cause the car to run hot.
.

I don't think so. Think of it this way, people turn the heater ON and fan on MAX when bleeding the cooling system and/or if the car runs hot... not the other way around. By plugging the hoses you are limiting the coolant flow

[e30shmobberr]

wtf?? never seen that before

OK R3v, here's what I'm up against. Not sure if this was just a self explanatory thing, but I have an extra obstacle in my way:


The hell is this thing? It looks like there are three bolts holding it in, two along the transmission tunnel, and one under the steering wheel trim pieces:



Can I take this out? Or will it end up being the backbone of my E30 and everything will fall off my car?

[quikveedb2]

You can remove the heater core/valve and just connect the two hoses near the firewall together to by-pass the whole thing for the time being.

iirc, it's better to just plug the hoses rather than loop them, as it can cause the car to run hot.

another pointer, i'm surprised nobody else has thought of this or mentioned it: you can "prime" the heater core by filling it through the pipes that come out of the firewall before you reattach the hoses, i did and it made bleeding the cooling system a 5-minute job. much easier than trying to coax all the air in the core out through the bleeder screw @ the t-stat.

[CreamE30]

OK R3v, here's what I'm up against. Not sure if this was just a self explanatory thing, but I have an extra obstacle in my way:


The hell is this thing? It looks like there are three bolts holding it in, two along the transmission tunnel, and one under the steering wheel trim pieces:



Can I take this out? Or will it end up being the backbone of my E30 and everything will fall off my car?

[Luke!]

The blower motor is accessed through the engine compartment. There is a hatch on the firewall, above the rear of the engine. It's easy.

fewwwww

thanks bro

thank god for that!

I did the same in my sisters Toyota, had to take apart half the car