Can you drive a car with a broken heater core?
If you have a bad heater core, you should bring your car in for repairs right away. Driving with a faulty heater core can be risky, as it can lead to overheating and extensive engine damage. Even a clogged heater core can prevent proper coolant circulation, causing your engine to run hot.
How hard is it to replace a heater core?
When working properly, the heater core sends heat to the cabin. When it leaks, it must be replaced. Getting the job done ranges from easy to difficult, depending on the core’s location inside your car.
Do you need to take dash out for heater core replacement?
If you are going in because of the heater core do yourself a favor and plan to replace the Core and Evaporator, no reason to do this more than needed. I also did the Blower motor and resistor on recommendation, but both of those units (at least in the ’01) are accessible without taking the dash out.
How to remove the dash from a Dakota?
The snaps may come off and stay in dash, use needle nose pliers to remove them and re-secure then to the panel. -Remove lower dash panel from under column, Three Torx head screws. The P Brake release rod will be attached tot he handle, there is a keeper that rotates down and the rod slides out the side of the handle.
How to remove the front of the dash?
-Remove the front top dash panel (closest to windshield) with Large Screw driver, pry up wards, there are two rows of friction snaps. The snaps may come off and stay in dash, use needle nose pliers to remove them and re-secure then to the panel.
How long does it take to replace a heater core?
A novice maybe closer to 6 hours, but honestly this is not a terrible task. Steps based on 2001 model year, adjacent years should be similar but may have different components. If you are going in because of the heater core do yourself a favor and plan to replace the Core and Evaporator, no reason to do this more than needed.