Any Ford mechanics or someone who has removed the dash in a F150

[rdwarrior]

I need some advice. I am removing the dash in my year 2000 F150 to replace the non functioning heater core. I have a chiltons manual and have done everything it says to remove the dash, but I am still unable to remove it. Seems there is a major wire loom along the drivers side wall. I have disconnected the 3 connectors in that area from the engine compartment side. There is a black handle on that side against the fire wall, but it is tight and doesnt even wiggle. The manual doesnt even mention it or the major wire bundle on that side. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
rdwarrior.

[nun2kute]

I wont claim to be anything but a "Cursing" mechanic.
But when I run into something of this nature, most is cured between Google & Youtube. Good Luck !

[poppy42]

I was A collision repair man for many years, many years ago! I’ve had to r&r many dashboards over the years. My advice to someone attempting this with no experience is to get someone else to do it! It is not a job for the faint of heart. In fact it can be dangerous we’re airbags are concerned. If you do attempt it, do your due diligence, take it slow and allow plenty of time without distractions. There is a plethora of electric/electronica connections that need to be unplugged and plugged back in in the proper sequence. If not done properly in the right sequence it is very easy Tarun some necessary electronics. If you do decide to attempt this I wish you all the luck in the world

[Kraschenbirn]

Once upon a time I had to pull the dash in my old '94 F150 and IIRC is was a real PITA but, in this case, U-tube may be your best friend. Here ya' go...take your pick.


https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ford+f150+dash+removal+

Bill

[Jniedbalski]

Is your heater core leaking? If it’s not leaking but won’t put out any heat it might be air locked . Easy to fix.

[rdwarrior]

Is your heater core leaking? If it’s not leaking but won’t put out any heat it might be air locked . Easy to fix.

Please explain the fix.
Thanks

[country gent]

It might be easier to cut a window out of the firewall to allow the core to be removed weld some tabs on it and bolt back in.

[Idaho45guy]

I was A collision repair man for many years, many years ago! I’ve had to r&r many dashboards over the years. My advice to someone attempting this with no experience is to get someone else to do it! It is not a job for the faint of heart. In fact it can be dangerous we’re airbags are concerned. If you do attempt it, do your due diligence, take it slow and allow plenty of time without distractions. There is a plethora of electric/electronica connections that need to be unplugged and plugged back in in the proper sequence. If not done properly in the right sequence it is very easy Tarun some necessary electronics. If you do decide to attempt this I wish you all the luck in the world

I second this! The heater core went bad in my son's `97 Mercury Cougar. Knowing that Ford's typically are a major PITA to change, I looked up a couple of videos on YouTube and discovered that it was an 8-hour job for an experienced mechanic. I told him to pay the $700 bid for the job at a local shop. Him and three of his fellow high school buddies attempted it, and a week later, and a couple of my ruined tools later, they had it done.

I recently replaced a bad resistor in the dash of my 2005 GMC Yukon, and after a couple of hours of cussing and some bloody knuckles, I was done.

In the future, any work involving the dash of a post-`80 vehicle, I will gladly pay someone else to do it.

[Petrol & Powder]

For about the last 15-20 years (more in some models), auto manufacturers have been installing instrument panels/dash boards/etc. as one single unit - pre-assembled. If you watch videos of the assembly process you will see the dash board being inserted into the cabin from the side of the body before the doors are installed.
This saves a huge amount of time on the assembly line and therefore reduces the cost of assembly. However, the dash is not designed to be easily serviced out of the vehicle. The engineering is geared towards cost savings at construction, not maintenance later in the life of the vehicle.

Open the door on just about any current production vehicle and you will see three large screws on the end of the dash that are concealed when the door is closed. That's the attachment point for that large assembly and no, you generally can't just take it out the same way.


It's not a fun job, Good Luck.

[rdwarrior]

Is your heater core leaking? If it’s not leaking but won’t put out any heat it might be air locked . Easy to fix.

Please explain the fix.
Thanks

[bikerbeans]

Being a Ford the heater core is most likely filled with sediment. I would try back flushing it before replacing it. If it is leaking then replace it, a back flush might rupture the core.

BB

[high standard 40]

If the core is not leaking, but will not blow warm air, the problem may be a blend door actuator. I had to repair my 2003 F150 with this issue. There is a YouTube video showing a somewhat easy repair hack. Dorman sells a kit to do this.

[rdwarrior]

I have backwashed the heater core multiple times over the past 5 years with very little improvement. the last backwash resulted in zero heat. it does not leak. I have already checked the blend door and it seems to be working. I am going to replace the heater core as believe it is severely plugged up. While I am at I will replace the blend door to ensure it doesnt break after I put it all back together. I have the entire dash loose and the passenger side will pull back towards the seat. the drivers side is loose and pulls just a little ways back towards the seat. It seems the drivers side is still hung up on a large wire bundle going from the fuse box to the firewall. according to the chiltons manual I shouldnt have any problems in that area since I disconnected the 3 connectors from the firewall in the engine compartment on that side.

[obssd1958]

Just did the blend door replacement on a friends '99 F250, about a month ago. We used this video to guide us, and it all works now.


https://youtu.be/zmOlDQQXlkw

[truckjohn]

Yep. If it's not leaking - it may be something else wrong causing no air flow through the heater core.

Youtube is your friend....

If it's obviously too onerous - pay a mechanic to bust his knuckles for you... ;)

[Jniedbalski]

The two things for no heat are the blend door motor or the heater core is air locked. To get the air lock flushed out take both heater core hoses loose from the motor and or radiator. Take a water hose hot water is best . Flush out the junk and air in the core. I make a copper pipe and connect it to the water hose and then hose clamp the pipe in one end of the heater core hose. Leave one open to drain out. Let the hot water flush it out. I usually hook it up to the hot side port of the water heater. If you got junk in it or air it will come out. I have had them air locked or filled with stop leak but the water pressure and hot water will clean it out

[Jniedbalski]

I usually got all my parts to make my water hose connection from ace hardware you might have to solder them together. Or cut the end off the hose use a copper pipe and hose clamp it on both ends. Also try to clean it out both ways. Do one side first then unhook the hose and put it in the other heater core hose to reverse flow.

[Buck Butcher]

I have had no heat in my 98 f150 and was sure it was the heater core. Well, it sort of was, but the main issue I had was the water pump. I had an issue with corrosion in the coolant but did not know it was from the impeller blades rusting off. It would run fine, and all of a sudden spike temperature. It would cool down and not overheat for sometimes days. All due to the impeller being corroded away to a flat disc.Had I known this, It wouldn’t have blown a head gasket or cracked/warped a head.

So in the search for the culprit I replaced the heater core using one of the ford specific tutorials (and YouTube) that explained how to do it without completely removing most of the dash. You end up pulling it free on the passenger side and kind of letting it hang allowing to HVAC box access. It’s not a job for the impatient, it takes 4 to 6 hours on a good day.

Replacing the heater core was a hard enough job that when the engine started misfiring (over a year later) from head issues, I didn’t get rid of it. I was hard headed enough to find another engine because I had already put so much into getting a new heater core.

A shop will bill 8 hours.

Mark

[Froogal]

I worked on a 1970 Pontiac. The blower motor was non-functioning. Chilton's manual suggested removing the hood, outer right fender, and then the inner right fender. My boss fired up the cutting torch and made a nice window in the inner fender so we could reach through and RandR the blower motor. We then went to a sheet metal shop and had a cover made to fit that window.

[Jniedbalski]

65 Chevy impala was the same way. We also cut a hole

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I had a 1969 Ford F100 and it had no such problems. Any problem could be diagnosed in about five minutes. You didn't have to remove the dash to work on heater, change one of the dash lights or turn signal beeper. I drove that truck for 39 years with very little trouble. I drove it across the country three times and took it to the desert countless times.. Men would knock on my door and ask if I would sell it. I did sell the truck when we moved into a senior community but I wish I had it back.

[brass410]

before you tear into this , you might want to do a couple of cks , heater cores have no moving parts, they do however have a LOT of small tube to conduct coolant across their surface to produce heat. First ck would be feel the hoses in and out of the heater they should be nearly untouchable with heat. If one is HOT and the others not well its blocked with rust (from block) or air locked (air trapped in core, a lot of cores have the pipes at lowest point with core and tanks higher) you could bleed air by removing return hose and raising the end, with a small amout of pressure applied to cooling system. There may also be a flow valve inline to control coolant flow make sure it is opening and closing ( some have this valve some don't its kinda like a ball valve in house plumbing and the flapper becomes loose and don't open when the cam lever moves). You may have another issue that will cause heater to air lock and not produce heat and that would be a minor head gasket leak pressurzing the system. Need more info on the problem its kinda vague what your experiencing problem wise.

[brass410]

Sorry for long post. Also if both hoses are hot to touch you have circulation, if no heat still, then you have a ventilation problem and one of the hvac doors is not functioning correctly probably cold air return, most common.

[dh2]

you have not took out the 4 nuts on the out side of the fire well

[rdwarrior]

I finally got the dash removed and got to the heater core. the blend door was working and not broken. I bought a new heater core. The old one is much heavier and in fact I did get some crud out of it when I draine the fluid out of it, so the diagnosis is the heater core was plugged. I am replacing the blend door to keep that from being the next problem. Thanks all. Regarding the possible airlock, everything that has been mentioned I had already tried in the past to no avail. Both heater hoses were hot, although the return was not nearly as hot as the incoming line. There was a definite flow blockage int he heater core. Ford was well known back in the 60's to have very tiny flow lines in the heater cores (I used to be a mechanic until early 70's) which would plug up often requiring them to be rodded. I think Ford may still have tiny water passages.
all that said, thanks to everyone for their advice.
rdwarrior

[osteodoc08]

Glad you got it done. What was the stumbling block that held you up?

[rdwarrior]

First thing holding me up was finishing getting the 3 wire looms free from the firewall on the drivers side. The way the book read I just had to remove the screws holding each one. Turns out I had to pull the plastic piece around all of them and them press them back inside the cabin. The other thing was I missed one bolt in the center of the dash under the power outlet that I had not seen or felt previously. Got it out and the dash came out towards the seat. Now I just have to purchase a couple o-rings for the heater hose connectors and it will be ready to start going back together.

[Tripplebeards]

I didn’t mess with mine as I was running the shop at the time. I had my heater core replaced on my 97’ F150 with a 4.6l. Absolute nightmare. It calls for 13.6 hours for a Ford mechanic that has done at 12 times in a row. I found out the reason why my heater core kept popping is I had a head gasket that was letting loose and the week point was the heater core causing it to blowing out. My heater core let loose two times within a year after I originally had it replaced. The third time the truck went for sale as I had no idea what was going on with it in the head gasket was bad until the next owner purchased it and it popped on him about six months later. If it was my truck I would out extra insurance on it and leave the keys in it unlocked hooping some one would steal it or run it into a wall before I had to replace one again.[smilie=b:


Sounds like you’re on the homestretch I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.

[Lloyd Smale]

must have been contaigious. I had a 65 impala ss that I did the same to.
65 Chevy impala was the same way. We also cut a hole

[Tripplebeards]

Yeah...if I had to do it myself I would’ve cut a the firewall. In and out then.

[rdwarrior]

Success!!!! It is all back together and I have more heat than I know what to do with. Took awhile to put back together due to tornado warnings, heavy thunderstorms followed by snowfall all in 3 days time. I only have a couple screws left over, not bad since it has been apart for almost 2 weeks. Only a couple minor glitches when I put it back together. Didnt plug the inertia fuel switch back up, missed the connector for all the lights, and had the brake light switch mounted incorrectly. All works now and happy camper. Even my odometer started working again - 292k miles and running strong.

[brass410]

wanna do another while its still fresh???? LOL

[rdwarrior]

wanna do another while its still fresh???? LOL

For the right price I might. At least now I know I dont have to take things apart as far as I did. lol

[Idaho45guy]

Success!!!! It is all back together and I have more heat than I know what to do with. Took awhile to put back together due to tornado warnings, heavy thunderstorms followed by snowfall all in 3 days time. I only have a couple screws left over, not bad since it has been apart for almost 2 weeks. Only a couple minor glitches when I put it back together. Didnt plug the inertia fuel switch back up, missed the connector for all the lights, and had the brake light switch mounted incorrectly. All works now and happy camper. Even my odometer started working again - 292k miles and running strong.

You have my respect! That is a tough job! I'd rather pull an engine down and rebuild it rather than work inside of the dash.