This is a write up from another FC owner.
1. Tools:
1/4 ratchet
8mm socket
or an 8mm open end wrench
3/8 ratchet
10mm socket
12mm socket
10mm open end wrench
Long flat head and short flat head
Long Phillip's and short Phillip's
2. Remove armrest/storage box, shift knob, shifter surround, and shift lever.
3. Remove ashtray/center AC vents/radio console/radio.
4. Remove steering wheel (one 21mm nuts holds it to the shaft). Remove instrument cluster surround and instrument cluster.
5. Remove plastic trim panels that are held on with one screw on either side of the center of the dash. Remove flat plastic panels on the ends of the dash that are normally hidden by the door when closed - those just pry off.
6. Remove 2 10mm bolts per side on the far ends of the dash. Pull the carpet flaps back at the center console and remove 2 12mm (they were 12mm on my wife's car - might be different in the earlier cars) bolts per side on the center console.
7. Pop off the center cap between the defrost vents. Remove the 8mm bolt there (not 1/4", this is METRIC
). Get a screwdriver and pop that whole defrost panel off. Wear gloves - it's sheet metal, and RAZOR sharp at the edge - I have SLICED my fingers open on it before.
8. With the top panel removed, there are 3 10mm bolts along the top of the dash to be removed that hold the dash on.
9. Drop the steering column - remove the crotch vent below the steering column, and remove the 2 12mm bolts that hold the column to the dash.
10. You should be able to start pulling the dash out. Pull it out a little ways, then unplug the harnesses. There are two big connectors on the driver's side, and one big one on the passenger side. There's also the connector from the logicon to the heater at the center near the windshield. There are also 2 flexy AC ducts to be disconnected.
Things I learned -
- You do NOT have to remove the logicon first. Leave it in the dash, and just unplug the heater connector once you start removing the dash.
- You do NOT have to remove the glove box - leave it be.
- It can help to unbolt the parking brake to give some more maneuvering room - 3 12mm bolts hold it in place.
- You will VERY likely break the center cap between the defrost vents when you pop it off. They're only a few bucks brand-new, though.
As far as the heater core is concerned, it's like 3 10mm fasteners and the two hoses in the engine bay, and it comes out. You do have to maneuver the outlet pipe on the passenger side to clear the AC evaporator, but it's not too bad.
The AC components were designed to be installed in this order - blower motor, evaporator, and heater core. You can easily remove the blower motor assembly with the evaporator in place, and reinstalling the heater core is MUCH easier if you unbolt the evaporator and pull it out a bit so you have some clearance to work with. You don't have to crack open the AC system or anything.
I do recommend when you're in there to remove the blower motor assembly and clean/reseal it. There are 3 8mm bolts/screws that hold the actual blower to the bottom - remove and drop it out. You'll probably find a forest of leaves inside
. I also went to Pep Boys and bought some AC duct sealing foam - they're adhesive foam rubber strips. I resealed the blower motor to the fresh air duct, the heater core to the dash, etc. This makes a BIG difference - if you have any duct leaks under the dash, that will lower the airspeed of the air coming from the vents. The foam I got was with the weatherstripping, and I got two different sizes - one for the clamps that attach the duct from the heater to the evaporator and the clamp from the evaporator to the blower, and one for the heater core to dash and blower to fresh air.
It's really not that hard at ALL to pull the dash. And, yes, you DO have to pull the dash to remove the heater core. To remove the evaporator or blower motor, you just have to pull the glove box and the panel under the glove box - both are easy to install with the dash in.