124 evaporator quick question

[locry]

i'm tackling the dreaded 124 evaporator job. i've managed to remove the dash and everything in the way... took me around 4 hours... i'm getting ready to remove the heater box, my question is: will the part where the blower motor is come with the heater box? is it one big piece? or will the section outside the firewall(where the blower is) remain where it is?

one other thing, it says in the DIY section that i have to move aside the ignition switch, how do i do that? i didn't have to remove the steering wheel when i took off the dash, can i move the ignition switch without unfastening the steering column? i haven't had a good look at that section yet.

thanks guys!

[sublettm]

The entire heater box comes out as one big piece. Just a little tip, the guys that put these things together years ago used quite a bit of sealant to seal the box to the firewall. You will probably have to use a small crow-bar to get this thing broken loose. It does not take long to get to the heater box, but actually getting it out is another story.

I do not remember having to remove the ignition lock on mine. I may have but don't remember. If you do, it really isn't a big deal to get it out. Removal is basically the same as a 123 body. Do a search and you will see that it is quite easy.

If you run into any other problems let us know. I did this job on mine last spring and helped a friend with his 126 about 3 months ago.

[locry]

Mike,

i've read your post regarding this, in fact i used it as reference the entire time. many thanks!!! couldn't have done it without you.

you did mention that the ignition lock HAS to be removed and put aside... offhand i didn't see any obvious ways to remove the ignition cylinder...

i'm avoiding fiddling with the steering column, haven't had time to read about it... not enough research.

[sublettm]

Removal of the ignition lock is very quick once you have the dash and everything else out of the way. Simply remove teh ring around the part of the steering column that the ingnition slips into, push in the little pin and the whole ignition should pull out. Of course, you will have to have the key turned to do this. Once removed, the big wiring harness that goes into the back of the ignition will just pull right out.

[locry]

figured out how to remove the ignition tumbler earlier, had to remove an allen bolt, i also got the heater box out, surprisingly without having to wrestle with the expansion valve issue, it just came right off, had to pry with a screwdriver in a few places. The sticky stuff didn't put up much of a fight, i'm guessing it was recently installed or it just didn't have the chance to harden because of the high humidity in this country.

now that i have the box off what do i do next? disassemble everything? i just need to remove the evap. AND, can i just remove the heater coil permanently? we really don't need that thing here. besides, i discovered the lines to the coil have been plugged anyway with wooden dowels. I'm guessing airflow would be a lot better without it.

thanks for the tips!

[psfred]

BTDT. You MUST find the little plastic "bolt" that holds the linkage together for the floor vents and remove it BEFORE you take the box apart -- otherwise, the flex link will almost certainly break. Rather pricy to replace -- I drilled and wired mine.

The box is held together by screws (side boxes for the floor vents and top cover) and clips. Watch the clips, they tend to fly around and won't survive being stepped on.

you must get the screen on the evaporator back on the new one in EXACTLY the same place as on the old one or the box won't go together, it fits very tightly. I had to cut off the goop used on the old one.

Going back together, make absolutely certain the box sections fit together properly before installing the clips -- there is a lip and slot arrangement, and the box will leak if you don't get it together right. I had to scrape off all the silicone sealant helpfully applied by the previous idiot.....

Check all the servos for correct operation. Most of them will be leaking, so plan on the extra $200 or so to replace them all while you have it on the floor, beats the h... out of doing this again to get the recirc door or floor vents to work next winter!

I can't believe it only took you 4 hours -- took me all day!. Next time woudl be faster, of course.

Peter

[sublettm]

Peter, he had the luxury of good posts in the archives to do his. We probably had to figure this out on our own.

I agree with Peter. Check everything and replace the bad parts before you put everything back together. This is a job you only want to do once.

Where are you located that you don't need a heater? I'm in Houston and still need one for a couple of days during the winter.