[deabionni]

I have some cold air blowing by my feet, even with the heater on. I was looking under the hood, and it looks like there's a few cracks/pieces missing from the heater assembly. Does this look normal? (Nevermind the dirt, or the date on the photos).

 

[Ranger]

No, that is not normal, but common on older models. That is where the cold air is coming from. You need to patch it but be carefull as it is likely very brittle.

 

[Pjs]

What your looking at is the heater box cover. It's a rubber cover w/ insulation in it that covers the heater box. You can only patch it with the engine in the car...to replace it the cradle must be lowered. I replaced mine when the engine was out...even then it was about a 30 minute ordeal to get it to fit correctly.

 

[deabionni]

Thanks guys.

What's a good way to patch this. There's a few cracks in this housing that didn't show up too good in the pics, but I think I could get some RTV sealer to seal those cracks. (Is RTV sealer what I should use, or is there something better)? Also, what would you use to fill in that missing piece?

 

[Ranger]

I would get some self sticking drywall tape. The nylon mesh type and apply that first, like a band aid, then goop RTV over the top of it. That would make a pretty strong bond.

 

[deabionni]

I'm finally getting this patched up today, and I need to know if I can apply the drywall tape and RTV sealer directly to the "yellow filter looking thingy" (technical term ); or do I need to leave a cushion of air between my patch and the "yellow filter looking thingy"?

 

[zonie77]

I'd suggest the silver "duct" tape. But anything that seals it is good.

 

[deabionni]

I have it patched. (I hope).

The drywall tape worked like a charm, and I used the whole tube of RTV. The hole was a lot bigger than I thought it was. As soon as I moved the coil pack out of the way, I was like :holycrap: . I couldn't believe that there was that much plastic missing.

I'm just waiting for the RTV to set, so I can see if this works.

Thanks for all the advice.

 

[mikeay]

Mine is in the same condition. I was wiping off the dust one day, and it fell apart in my hands.

 

[deabionni]

Well, the patch didn't work. (Or at least that's not why it's blowing cold air).

So, the next step is I'll try flushing the heater core and see what that does.