yogi_pahl

My Gf has a 1990 Mercury topaz and the heat has not worked for a long time. She had some one bypass it(im think) and she never got around to fix it, so for xmas im going to fix it for her. I know it's a PIA to get to them and can only image it will be worse for this car. Im 6'3 220lbs and can barely fit to check the fuses. Now i found a heater core and b/4 i shell out the $30 bucks for the chiltons repair manual is thear one online i can get for free?

thefonz

None online that I know of. I haven't yet needed one for a core, but you will definately save much more than 30 bucks doing it yourself and it may come in handy for other things as well.

jglen490

Autozone has some very rudimentary info about heater cores on Tempo/Topaz. Hopefully, the heater core ittself is still intact and is not damaged. One thing you might want to check is if the hoses in the engine compartment leading to the core (through the firewall) might have been plugged/cut off. If so, then it might just be a matter of locating and replacing with new hoses -- and hoses/clamps are not expensive.

If that works, then the rest is just making sure the water circulates back to the heater core and any air bubbles get pumped out.

Beyond that, if the heater core actually needs to be replaced, it is a big deal involving removing the dash board, so buying a Chilton's or Haynes manual (or both!) will really help you figure out the surgery.

__________________
I feel more like I do now than I did when I got here.