2002 Chevy Silverado Anti-Freeze Smell in the Cabin

Tiny
HEADSAVAGE
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 CHEVROLET SILVERADO
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 100,000 MILES
I have anti-freeze smell and mist in the cabin. The heater core is obviously leaking or something related? I'm mechanical with the old school cars and trucks and have built a few in my day. My question is how hard is it to replace the core in these new trucks? Is there a good site that can guide me through the process, should I purhcase a Chevrolet Repair Manual prior to this venture or should I take it in to have the dealer take care of it? It's no longer
under warranty so this is why I'm considering doing it myself. I can't believe the core is even having a problem.

Thanks
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Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 AT 12:06 PM

5 Replies

Tiny
DENNYP
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,823 POSTS
You will need a manual to do this repair. Below is a link where you can purchase an online manual.
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Wednesday, March 26th, 2008 AT 4:14 PM
Tiny
HEADSAVAGE
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  • 2 POSTS
I purchased the on-line manual. The instructions say
to remove the HVAC module. I don't have the means to recover the refrigerant or to evacuate and recharge the system. I was hoping GM had a slick way of just removing the heater core but that doesn't seem to be the case. Unless there is an
alternative way I'll have to take it in to get this done
and eat the dough I spent on the on-line manual.
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Wednesday, March 26th, 2008 AT 8:36 PM
Tiny
DENNYP
  • MECHANIC
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You can take it to a shop to have the refrigerant recovered, then charge it yourself when the repair is completed.
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Thursday, March 27th, 2008 AT 8:55 AM
Tiny
HEADSAVAGE
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
I appreciate your responses but can you give me more of an idea of what's involved? Buying a manual and taking it down to a shop to have the a/c recovered is one thing. I called the dealer and they said the entire dash needs to be removed? I also just had the coolant flushed a few months ago. Could this have stirred something? The dealer said no of course. They want meag bucks to do the job!
I've had the truck well maintained over the years and I'm bummed the heater core's gone bad and it's looking like a huge job to replace it. I've had to replace them in various vehicles but man they were probably 20+ years old. OK, had to blow for a few lines.
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Thursday, March 27th, 2008 AT 11:21 PM
Tiny
DENNYP
  • MECHANIC
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Yes, the dash does have to come out. It takes about 6 or 7 hours total to do this job. You won't need a lot of tools, but you will need someone to help remove the dash assembly.
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Friday, March 28th, 2008 AT 7:16 AM

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