My story here is short: I was working on the air distribution drum that was sticking and luckaly I popped the heater core coupler off. What I saw was a beginning of a nightmare if it wasn't dealt with now, when the whole center console was taken out. One of the couplers on the heater core was leaking antifreeze into the box...not only could this mean stained carpet, next winter I could be breathing antifreeze funmes...so I decided to fix it before I messed with the drum even more.

Supplies: new o-rings (go to a parts store with the coupler and find one that fits into the bottom part of the coupler), new heater core couplers just in case...eeuroparts has them, they're these little plastic clips.

1). Block both heater hoses under the hood with wisegrips
2). get some towels handy
3). undo the 4 screws that hold the connector in place
4). watch the antifreeze fill the box, use the towels to get it out of there making sure not to spill any on your precious carpet.
5) carefully pry the old plasticcoupler off andtwist theconnector off the pipe and than get some more antifreeze out of the box.
6) go home and wash the old, falling apart o-ring out of the connector...yes I said wash it out.
7) put the new O-ring in there...I also used some gasket maker under it and than some more on the new coupler.
8) Put the connector on the pipe, clip the new coupler on and put in the 4 screws.

You're done. Don't forget to add more antifreeze and possible bleed the cooling system.

 

oh and do BOTH of them at the same time...and if you use RTV silicone other sealant make sure it is odorless.

 

Pic of the leaking heater core coupler.



The remedy