Before you can take the heater core out of Dakota Models, you need to have the air conditioner system emptied by a professional and disconnect the negative battery cable. Before starting work, remove the coolant from the system and untape the heater hoses at the firewall. Block all possible leaks with plugging or tape. Take apart the EVAPORATOR and get rid of the Instrument Panel parts before you start work. Loosen the three nuts on the firewall that hold the heater/air conditioning housing, then pull off any electrical connections attached to it. First remove the heating system housing from the firewall, taking off all exterior parts and'unplugging' electrical connections before you can reach the heater core. Check all foam and rubber seals, replace those in poor condition, while carefully putting everything back together again. After putting in new foam sealing, put the heater core into the fitting unit and put all parts back together. Put them on carefully, watching out not to pinch any wire connectors. Open up the cooling system again, fire up the engine, and make sure it runs fine. Afterwards, clean out, fill up, and check for leaks in the air conditioner system. First, eliminate the air conditioning, disconnect the battery's negative terminal, take off the refrigerant line under the car, and protect the system by plugging the lines. Close off the heater hose connections, take off the right rear interior panel, and disconnect the air ducts from their housing. Break off the electrical connections at the blower motor resistor, then remove and detach the housing's mounting bolts before you pull it out. Take out the actuator for blend door control, then remove o-ring seals and screws around the heater core's and evaporator's liquid lines before you can take the core itself apart. Taking the heater core out requires reinstalling everything in the opposite direction that components were taken off. New O-rings go back in place, replacing ones taken out, while the system uses R-134a-compatible O-rings lubricated with the correct oil. End by topping off the coolant, then have the system reviewed for leakage, cleaning, and filling with new refrigerant.
