moto773

Have been having a faint, good old coolant aroma coming out of the center vent for a few monthes now. Had been putting it off as nothing was dripping and never showed any water loss in the tank, but in a weeks time its going fast. Scoped the task and figured I could get it out maybe from the underside of dash, visited here and found the post on removal without dash removal, so here it goes. Ready to remove, but started looking for a new one and haven't seen one listed for sale at the normal spots. Is it a dealer only item these days. I seem to remember them being advertised a few places, but not now. Any recommendations greatly appreciated.

jpk

PET shows part # 944.572.130.00 for the 968 which was the same for the '88 944.

PorscheDude1

I really hate to do this, but if you had poked around for 2 minutes you would have found this without the search button.

https://rennlist.com/forums/944-turbo-and-turbo-s-forum/411040-968-951-parts-for-sale.html

I really dont want to help the seller but I will help the buyer.
GL

moto773

Its possible some others all use the same. I checked a pic and the early 944's are different in the supply and outlet line, but if the cores are identical, I may be forced to check pricing and even use the auto zone volkswagon core thats the same as a 924's(I've read earlier) and fab some piping. If its also the same overall size.

moto773

Found what I believe to be exspensive qoutes, from persons whom had done this repair, for a new core. Saw a couple of used, and not discounting that yet! I believe time has won on the need for the replacement, and any from vehicles the same age as mine are going to leak sooner than later, so wish to go new. But I did miss that thread. Thank you, if decide to go used, thats the first I'll try.

FRporscheman

Call Sunset Porsche in Oregon. They have the lowest prices of all dealers in the country, and the service is excellent as well. Heater cores are pretty much dealer-only items so the cheapest place to get a new one is from Sunset.

http://www.sunsetimports.com/
800-346-1082

My friend just had a heater core problem and I helped him replace it, and I wrote up a DIY on it.
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...iy+heater+core

Be sure to take a GOOD look at it first, though. If the leak is coming from the pipe connections, you can probably just disconnect the hoses, clean them, apply a sealant or tape, and close it up. If the leak is coming from above the connections, i.e. from the core itself, then you will indeed need to replace it.

moto773

I had looked at this thing and thought about trying to remove without the dash removal. Came here hoping for a little pre experience by other owners, and found your post. Thank you! it will save a lot of guess work and time. I was already to the point of pulling core and wasn't sure of cores actual attachment, and didn't want to start yanking on it with out a little insight. Gotta love foam, but could've been the down fall of the core if it held moisture. Its definitely the core leaking, not the supply tubes, and I should have time to get it out this weekend. I'll post my findings on what seems to have caused the leak, or at least what went. I used to love seeing copper, but not so sure in this case, aluminum block-head-radiator, a little electrolysis going on maybe?

moto773

In case anyone else has a heater core problem in 968, heres my low down. Core comes out too easy from under dash. Do not remove dash. The air vent ductwork is the hardest part and if you follow FRporscheman's DIY, you will be amazed at simplicity. Now for the core. Couldn' believe prices on cores, sorry but its $60.00 for anything standard, so for $350.00 and up which is what they want, you could have a custom one fabricated. But the problem found was the factory added a clip to hold the inlet and outlet tubes closer to the transmission tunnel and away from passenger's legs which put the tank end in a bind and over time separated the tank from the core. A little solder and tweaking of the tubes, and now the tubes no longer bind the tank end, and no leak, with about 3 hours out and in, and 50 cents worth of solder and gas, heater core fixed. So look before spending a lot of time or money.

PorscheDude1

Thanks for the update. I am sure this will help someone in the future.

FRporscheman

moto, I'm glad the DIY worked for you - I think you're the first one to use it so that's my first feedback.

And that's absolutely fantastic news! When I helped my friend do the heater core in his car, I swore we could just try soldering the leak, but he already had the new core, and he's the type to insist on "doing it right"........ so I just kept his old core in my garage. I guess I could solder it and sell it for a fortune!

car_slave

I just used this writeup to fix my 968 heater core. It had a coolant smell with no apparent leaks.
Anyhow, I used some special pinch pliers on the rubber heating tubes inside the engine bay so I didn't have to drain the whole system.
I soldered the tubes where they meet the core and I replaced the o-rings with some I had from a Harbor Freight metric o-ring set. I'm not sure which fixed the problem.
-Good writeup