How to Remove the Heater Core on a 2007 Silverado

Remove the heater core from your Chevy Silverado truck if it needs replacing. The core acts like a small radiator that the engine coolant passes through. Removing the heater core from a 2007 Silverado requires several steps from within both the engine compartment and the passenger compartment to remove the heating/air conditioning unit from the truck and access the core.

Instructions

Drive the vehicle back to the dealer's service department or another shop with a licensed air conditioning technician. Only this type of person can discharge the refrigerant from the air conditioning system.

Disconnect the lower radiator hose from the radiator -- its hose clamp may require pliers -- and drain the engine coolant into a large container. Move the container to the engine block drain plugs and remove the plugs to drain the remaining coolant.

Loosen the nuts for the air conditioning lines where they connect to the evaporator core at the firewall using your wrench. Disconnect the lines and plug them.

Disconnect the heater core tubes from the pipes on the firewall -- this requires a special disconnect tool -- and plug the fittings.

Disconnect the battery, disconnecting the negative cable first followed by the positive one. Remove the bolts for the battery support bracket with your wrench, unbolt and remove the hold-down clamp and remove the battery.

Disconnect the refrigerant lines and the AC pressure switch's electrical connector from the air conditioning accumulator. Remove the nut for the accumulator's bracket and remove the accumulator.

Remove all of the instrument panel's trim panels, removing their screws with a screwdriver and prying them off with a trim stick where needed. This includes the center console, knee bolster, door sill trim and kick panels, front pillar trim and top trim panel.

Remove the air bag from the steering wheel, insering small rods into the two holes on the sides of the wheels, lifting the module off the wheel and disconnecting the electrical connector.

Unplug the clockspring's electrical connector on the steering column and then remove the steering wheel's retaining nut with a wrench. Mark the wheel's position to the steering shaft with a marker and pull the wheel off the shaft.

Unscrew and remove the steering column covers. Mark the steering shaft's relationship to the intermediate shaft, remove the fasteners connecting the two shafts and remove the steering shaft.

Disconnect all electrical connectors at both ends of the instrument panel.

Remove the instrument panel mounting bolts at the upper end, left side and right side. Pivot the instrument panel away from the firewall with an assistant's help.

Disconnect the small, L-shaped drain tube from the firewall.

Remove the mounting fasteners for the heating/air conditioning unit at the engine compartment's side of the firewall, then disconnect the electrical connectors and ground straps on the passenger side. Remove the heating/air conditioning unit.

Remove the heater core cover from the top rear end of the unit and slide the heater core out of its housing.