Notn2bars Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 We just finished the residential fridge project. Mark that off the list and go to the next item. Our heater core started leaking profusely the last time we were using the dash heat. In addition our dash A/C quit working the last time we used it. We will tackle both of these at the same time. Hopefully that will work to our favor. When I rebuilt the dash and had the windshield replaced about 2 years ago, the dash was made so it is relatively easy to take apart. About a 15 minute job. Here are a couple of pics. Notice, there are a couple of o-rings sitting on top of the box, which I assume holds the evaporator. No telling how long they have been there. A couple of questions for the folks on this forum who have much more experience with MH's and are smarter than I. Am I correct in assuming the evaporator is in this box? Is it possible to remove the evaporator and heater core from the inside of the MH or must the heater core be removed from the opposite side of the firewall? Does anyone have a source for parts for this unit? We are looking forward to any and all suggestions. God Bless, Ed & Sylvia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ray Davis Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 Hi ED, if your Dynasty is like my Windsor and I think it is, then no, the evaporator and heater coils are only accessed from the outside. With the gen extended the box they are in is more or less behind the pass-side headlight. It's a mean job, no way to get comfortable while reaching in blindly all the way around to the far side with your left hand. With that said a young fellow like yourself should have no trouble at all, hee - hee. 😇 My PO had the A/C worked on repeatedly for a leak. I found it to be the evaporator coil leaking, and suspect they recharged it and said no leak was found, they didn't want to attempt removing the box. Anyway, I got the cover off and managed to pull both coils out enough to work on, they are attached together. I could see a pinhole in a silver soldered joint. I soldered up the tiny hole without disconnecting the lines, I know that's not proper but it was all I could do at the time. That was several yrs ago and it still leaks very slightly but not there. Virtually all RVs with any age leak some freon, I add approx a can a yr, and that peps it up for another yr. I googled Specific Climate Systems and this is who they appear to be now. https://www.comfortairgr.com/product-category/scs-victory-climate-systems/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notn2bars Posted June 19, 2023 Author Share Posted June 19, 2023 Hi Ray, Thanks for looking in. Took another look at what has to be done and figured out what you indicated. The heater coil and the evaporator can only be accessed from the generator bay. "Young fella like myself"!!!!!!!!!!! LMAO, ROTF. Thanks for the link. Since I have the dash apart, I'm thinking it would be faster and easier if I cut an opening in the underdash just above the heater/evaporator box for access. Will be easier to replace also. God Bless, Ed& Sylvia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ray Davis Posted June 19, 2023 Share Posted June 19, 2023 9 hours ago, Notn2bars said: Since I have the dash apart, I'm thinking it would be faster and easier if I cut an opening in the underdash just above the heater/evaporator box for access. I'm trying to remember from several yrs ago. So here's what I recall about how the system in that area fits together. The 2 coils ( evaporator & heater ) are mounted onto a square metal plate. That assy is bolted to the firewall and is covered by a plastic shell, that shell is what you see from the outside—screws around its perimeter hold on the plastic cover. I may have overstated a little bit about the degree of difficulty, so let me restate that as I recall if you can disassemble the dash, you can remove the outside box too. As to cutting a hole in the firewall large enough to pull the unit inside, I believe almost anything is possible. I probably wouldn't attempt it but I have experience the other way. However, it will be very interesting to see how it goes. BTW I would replace the fan motor while it's all apart. Good luck and pictures, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notn2bars Posted June 19, 2023 Author Share Posted June 19, 2023 Hi Ray, thanks for looking in. See 1st pic. Neither of the cores are accessible from the inside of the firewall. The firewall is solid. When the box is pulled back from the firewall, it's pretty obvious no access. In order to access the screws, I decided to cut through the plywood on top of the firewall. See 2nd pic. Used an oscillating tool to do the cut. Probably one of the most versatile tools we own. The 3rd pic shows easy access to the core assembly on the outside of the firewall. The 4th pic is showing how easy the removal of the screws has become. While undoing the electrical connections on the outside, the wires on the expansion valve looked as if they were connected. See pic 5. Lo and behold the top spade connection was not connected. See pic 6. Dumb luck is better than no luck. Hooked the wires up and tested the a/c. Bingo, dash a/c working great again. We would like to repair the heater core. However, don't want to undo the a/c lines to pull out the heater core. Going to attempt removal of the heater core without messing up the a/c. The Good Lord blessed us on the a/c. Will keep posting as project continues. God Bless, Ed & Sylvia 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ray Davis Posted June 19, 2023 Share Posted June 19, 2023 (edited) Thanks for the pictures, Ed. It's true they're worth a thousand words. I should have known you would find a way to work in air conditioning. 🤣 In my book that makes you a very smart guy. Over here in Northeast Tex, we are having weather like you, really hot & really humid, it's a killer. I knew about the shelf that you cut thru but had never seen it from the top side. You did a neat job cutting just the right piece out for access. Do you think you can get to the heater core from on top or will you move outside next? Is that the top of the headlight below your hand in picture # 3? I believe it is, so that helps others grasp what they are looking at. I believe that the shelf you cut is somewhat structural helping hold the cap and windshield in place so you may want to consider that when reattaching the cutout. What am I thinking, giving you advice? You are way ahead of me. Keep it coming I always look for and enjoy your projects. Edited June 19, 2023 by Ray Davis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaz996 Posted June 19, 2023 Share Posted June 19, 2023 1 hour ago, Notn2bars said: Hi Ray, thanks for looking in. See 1st pic. Neither of the cores are accessible from the inside of the firewall. The firewall is solid. When the box is pulled back from the firewall, it's pretty obvious no access. In order to access the screws, I decided to cut through the plywood on top of the firewall. See 2nd pic. Used an oscillating tool to do the cut. Probably one of the most versatile tools we own. The 3rd pic shows easy access to the core assembly on the outside of the firewall. The 4th pic is showing how easy the removal of the screws has become. While undoing the electrical connections on the outside, the wires on the expansion valve looked as if they were connected. See pic 5. Lo and behold the top spade connection was not connected. See pic 6. Dumb luck is better than no luck. Hooked the wires up and tested the a/c. Bingo, dash a/c working great again. We would like to repair the heater core. However, don't want to undo the a/c lines to pull out the heater core. Going to attempt removal of the heater core without messing up the a/c. The Good Lord blessed us on the a/c. Will keep posting as project continues. God Bless, Ed & Sylvia I bought one of those same tools two years ago when you helped me figure out how to get to my blower motor in the dash. I have used it numerous times since as I agree with you. It is a very handy tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notn2bars Posted June 20, 2023 Author Share Posted June 20, 2023 Ray and Tim, thanks for looking in. You are correct, that is the headlight. Yes, will have to move outside to access the heater core. Hopefully I'll be able to remove the heater core without disconnecting the a/c lines. I completely rebuilt the dash when it was apart 2 years ago. Even with the cut out removed the dash is more structurally sound than before. That is 3/4 inch exterior plywood with a 4 inch tall 1 inch wide apron epoxied on top and reinforced with fiberglass on the bottom. Non of which was there before. The original was made out of particleboard that was disintegrating from being wet. Tim, when you get a chance will you send me an explanation of your solar setup, what it will run and etc.? God Bless, Ed & Sylvia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ray Davis Posted June 20, 2023 Share Posted June 20, 2023 2 hours ago, timaz996 said: I bought one of those same tools two years ago when you helped me figure out how to get to my blower motor in the dash. I have used it numerous times since as I agree with you. It is a very handy tool. My kids bought me a DeWalt 20v package with oscillating, & reciprocating saws plus an angle grinder, drill, and a nut driver. I use the oscillating least of all, but when you need it nothing else will do. It will allow you to work in areas where the reciprocating saw would destroy things. Blades for it are outrageous The angle grinder is really handy and to my surprise, I use it quite a lot to cut nails, screws, bolts, and even sharpen mower blades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solution Notn2bars Posted June 20, 2023 Author Solution Share Posted June 20, 2023 Well, the saga continues. Yes it is possible to remove the heater core without disconnecting lines from the evaporator core. It's not a walk in the park, but it's not rocket science either. Not a lot of room to work, the space from the firewall to the center of the cap measures 11 inches. Probably could have been done with as little as 9 inches. The 1st pic is looking down through cut made in the dash. The hole to the fan is visible. The 2nd pic is a view looking up toward the cut in the dash. The 3rd pic is a pic of all the zip ties and cable attachments that I had to cut. Also had to detach all the hose ties that were screwed to the firewall. 4th pic is a shot of the wires and hoses after all the ties were remove. By doing this I was able to grab the core assembly and flip it over from left to right and pull it out of the generator compartment. Not a lot of room, but was possible. 5th pic show the assembly out and sitting on top of the generator. There were 4 nuts that held the assembly together. Removed the 4 nuts and pried the assembly apart with a putty knife. See 6th pic. After prying the assembly apart, you have access to the heater core and the evaporator core. See 7th pic. Nothing holds either core in place except the shape of the housing. See 8th pic. The 9th pic shows the heater core out. I rigged up a couple of hoses, one with an air fitting and one with a plug. See 10th pic. Put some air to it and it basically blew apart. Had many leaks. I'm glad this happened, as all the foam used in the installation and for vent filters has turned to dust. See Pic 11. The original foam over the vents is completely gone. Therefore will pull the fan and clean it out. Took about 3 hours this morning to get this far. Now need to find a replacement heater core. Thank the Lord we didn't have to disconnect the a/c lines. God Bless, Ed & Sylvia 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notn2bars Posted June 23, 2023 Author Share Posted June 23, 2023 After countless hours searching for a reasonable source for the heater core, I found one, Acme Air Parts. Talked to Richard and he had the core I needed was in stock. The other vendors who had the core #042-00010 in stock around $350 to $365 delivered. Acme Air Parts $225 delivered. Acme part #4560030. He lists 7 different heater cores to fit a variety of MH's. His prices are great, especially when compared to other vendors. Acme pretty much has every part you would need for your MH dash a/c and dash heat. Check them out, I think you will be pleased. Core will be here Sat. evening, will post the install after it's in. God Bless, Ed & Sylvia 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notn2bars Posted June 24, 2023 Author Share Posted June 24, 2023 Thanks to all of those who are following, have looked in or offered suggestions. Well Tim, good news is, I found a good source. Just received a delivery update from UPS. The core won't be here till next Tuesday. Guess I need a break anyway. God Bless, Ed & Sylvia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notn2bars Posted June 28, 2023 Author Share Posted June 28, 2023 The heater core came in this evening. Looks like it will work without any issues. Here are a couple of pics. The holes in the cover are larger than the tubing, so the lines although not exactly the same distance apart should fit ok. Only about 1/2 inch difference between centers. Me thinks I know what tomorrow's Honey Do is going to be. God Bless, Ed & Sylvia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notn2bars Posted July 1, 2023 Author Share Posted July 1, 2023 Pray all is well with y'all. We have finally made some progress with the installation of the heater core. Pic 1 shows the rusty plate that attaches to the housing for the A/C and heat. Used a wire brush to knock off the heavy rust and coated it with POR 15. POR 15 actually binds with the surface rust to form a coating hard as rock. Pic 2 is the plate after the rusted areas have been coated. Pic 3 shows the rusted area of the flapper coated with POR 15. Pic 4 is a pic of the housing after I installed the heater core and used spray foam to hold it in place. In addition the flapper is in place with new foam. Pic 5 and 6 are pics after trimming the foam. Pic 7 is me removing one of the plugs to the heater core. Surprisingly enough, the core was still under pressure from the factory. Pic 8 is a view of the evaporator hanging between the firewall and the front cap. Pic 9 my set up for working in the heat. Pic 10 is the both the heater core and evaporator back in the housing. Will post the results when I finish. God Bless, Ed & Sylvia 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notn2bars Posted July 6, 2023 Author Share Posted July 6, 2023 The heater core/ a/c project is almost completed. Repaired 2 of the defrost ducts. The third was toast, so we are waiting on defrost duct. Found that vacuum hose was cheaper so I'm going to used that instead. Pic 1 shows the POR 15 coating on the face of the firewall that was rusted. Pic 2 is a pic showing the bubble in place from the top before things were reattached. Pic 3 is the bubble from the bottom prior to connecting everything up. Pic 4 is all the cabling back in place, tied together and wiring all done. Pic 5 and 6 show how 2 inch pvc pipe was used to repair the torn defrost duct. Simple fix, coated the inside of the duct with silicone and slid the duct over the pvc. Pic 7 shows how the ball valves are set up.Only thing left to do is reassemble the dash. Will post the results when finished. The duct won't be here till Sat. God Bless, Ed & Sylvia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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