XC Dash & Heater

Dash & Heater Matrix R&R

The engine bay heater hoses had been disconnected and bypassed, so it was certain that the heater core was leaking and would need renewing.

This is no small job on the XC, because the whole dash has to come out.  The main frame is in one piece, and this giant chunk of intricately moulded plastic has many easily broken tabs & mounting points.

Removal & Disassembly

I was actually quite glad of the Factory Workshop Manual here, because it is sometimes difficult to make out what needs to be removed or unfastened to remove the dash.  It is not exactly concise, and sometime inaccurate, but helpful all the same for this daunting job.

First job was to remove the poorly placed multi-CD changer, which takes up half the passenger footwell (what the hell is the boot for?)

Next - out with the instrument panel (the speedo cable is a bitch) and the glovebox.













Metres of excess wiring behind the radio installation.

Lots of studs & nuts hold the dash-pad in place, but they are reasonably easy to get to.

Steering column must be dropped for clearance.  There are wedges packing the column on the studs - keep note of where they go.












The dash assembly is a huge piece of plastic & metal.  Much care is needed to be sure mounting points, tabs, fittings, etc are not damaged on removal.

Once you get to this point, it is an easy matter to unbolt the heater unit from the bulkhead (from in the engine bay), and remove the ducting for floor vents, screen demist, etc.

Heater unit on the bench.  It has a plastic casing with a sheetmetal backing and is clipped together around the edge.

 Once separated, the horrors within are revealed.  There must have been some sort of drink spilled down the demist ducts because it was a sticky mess inside.  All the sponge seals had disintegrated and there was a lot of smelly dust & muck throughout.  Still, the case itself was in good shape and all flaps, etc. working properly.  Heater matrix was corroded and leaking as suspected.

Refurbishment of the Heater, Vents, Ducting, etc.

 All the soft sponge used for sealing vents & ducts was perished.  I scraped it all out and used a good quality foam tape to replace it.

The LH demister duct back in place with a new seal.

I cut a thick piece of Armaflex rubber insulation to replace the perished foam on the main heater/ventilation inlet (left photo).

This is how it looks in place (below).

Also new foam for the side vent ducts.  Man - this is going to be one well heated & ventilated car!













A little tip here: pull out BOTH front seats before you start.  I left them in at first - so much easier when they are out of the bloody way.

All the insulation and sound deadening on the bulkhead and plenum is in good shape - a pleasant surprise because this can often be damaged when the windscreen leaks.

Reassembly & Replacement

This is an excellent time to tidy up wiring, clean crap out of the heater case & ducts and repair any damage.  Careful reassembly really pays off here because those little squeaks & rattles from behind the dash can be truly maddening in an otherwise quiet car.



There were a few cracks in the plastic frame of the dash.  I used some strips of aluminium and steel sheet to reinforce these areas.






Also a lot of missing screws and some broken mounting points.