Heater door servicing

[Rwsjr]

Turns out I do have a stuck heater door under the cowl. Does anyone remember the thread that addresses removing the cowl? Cannot find it here or in the service manual. Thanks

[4uall]

Once you pop the hood you will see 6 philips head screws that secure the cowl panel. Remove those and gently slide the panel forward. Lift the rear edges and tilt it forward. Be careful with the connector wires and fluid tubes

[vandor]

It helps to have a helper. You may want to put tape on the fenders next to the cowl to reduce the chance of scratching them.

[RRoller123]

Be careful as they say about scratching the fenders it is really easy to do!

[Rwsjr]

Thanks guys. Very helpfully info.

[azruss]

I have the best results tucking a couple of terry cloth towels under each corner of the cowl when pulling it out.

[4uall]

Painters tape also works

[giuliot60]

I've had mine off a couple of times. Fairly easy to do.

On a side note. I'm getting a musty metal smell inside the car now that I'm using the heater in cooler weather. Will that just go away, or is there something else happening? The car was off the road for about 4 years. Should I spray some Fabreeze into the core unit and/or vents?

[dmwhiteoak]

It may be a dead rat. My car was set up for about 3 years in a garage and I found one behind the heater control valve while I was replacing it. Just something to look for.

[giuliot60]

There was evidence of field mice (poop everywhere) even a dead one in the spare tire compartment (PO had rat poison in the car). There was no mice in the heater core area with the cowl off. Just a couple of wasp nests.

I need to explore a little more.

[giuliot60]

It may be a dead rat. My car was set up for about 3 years in a garage and I found one behind the heater control valve while I was replacing it. Just something to look for.

You jinxed me Dennis. Guess what went on me this afternoon. I'll let you know if I see any corpses.