Front No. 1 Pipe Assembly Removal and Installation
Service Procedure - Front No. 1 Pipe Assembly Removal1. Once the engine has cooled sufficiently, remove the radiator cap.
Raise vehicle on lift. Cut the two flexible coolant hoses between the front coolant pipes and center coolant pipes as shown in the photo, and allow coolant to drain into a large container.
NOTICE:
A large amount of coolant will drain from these two hoses.
2. Remove the catalytic converter as shown.
3. Remove the splash shield from the sub-frame on the RH passenger side.
4. Remove the bolt holding the power steering lines on the RH passenger's side.
5. Detach the O2 sensor connector from the coolant pipes, then remove the (one) nut and (two) bolts that attach the coolant pipes to the body.
6. Lower the vehicle leaving the drain pan in place to catch any additional coolant.
Remove the air filter assembly and intake hose to the throttle to access the area where the two heater hoses attach to the engine.
The hose connections are below the thermostat / ECT area.
Cut the two hoses just removed off of the original coolant pipe assembly as close to the coolant pipe connections as possible.
NOTICE:
This will aid in removing the coolant pipe assembly in the following steps.
8. Cut the coolant hoses off of the heater connections as close to the heater core as possible.
Remove the clamps and remaining pieces of hoses from the heater core assembly.
CAUTION:
Take extreme care not to damage the heater core or its connections!
9. Raise the vehicle on the lift.
Loosen, but DO NOT remove completely, the two FRONT subframe nuts.
Remove both rear sub-frame nuts and carefully pry the sub-frame down about 1 inch on the driver side, and about 1-1/2 inches on the passenger side.
NOTICE:
Do NOT pry the driver side down further then recommended, as the steering rack is still attached, and may be damaged!
It may be necessary to hold the sub-frame down on the RIGHT passenger side while removing the coolant pipe assembly. To accomplish this, you can place a shallow socket that is 1-1/2 inch in height between the body and sub-frame assembly on the RH side, or some similar 1-1/2 inch thick material.
10. Carefully remove the front coolant pipe assembly, noting its original positioning and routing for reference during reinstallation of the new part.
Service Procedure - Front No. 1 Pipe Assembly Installation
1. In preparation to installing the front coolant pipe assembly, turn both clamps for the heater hose connections 90° (1/4 turn) outward as shown in the photo. Do NOT remove any hoses.
NOTICE:
This will allow the pipe to be positioned with greater ease.
Install the front coolant pipe assembly. Start by inserting the hoses that connect to the engine first, and carefully work the remaining assembly up into place.
2. After the front coolant pipe assembly has been completely positioned, loosely reinstall the assembly to the body. Reattach all hose connections, and then fully tighten the coolant pipe assembly to the body.
NOTICE:
Important check the clearance between the coolant pipes and hose connections, making certain that there is no contact between any other component, line / hose or electrical harness!
3. Install all remaining components in the reverse order of removal. If no additional coolant pipe assemblies will be replaced, proceed here with step 4. Otherwise, stop here and proceed with additional coolant pipe assembly replacement procedures.
4. Refill the system with coolant, referring to the table above for correct coolant mixture.
NOTICE:
After filling the system, the rear heater core /pipe assemblies can easily be bled off air by temporally clamping off either FRONT heater core connection while raising the engine speed to approximately 2500 RPM for about one minute.
5. Carefully check for any coolant leaks, and that both the front and rear heater's operate correctly.