[DuaJudges]

Hoping you can give me some advice. I have a 1970 Judge. I drove the car last night and looked down at the floormats (passenger side). I believe it is the heater box that "hangs" beneath the glove box. On the box, there is a "stem" that looks kind of like a tire/air stem. The stem was dripping and moisture (kind of an oily substance) had collected on the floor mat. Additionally, there were two small streaks of moisture on the inside of the firewall, on the tar paper above the carpeting.

Any ideas what this is, where it is coming from, why it is happening? The car is all original, I don't know if I had the heat on while driving it. I do not think it is water or condensation because I checked it this morning and the residue left on the floor mat is shiny.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Troy

[1969 Ram Air]

Troy - it sounds like your heater core is leaking. Remove the heater box and take look at it.

[DuaJudges]

Thanks, that is what I was thinking. Does that mean a gasket or seal has gone bad or that somehow the core has been perforated? There is no rust anywhere at all. How do you access the core?

Thanks again, much appreciated.

[Chris Roach]

Corrosion take its toll on the heater core over the years. Off the top of my head, I can't recall if its accessable from under the dash or not. If not, the front fender will have to come off!

[steve v]

Troy,
If your car doesn't have factory ac the heater core r & r is an easy job as far as heater core replacements go.

***It does not require the fender to be removed! ***

The inner heater box has studs on it that go thru the firewall & once the nuts, heater hoses, electrical connections & control cables are disconnected, the inner box should drop down exposing the core.

Factory ac cars are a little tougher but basically the same idea is involved.

[Chris Roach]

Steve,
I wasn't sure if the inner heater box was removable from inside the car! Thanks for the clarification!

[DuaJudges]

Steve:

Thanks, no A/C on my car so I am hopeful that the work goes smoothly. I'll give it a try.

Troy

[steve v]

Troy,
If you remove the glovebox liner you'll get a good look at the heater box.

I took a pic of the heater from my 70 & you can see the 5 studs on the inner box that go thru the firewall. The nuts are the stamped sheetmetal type and may be covered with undercoating/sealer. You shouldn't have to remove the blower housing in the engine compartment. Disconnect the selector cables first & there's less chance of them being damaged with the weight of the heater box hanging from them. Compare the new core to make sure the tubes are pointed correctly, some of the cheaper replacements may not fit as good as the oem part. Lay a big towel on the pass side floor as your sure to spill a little antifreeze when you roll the box out from under the dash.

Take your time & all should go easy for you!

[DuaJudges]

Steve:

Thanks a ton! Pictures are worth a 1000 words and you definately helped me understand the process. Very little has ever been replaced on my Judge and I am hoping to either repair the leak or find NOS. Again, I really appreciate your assistance.

Troy

[1969 Ram Air]

Tell us about the original Judge. I wouldn't worry about an NOS heater core. Nobody will ever see it. Just pay for a good one.

[DuaJudges]

My Judge is the Baja Gold, 4 speed, 3.90 Safe T Track, RAIII, console, am/fm, etc, origin paint/int. that I have posted here before. It will be in Pontiac Enthusiast in the next few months.