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Air Heater Leaking Water...Please help!!!!!!


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Hey guys! I have an 04 Malibu WakeSetter VLX. It has been a great boat and no problems what so ever.

But just this weekend for July 4th I noticed my feet getting really hot and the floor wet. It looks like there is a leak on the driver's side coming from the air heater. There was also a little water spraying out of the heater vent when I turned it on.

Anyone know how these work or what to look for? I am pretty mechanical but don't know where to start or what the heat exchanger looks like. There is also a subwoofer in the way so I can't peek my head under the dash/floor panel to look.

Please help. I don't want a costly dealer repair.

Thanks

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Hey guys! I have an 04 Malibu WakeSetter VLX. It has been a great boat and no problems what so ever.

But just this weekend for July 4th I noticed my feet getting really hot and the floor wet. It looks like there is a leak on the driver's side coming from the air heater. There was also a little water spraying out of the heater vent when I turned it on.

Anyone know how these work or what to look for? I am pretty mechanical but don't know where to start or what the heat exchanger looks like. There is also a subwoofer in the way so I can't peek my head under the dash/floor panel to look.

Please help. I don't want a costly dealer repair.

Thanks

Look at these recent threads. It's a fairly common occurence in the older model (2006 and older) heater cores made by HeaterCraft (which is what yours is).

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index....;hl=heatercraft

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index....;hl=heatercraft

As you can see, this is something you can do yourself for not much money. In fact, HeaterCraft may very well replace your leaking heater core on warranty and it might not cost you any money. If not, you might be able to buy a new core for about $25 from NAPA, if you can find the right one. If I were you, I'd start by giving HeaterCraft a call ( http://www.heatercraft.com/ ). Replacing the core isn't hard, just kind of a PITA. It's the grey box with two 5/8 inch hoses going into it that sits behind your driver's kick panel. If your boat is anything like mine, you'll have to remove that kick panel to get to the core. Remove the hoses, remove the heater tubes, unplug it, unscrew it, remove the blower motor, reattach the blower motor to the new grey box, reinstall, take some Advil. it's about a 3-beer project.

Edited by Big Mac
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Hey guys! I have an 04 Malibu WakeSetter VLX. It has been a great boat and no problems what so ever.

But just this weekend for July 4th I noticed my feet getting really hot and the floor wet. It looks like there is a leak on the driver's side coming from the air heater. There was also a little water spraying out of the heater vent when I turned it on.

Anyone know how these work or what to look for? I am pretty mechanical but don't know where to start or what the heat exchanger looks like. There is also a subwoofer in the way so I can't peek my head under the dash/floor panel to look.

Please help. I don't want a costly dealer repair.

Thanks

i had this happen as well a quick fix would be just to bypass it with some hose clamps and a barb fitting to get through the summer then replace the heater core it takes about 20 minutes to fix . the heater looks like a radiator and works like one as well.

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You guys are AWESOME. Thanks so much for the help. I am reading all the other post and I just e-mailed the company. I will let you know how the issue is resolved.

It will be a pain in the arse to remove the subwoofer and floor panels but I am sure the boat shop will charge me at least $400 to replace something like this. I hope I can get it done myself.

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MIne did the same thing. I spoke with Heatercraft and according to them there was no problems with '04 cores, just a supply problem with vendors.

I chose not to deal with them or their suspect products again. I had my radiator shop recor mine with a quality unit.

And by the way, Heatercraft recommends pouring anti-freeze on the lines not just blowing them out with compressed air.

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  • 13 years later...
On 7/5/2007 at 8:36 PM, Big Mac said:

Look at these recent threads. It's a fairly common occurence in the older model (2006 and older) heater cores made by HeaterCraft (which is what yours is).

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index....;hl=heatercraft

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index....;hl=heatercraft

As you can see, this is something you can do yourself for not much money. In fact, HeaterCraft may very well replace your leaking heater core on warranty and it might not cost you any money. If not, you might be able to buy a new core for about $25 from NAPA, if you can find the right one. If I were you, I'd start by giving HeaterCraft a call ( http://www.heatercraft.com/ ). Replacing the core isn't hard, just kind of a PITA. It's the grey box with two 5/8 inch hoses going into it that sits behind your driver's kick panel. If your boat is anything like mine, you'll have to remove that kick panel to get to the core. Remove the hoses, remove the heater tubes, unplug it, unscrew it, remove the blower motor, reattach the blower motor to the new grey box, reinstall, take some Advil. it's about a 3-beer project.

Awesome post! Mine is doing the same and I’m just gonna connect the two hoses in the short term as I have a lot of water coming out of mine

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The new replacement cores do not usually match up with the original metal cases.  I usually cut holes in the case to match the new heater core hose connections and then cover the original holes with duct tape to prevent excessive hot air loss.

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If you have an old Heatercraft 300-H 3-vent heater that looks like this, I have a new-in-box core I am selling for less than what I paid (I accidentally ordered two). It fits the old box perfectly, but there is an aluminum plate the fits tightly around the inlet/outlet tubes that needs about 1/8" trimmed off with tin snips (takes about 10-15 seconds). The core is actually made by Maradyne, which still makes heaters using the old Heatercraft design. It is an updated design using copper tubing throughout. Price = $85, shipping included to lower 48.

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