I did it on my old Rabbit Diesel. It took about 1-2 hrs. The heater core itself just slides out of the driver's side of the box. There's a plastic cover that just clips over it. But you will need to unbolt the whole box from the top (2 screws:Phillips I believe) under the rain tray.
Once it's unbolted, just swing it out (you might want to undo the hoses under the hood 1st, or try the ends at the heater box). Once you swing it out, just undo the rad hose clamps, and slid the heater core out. Unfortunately, the car's pedal pack is in the way, otherwise, you could just slide it out.
Originally, the heater core had some foam padding around it (you'll see the remnants on the old core). I'm not sure if new ones have the padding, but it's a good idea to put some new padding on it to keep the rattling down. You can buy some at your local hardware store in rolls (like they use to winterize old houses).
BE CAREFUL when you drop the box down. There is a flap on the bottom that is prone to breakage. Make sure the flap is closed before you drop the heater box.
Anyway, it' not a hard job, and it's a WHOLE lot easier than doing it on an AC car: in which case you have to completely remove the box, split it, put the core, recaulk, reassemble, etc.
Good luck
Topic: Heater core replacement MK1 (no ac) Easy or Hard?? (Read 8778 times)
