1987 SE 4cyl - has AC

I need to replace a couple of hoses that attach to the heater core, and here are the heater hoses listed in the Fiero Store catalog:

Part #58351 - 84-88 4 cyl & V6 Heater Hose (w/o AC - Heater to Pipe #2)
Part #57690 - 84-88 4 cyl & V6 Heater Hose (w/o AC - Heater to Pipe)

Part #61515 - 85-87 V6 FT Inlet Heater Hose (w/AC - smaller diameter)
Part #61517 - 85-87 V6 FT Outlet Heater Hose (w/AC - larger diameter)

I believe I should order Part Nos. 58351, 57690, but what's throwing me off is the "w/o AC" in the listings. My 87 4cyl has AC...

How difficult is it to replace these hoses?

Thanks, Kelvin

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88 GT T-Top 5-spd #338 of 1252
87 SE 4-cyl 5-spd sunroof, spoiler, performance sound
85 2M4 base coupe T-Top 5-spd, rackless decklid, 15-in 88 GT rims, aero-conversion

The w/AC hoses have one larger than the other.. wo/AC hoses are both the same diameter just go to the parts store and have them pull both sets and take them out to the parking lot to check them.
Changing the hoses is much easier than having to change out the heater core...lol

Both heater cores (air and non-air) have 5 /8 inlet and 3 /4 outlet however the length of the heater core tubes are different, air having the longer tubes on the heater core.
There was only two heater cores (air and non-air) used in the Fiero line and they were universal in the sense that you could use the air core in BOTH the V-6 and L4. You can use the non-air core in both the V-6 and the L4

It surprises me that the Fiero Store doesn’t have the Part #61515 - 85-87 V6 FT Inlet Heater Hose (w/AC - smaller diameter) ALSO listed for the L4 duke, same with the other hose listed.

Having owned several of these Fiero’s, I’m 99% sure that the correct hoses for your L4 Duke with air will be the V-6 with air hoses that are listed on the Fiero site, however it would be nice for someone else to chime in here for you to confirm that.

Whenever you get this straightened out, here is the link to JazzMan’s heater core replacement thread in case you may be interested.

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/043997.html

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jetman
Silver 86 SE 2M6 4-speed, with "check wallet light"
Now fortified with 8 essential slices of bacon goodness

quote Originally posted by jetman: Both heater cores (air and non-air) have 5 /8 inlet and 3 /4 outlet however the length of the heater core tubes are different, air having the longer tubes on the heater core. There was only two heater cores (air and non-air) used in the Fiero line and they were universal in the sense that you could use the air core in BOTH the V-6 and L4. You can use the non-air core in both the V-6 and the L4

I'm sorry to say..but you are wrong.. I have a non AC heater core in my garage that I was going to put in my AC car..and both hose nipples are the same size.

and it was removed from a L4 wo/AC car

With all due respect, it could have been a previous owner making a *modification* that is causing a discrepency in the information. Rock Auto dot com is listing two different sizes on the heater core tubes across several years, also note the part numbers and descriptions on the chart for the 88 L4



Its all semantics though, doesn't solve KV's situation.

While digging through my old reciepts, my notes show the specific hose is hard to find, a substitution with a pre-bent hose is a viable solution to the problem

Here is a chart for refeerence.



I would still like to know if the V-6 hoses would fit the L4, anyone?

I'll have a look in the P Book this afternoon to see if I can't shed some more light on this. Stay tuned.

Thanks for the responses all, and Jetman thanks for the link... I'll wait and see what other info pops up in this thread.

I was going to have a local auto repair shop - Wheel Works - replace the hoses, but they mentioned that the hoses were discontinued, and that it would probably be a job I could do myself once I found the right hoses.

Best, KV

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88 GT T-Top 5-spd #338 of 1252
87 SE 4-cyl 5-spd sunroof, spoiler, performance sound
85 2M4 base coupe T-Top 5-spd, rackless decklid, 15-in 88 GT rims, aero-conversion

Well, I checked the P Book but I'm afraid it isn't going to help much. Often there's additional information on parts like OD's and ID's of tubes, bolts etc. Not this time. I'll post what I found, but I'm not certain this will help anyone. It seems the only commonality between hoses is from '84-'86, the rest are year and configuration specific. Note also that the book doesn't state whether the '84-'86 hoses are for cars with or without A/C so it's possible that the same hoses are used regardless of configuration in those years:

'84-'86
heater inlet hose 10021319
heater outlet hose: 10021320

'87 no A/C
heater inlet hose 14101514
heater outlet hose: 14101516

'87 with A/C
heater inlet hose 14101515
heater outlet hose: 14101517

'88 no A/C
heater inlet hose 10069155
heater outlet hose: 10069157

'88 with A/C
heater inlet hose 10069156
heater outlet hose: 10069158

After popping the hood and visually comparing the existing heater hoses to the hoses shown in the diagram of the Fiero Store brochure, I ended up purchasing the following two heater hoses (for about $17 each):

Part #61515 - 85-87 V6 FT Inlet Heater Hose (w/AC - smaller diameter)
Part #61517 - 85-87 V6 FT Outlet Heater Hose (w/AC - larger diameter)

Though the hoses are listed as being for V6 Fieros, they work perfectly with the 87 Iron Duke w/AC (as indicated by jetman above)... The job took me about 4-5 hours - leisurely working.

Items needed: 7mm, 10mm, 13mm wrenches, sharp blade, screwdriver, pliers, 2 zip-ties, jack stands, 2-ton jack, bucket.

To access the heater hoses, you need to remove the spare tire tray:
1. disconnect negative battery terminal
2. remove Fiero jack, tire iron, spare tire, and rod that holds down spare tire
3. using 10mm wrench, remove bracket that holds the Fiero Jack
4. remove windshield wiper cleaner reservoir, two 10mm bolts (disconnect terminal and inlet tube)
5. using 7mm wrench, disconnect left and right side vent hoses that vent air to passenger compartment (1 screw per vent hose)
6. remove four 7mm screws at front of spare tire tray, and use screwdriver and pliers to remove about 6 or 7 plastic tabs that fasten spare tire tray to front subframe (there is one plastic tab that is hidden behind passenger side vent hose)
7. block rear tires, and place front of Fiero on jack stands using 2-ton jack
8. underneath Fiero, disconnect brake line from underneath spare tire tray - I couldn't see a way to salvage the two factory plastic tabs that attach the brake line to the spare tire tray, so I just broke them
9. from above, slide/wiggle/ease spare tire tray from front compartment
10. there is a rubber/foam clip that holdd the two heater hoses in place, just lift up on front 1/2 of clip to open the clip
11. underneath Fiero, use screwdriver to release clips on heater hoses
12. use sharp blade to slice heater hose along it's length (aids in removal of heater hose from pipe)
13. place bucket underneath heater hose, and from above, remove heater hoses from pipes underneath - after removing hoses, I immediately placed the new hoses on the pipes to minimize fluid loss
14. from above, disconnect old heater hoses (and slice hoses as needed to aid in removal)
15. attach other end of heater hoses to heater core
16. perform reverse of steps 1-9 (use zip-ties to attach brake line to underneath spare tire tray) (also, add air to spare tire - I inflated mine from 15psi to 60psi)
17. sit back and realize that you have completed a task that you almost considered paying a shop to perform
18. drive to Jiffy Lube - have oil change service and coolant flush service performed, and have Jiffy Lube dispose of coolant caught by bucket

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88 GT T-Top 5-spd #338 of 1252
87 SE 4-cyl 5-spd sunroof, spoiler, performance sound
85 2M4 base coupe T-Top 5-spd, rackless decklid, 15-in 88 GT rims, aero-conversion

[This message has been edited by Kelvin Vivian (edited 02-27-2010).]

Excellent news Kelvin and a great write up too.

Since those hoses are a perfect fit, perhaps we can clue the Fiero Store so they can update their site, you know, save someone else the headache in trying to "figure" all this out again.

Edit, I gave the good folks at the Fiero Store a heads up about this discussion.

[This message has been edited by jetman (edited 02-28-2010).]