Its not a HUGE job, but it is time consuming. Problem being, once you get it out, you need to Evac / Recharge your A/C... so its difficult to do that at home. The actual process of replacing the rear core isnt bad, just the extra stuff.
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Agree with @Rocket Man. Does your rear AC work? If not, may be freon leak. Smell it, if it smells sweet, its antifreeze. But looks like condensation from the drain.
Freon is green and youd see it on the AC lines along the framerail leaking. My 07 had a leak back there and I had to replace the lines. Gigantic pain in the ass to splice the new lines in, and my core was so rotted from rust at the connections I had to replace that too. They do make a block off kit for the rear AC lines if you didnt want to fix it right now. But if memory serves right, if you dont have working rear AC, the front shouldn't be cooling either. Its all one loop.
Gotcha, so it don't necessarily have to leak inside? It could be leaking out that tube and still be the heater core? I take it, it's very costly to replace on these trucks..
In a bowl with a few white paper towels.Correct.
Yes.
The heater core itself is relatively cheap. The labor involved is what makes it expensive.
The dash board has to be removed in order to get to it and then you hope the dash doesn't crack/break during the removal and reinstallation process. If it does and you decide to replace it, there is another $600+ on top of the bill.
Definitely catch the leak in a bowl to be sure of what your dealing with.
Freon is a clear gas BTW... if it was green on your A/C lines that is a UV dye that is added into the system to detect a leak. Lots of Freon cans will have stop leak and dye both added to them, read the cans carefully.