AC Evaporator Change: What Else Should I Do?

[Stanley]

My 97 Tbird's AC is dead and needs to be replaced. Apparently it's a labour-intensive job due to the need to get in there and pull out other stuff to get at it, and so while the mechanic is in there I was wondering what else might be worth doing while all sorts of stuff has been pulled out. The starter and alternator are new, but otherwise it's a vehicle with 195K on it and a largely unknown service history, so if there's something that's going to be getting close to end of life and is accessible while tinkering with the evaporator, then I'm interested in preempting it. Any suggestions?

 

[XR7-4.6]

The evaporator is in the heater box behind the dash so the heater core would be the most logical thing to replace while you’re there. The blend door actuator can go bad as well and will be accessible. The evaporator’s a real pain because there is no access hole for it, the procedure is actually to cut a hole in the box and make a plug when you put it back.

Sticking with AC, accumulator replacement will be a must, O rings and I’d even be a little tempted to replace the compressor and condenser while you’re there for peace of mind.

 

[Stanley]

Just the sort of list I was looking for. Thanks!

 

[Stanley]

To add to this: is there any sort of improved heater core available? I tend to prefer to upgrade bits rather than just replace if at all possible.

 

[KevinVarnes]

Nothing better than OEM in my opinion on the heater core. Shockingly the OEM part appears to still be available from Ford.