Preparation

• Have the air conditioning system discharged before working on the system. This should only be performed by a dealership service department or other facility licensed to work on automotive air conditioners. Make sure the car's front wheels are pointing straight ahead when parked. Because you'll be working with electrical connectors, you should also disconnect the battery's negative cable.
  
  

Removing the Instrument Panel

• Remove the center console, then lower the steering column and pull it out as far as it will go. Remove the screws to the instrument cluster, pull it out of the panel and unplug the electrical connectors.
  
  Turn the steering wheel 90 degrees so you can reach the hole in the wheel's backside. Insert a screwdriver in the hole to release the clip, then turn the wheel 180 degrees in the other direction to disable the other clip and remove the wheel.
  Remove the steering column covers, then the dashboard trim panels, fusebox mounting screws, audio components, heater control unit from the center dash carrier, mounting screws for the dash carrier and glove box. Disconnect the passenger's air bag by unplugging its electrical connector. Remove all of the fasteners to the instrument panel and have an assistant help you lift the panel up and away from the firewall. Tag and disconnect any other electrical connectors behind the panel before you carry it out of the car.
  
  

Removal

• Once you remove the cross beam mounting bolts, rotate the cross beam upward without removing it and secure it with a wire. You can now remove the lower air duct by detaching the cross beam support brackets. Remove the upper air duct by removing its retaining screws; once it is lifted off, you can remove the middle duct. Disconnect all electrical connectors from the heater and air conditioning unit and position them somewhere safe, then disconnect the electrical connector from the blower motor.
  
  Disconnect and remove the air intake duct, the engine cover and the cowl cover. Disconnect the core's inlet and outlet heater hoses at the engine side of the firewall by loosening their clamps, then plug the open fittings with rubber.
  Remove the air conditioning lines from the firewall's evaporator core fittings, then remove the mounting nuts with a ratchet wrench at the passenger's and driver's sides of the firewall; you can now lift the heater/AC unit out of the car and onto a workbench. Remove the heater core's retaining screws and remove the core from the unit.