Rear Floor Air Outlet Ducts: Where??

[LorbeerTLC]

"Oh, Canada!..."

Chevrolet Pressroom - Canada - Sonic

:sadbanana:

Well, I certainly didn't see that one coming! Standard on ALL Canadian Sonics, not even offered as an option for the U.S. Sonics including the top-of-the-line LTZ model.

*sigh!* I wonder how much of a job it would be to take the lower heater core shell apart and swap it out for a Canadian one? The two ports for the rear air ducts are sealed on the US version. Guess I'll start looking around and find out.

My Thanks to MORTIS, laborsmith, and Mad Trapper for your help in solving this mystery. I appreciated everyone's input. This case is now closed.

 

[Palmaris]

I guess they assumed that its darn cold up here and the rear passengers needed a reprieve!

 

[MORTIS]

Sorry about that outcome LorbeerTLC, and especially unfortunate for the northern states.
It's rather ironic for me, as I never have anyone in my back seats, and I wish the vent-control knob had a position which closed those rear ports so I could get more and faster heat/AC up front.

 

[LorbeerTLC]

Sorry about that outcome LorbeerTLC, and especially unfortunate for the northern states.
It's rather ironic for me, as I never have anyone in my back seats, and I wish the vent-control knob had a position which closed those rear ports so I could get more and faster heat/AC up front.

Oh well, it is what it is, eh?

Funny how the old air cooled VW beetles had a lever to open or close the rear heater ports. I just hope I can replace the casing to the lower core without having to discharge the coolant or A/C Refrigerant. I'll check with our parts/service department. Other than that, all I need are the ducts and I'm in business!

While our weather here in Oregon's Willamette Valley is pretty temperate, I've had people in the back wanting air or heat and having that feature would sure be better than blasting the air at a high setting just to get it reach the back passengers (at the expense of the driver/front passenger).

Although this will probably do me no good, I think I'll write a letter to GM telling them my sad story *enter worlds-smallest-violin* and make the recommendation to offer this as an optional feature in the future for those who want it. :banana:

Now if I can just get GM/OnStar to offer a new line of telemetric units that would be compatible for older units so I can upgrade to one with a map without sacrificing my OnStar features, my 2012 Sonic would be perfect!

 

[SuperFudd]

It is time for a new one anyhow.

 

[LorbeerTLC]

*Update!*

Again, a BIG *HUZZAH!* to MORTIS (you Canadians are so friendly, lol! I should know as my sister is one)! His VIN helped me find out some valuable information. :banana:

The lower heater core case on the U.S. is different than the Canadian one. The U.S. version has the two air ports for the rear seats sealed while the Canadian ones are not. I would not have been able to find the different part number for the lower core case without MORTIS's VIN since his Sonic is Canadian.

So I went to my Chevy dealer and pulled up the RPO C35 listing and got all the parts that I'll need and the lower heater core case and placed them on order. The total price wasn't too bad at USD$102.93 (no sales tax in Oregon). The big kicker will be labor. Right now we don't know if the whole heater core will have to be removed in order to swap out the lower case. This could be a $300 to $500 job or higher if it means the coolant will need to be flushed along with the A/C refrigerant. Service won't know until they get into it.

I have an appointment for 8:00AM on Monday the 24th to have this work done.
I'll write back and let you know if there are any unforeseen problems or issues. Also, let me know if anyone is interested in doing this and I'll post the part numbers after this is over. Unfortunately, I don't have the tools or the resources to do the work myself and save me some $$$. Especially when if it comes to removing/flushing/recharging the coolant and A/C refrigerant. opcorn:

 

[Stew]

Definitely post up the part numbers. I don't know if I'll actually do it but just in case those would be handy to have! Thanks for researching this

 

[LorbeerTLC]

Definitely post up the part numbers. I don't know if I'll actually do it but just in case those would be handy to have! Thanks for researching this

Not a problem!
Stew, let me wait until they arrive and are installed in the car. I want to make sure these are the correct numbers and that I don't need to order additional hardware, etc.

I'll let you know after next Monday when they are installed. I'll also let you know if they had to evacuate the coolant and refrigerant to switch out the lower core casing.

 

[MORTIS]

That could potentially cost a sizable chunk to get some heat/AC to your back seat dwellers. It obviously must be worth it to you. I'll be interested to read how it works out for you.

By the way, I was actually born in SoCal but my family moved to Ontario when I was very young, so it must be all those years of Canadian influence

 

[LorbeerTLC]

Heater Core Case: To Remove or Not?

That could potentially cost a sizable chunk to get some heat/AC to your back seat dwellers. It obviously must be worth it to you. I'll be interested to read how it works out for you.

By the way, I was actually born in SoCal but my family moved to Ontario when I was very young, so it must be all those years of Canadian influence

MORTIS, I'm keeping my fingers-crossed that the heater hoses and A/C tubing will not have to be disconnected. The schematic makes it look like the lower case housing slips off of the main case without taking the actual core with it. If that holds true, then labour co$ts will greatly be reduced!

The service and parts department checked and rechecked and they're not sure as their manuals are priced for a complete core replacement at 11 hours of labour If it's just a matter of undoing some screws and slipping off the lower case and replacing it with the other one *enter: "fingers-crossed"*, I will have dodged a bullet! :banana:

On the other hand, if they have to physically take the whole case out of the car to gain access into removing the lower case... :sadbanana:
*Ka-CHING!!*

The parts department just called to inform me that all my C35 parts arrived! I'll post what happens after my appointment on Monday (24 October). opcorn:

BTW: I too was born in SoCal (Riverside). I love it here in Oregon!

 

[2014 Blue RS]

How's it going?

 

[LorbeerTLC]

How's it going?

Still in the shop. Hope to have it by the close of business tomorrow. opcorn:

 

[LorbeerTLC]

Rabbit Hole turning into a Black Hole! YIKES!!

At 11:45am Local Time today, my service advisor sent me a sobering email message explaining that this is turning out to be very extensive/expensive.

We all had hoped that it would have been possible to separate the lower heater core casing without having to physically pull the core out from the car. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen. :sadbanana:

Now it appears the dash will also have to be removed in order to gain additional access to the core.
He told me that it looks like it'll be at least late Thursday or Friday before they'll have this finished.

Looks like I'm going to be keeping this car until I die...

I'll keep you posted...

 

[RMinNJ]

Just wow...you really want those rear heater ducts.

You would think they had a little closed off openings on the hearter to connect them.. probably 1000 to take the dash apart?

 

[2014 Blue RS]

For a minute there you had me thinking of doing this. Rear A/C would be a great upgrade.

 

[LorbeerTLC]

The problem is nobody has ever done this before (at least that I'm aware of). So the service department wasn't sure how much would be involved just to swap out the bottom heater core cover and add the rear air ducting.

I had to take a gamble. It might be less than $300 or it could be more than $1,000+
Since I already spent $100 on all the parts, I decided to play, "Let's Make a Deal!" and go with Cheryl Merrill with "What's Behind the Curtain?"

*sad trombone* :sadbanana: oops!

Yeah, had I fully known in advance on what was involved I would have passed on this little venture.
I think when this is finally all said and done I'm going to write a letter to GM/Chevrolet and suggest that they make available the C35 Rear Air Duct option to the U.S. model Sonics. The parts are relatively cheap and having the option of heating/cooling the rear seat passengers seems like a no-brainer. They could install the necessary parts during assembly with little to no extra cost to labor.

To 2014 Blue RS: IKR?? It would have been a great upgrade! However, all might not be lost to you or any anyone else who might still be interested in a DYI.
I've asked the service department to PLEASE save the lower heater core case that they're removing. I want to see exactly what or how the lower left and right rear ports are being blocked. If all that's needed is to have them "drilled" or cut out, you may be able to do this without having to remove the core (albeit, you may need to be a little creative). The rear ports are already available but there isn't any air flowing through them. I'm curious as to why and if they can be safely opened-up by either drilling through them or cutting through them. opcorn:

I'll let you know hopefully by late Friday or sometime Saturday.

 

[2014 Blue RS]

Those parts they're removing are yours. So for sure you have every right to have them. Thanks for keeping us in the loop.

 

[LorbeerTLC]

C35 Conversion: DONE!

Well, it's DONE! :banana:

And I paid dearly for it too!

Total Co$t: $1,645.00

It's probably the only U.S. version with a C35 conversion. Here are the photos for the U.S. lower heater core case (first two), and the Canadian version (second two photos). Notice that the left and right ports are closed in the U.S. version while the Canadian model is open.

In-so-far as trying to open the ports by drilling or cutting, I don't know how you would be able to do that. It's a solid mold and it is in an angle to where it would be extremely difficult to get a cutting tool up in there. The dealership had to remove the dash and the whole heater core which required them to do a full evacuation of the A/C refrigerant.

Had I known how much had to be done to install this, I wouldn't had gone through with it. But what's done is done and I'll probably keep this car until I die, lol!

 

[LorbeerTLC]

C35 Conversion: DONE!

Here are some photos of what the ducts look like from under the front seats:

 

[Stew]

I know how these kind of things go, in for a penny...

Do you notice less airflow up front now that some is coming out the rear? How does the airflow feel coming out of the rear ducts? Was the carpet fine other than cutting the opening for the rear ducts?