hey there, i just went through the heater core replacement which really was the fun part.

the bad part...my carpets are drenched (both sides) and the floor insulation is even worse. i was only able to fold up a small portion on the passenger side and a slight press on it released a TON of coolant. they are basically sponges at the moment holding a lot of coolant.

1. how do i remove these?
2. is it even worth cleaning? i cant imagine they'd clean up too well.
3. where do i find replacement padding?
4. im also thinking about simply cutting out the square foot (or so) affected area and laying in a sort of "general" purpose padding. any ideas on that?

5. is it possible to replace the carpet in just that area as well?

any and all help is appreciated. thanks a lot!

 

First... anti-freeze will continue to eat-away at everything it touches, wires, paint , carpet. I am not sure what to do about your carpet...BUT you must clean all the a/f from the floor pan or it will remove the paint over time. Home Depot/lowes has some strong chemicals or a auto paint shop. WEAR rubber gloves... this stuff it bad for your health. Then maybe wipe everything down with simple green.
When I have removed the sound insulation I found heat/air condition insulation at lowes/depot. It's a roll of inslation that is foil and form with a sticky pad on the other side. Works great on inside door panels and trunk.
Try to throw away everything you can, BUT... a/f is HAZARD WASTE. It will kill your pets if they lick it and gets it into their system.... and you TOO !
GET paints gloves while doing the cleaning.
As you have already changed the unit you may have gaps in the firewall. I have found a spay can of form by Prematex ? to fill the gaps in firewalls. I think I get it at Auto Zone.
If you try to clean the carpet you might want to cut up some large plastic garbage bags and lay them beteen the carpets and floor. Then check a few times a week to see it you have any leftover a/f in yor carpet.... but... again ...over time if there is a/f if will eat through the plastic.


CAPET.... I would try using a wet vac to remove as much a/f as possible, then maybe try a few cans of carpet cleans and wash/vac a few times. Put some plastic under the capet while soaking so nothing gets to the floor boards again.
I do not mean to keep telling you about how bad a/f , I am sure you already know.
On my GMC Typhoon my core leaked and I had to replace the carpet and ate through the wires in my FM modulator, I had to replace it as well.

Cb questions

 

i will probably go the home depot insulation route unless i can find anything else.

you're right the issue is quite pressing and i simply cant stand the fact that there's all this toxic anti freeze just soaked up in the foam and carpets at the moment.

i feel like the carpets can be cleaned to a point of being safe for now, but will eventually need to be replaced. the insulation is what's important and as you said, it will eat away at the metal which it's directly on top of.