Easiest way to access the heater core?

[naviathan]

As the title says. I'm smelling coolant when I turn on the heat and I want to check the heater core to see if it's the lines or the core itself. Any information on the subject is greatly appreciated!

I really need to buy a manual for this car.

[D2Beetle]

The heater core connections are on the firewall in the engine bay; if the core itself is leaking, then you can follow the Blend Door DIY to get to the heater core.

[naviathan]

Holy crap that's a lot of work just to get inside there! Sometimes I really miss my old Ford Ranger. Four screws and a couple hoses and the heater core was out.

[naviathan]

Does anyone have pics of this section of the housing (see attached pdf) that actually shows all the crap in the way?

[2004NBTURBOS]

Of all the cars I have owned, Ford trucks are the easiest to access.

[naviathan]

Yeah, why oh why does everyone think they need to cram things together to make them "better". I bet if someone started building basic automobiles again, like they did in the 70's, with some added safety features to meet US standards, people would buy the hell out of them.