Well i'm an idiot.
After reading on-line, checking 5 times, i still managed to order the wrong heater core. i happen to have the DENSO.
I still don't get it because the HVAC sticker behind the radio says Valeo and the core was confusing to me since it has both denso & valeo numbers - none of which seem to cross-reference correctly, so i went off the sticker.
The bottom line is that the valeo i have here just wont go all the way in and I noticed the tube sizes are wrong anyway; the I have 0.75" diameter ports and not 0.8125" like the valeo setup (I got these numbers from rockauto info pics).
I just ordered another core...
What a mess.
