Help identifying part

I have a small drip coming from this particular spot. Need help identifying part...

Is this something an amateur guy can do or should I just take it to the shop?

Thanks in advance gents!

 

That's the heater control valve for your HVAC system. That valve adjusts the amount of heat in your vents when you adjust the knob by diverting coolant from the radiator to your heater core.

 

Is that something better to get fixed by a mechanic?
I tried tighten the screw on the end, but it seems to be tight. Can a rubber washer fix the issue ya think?

 

I haven't replaced this before, but I imagine it's not that hard to replace yourself. I would personally tackle this myself first if I had to. There's probably some sort of internal failure in the valve causing the leak - really can't say whether a washer would help.

 

And worth noting, that would be leaking coolant, which is obviously not a good thing if you have outside animals, nor for your long-term driving purposes.

Shouldn't be hard to swap if you can pinch off the hoses before removing to avoid coolant loss. Burp after. But I've never done this specific job, so I'd refer to the FSM.

 

Thanks brother! Appreciate the help!

 

I would expect very minimal coolant loss when replacing the valve — it’s really high in the coolant system, just disconnect the hoses and lift them up, gravity will do the rest — be sure engine is cold