How to Change a Cabin Air Filter In Your Car or Van In Order to Relieve Spring and Fall Allergies
Cabin air filters have started showing up in American-made cars. Vehicles began to have filters installed in the inlet side of the blower motors in 1995. Strange as it may seem, there is no guarantee that your specific vehicle has this modification. Some carmakers did not include these in their vehicles. It wasn't until the year 2000 that the majority of American vehicles would have this upgrade. Foreign vehicles however, have had them installed as standard equipment for some time. It is definitely a significant improvement over non-filtered air conditioning. The paper air filters are of a high-micron variety and can filter out over 90 percent of airborne pollutants.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Locate the cabin air filter. All vehicles will have the filter in front of the air intake for the blower fan, which is on the passenger side of the vehicle. The air duct will extend up from the blower motor to the outside cowl in front of the windshield. In this case the filter will usually be installed in the rear of the glove compartment. If you look at the rear of the glove compartment you will see a rectangular door with a clip on each side. If it is not there, it will be under the glove compartment behind a similar door. In the case of some cars and most trucks and vans, the heater motor is under the hood on the passenger side. Look for a box on the top passenger side of the firewall near the cowl. It may also be under the cowl, in which case you will have to remove the cowl. The tell-tale sign is a two-piece cowl with the shortest piece on the passenger side.
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2
Remove the inside air filter by opening the glove compartment. Remove everything and look at the very back wall of the compartment. There will be a rectangular door with a clip on either end. Remove the door hinge screws with either the Phillips screwdriver or nut driver. Lower the door and detach the support arms on both sides of the door.
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3
Reach into the glove compartment and squeeze both snaps on the filter door and pull the filter straight out.
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4
Push the new filter straight in until the door snaps in place. Hold the glove box hinge up to the dash and align the hinge holes with that of the dash. Insert and tighten the screws. Connect the door supports.
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5
Remove the filter from under the hood. Raise the hood and determine if the air filter is above the cowl on the passenger side or below. If it is above, there will be a flat box with plastic snaps on both sides. Unsnap the cap and lift it off exposing the air filter.
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6
Remove the cowl if the filter housing is below the cowl. Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the screws or to pry up the plastic trim fasteners on the short piece of cowl concealing the air filter box. Lift the cowl and unsnap the box cover and remove the filter.
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7
Install the air filter and replace the filter box cover. Install the trim fasteners in the upper cowl if removed.
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