How to Change the Cabin Air Filter in a 97-01 CR-V

[Wildcat Rudy]

You're lucky I posted the small versions of the photos!

I got a kick out of how much crud the filter caught! Had to show it to my better half when she got home that afternoon. She hates dirt! 12 years of accumulated crud.

And, my lungs thank me.

I just hope the Honda filter I bought is as good--it didn't have nearly half as many pleats as the original, and IIRC, it was just a Honda-packaged version of the same brand of filter one of the local stores had in stock. (It had the official Honda sticker with part number on it.) Wasn't the original a "micron" or hypo-allergenic filter?

[4hondaowner]

Originally Posted by Wildcat Rudy

12 years of accumulated crud.

And, my lungs thank me.

Googily woogily, you went 12 years before the cabin air replacement? That has to be a HondaSUV member record!

My CR-V had 30,000 on the odometer and was four years old when I my job. It was a mess in there. I now check mine once a year. Filters are cheap, and knowing there's a new filter in there is even better.

[Wildcat Rudy]

It was on my "I need to change that air filter" list for several years...but only recently did I find out exactly where it was at, and how to get to it! Bad excuse I know. They didn't exactly make it easy for us either.

[Racoon]

Originally Posted by Wildcat Rudy

They didn't exactly make it easy for us either.

No, they didn't. It's a total pain in the neck to change.

Fortunately, Honda learned, and the filters much easier to change in the 2002+ CR-Vs.

[Wildcat Rudy]

Originally Posted by Racoon

No, they didn't. It's a total pain in the neck to change.

Fortunately, Honda learned, and the filters much easier to change in the 2002+ CR-Vs.

I had to drop the glovebox and remove the right and center dashboard pieces to get at the crossmember to remove that air filter in the V! I tried to think of a way I could modify that crossmember to make it easier (cut it at the filter area as wide as the filter, and put in a new piece or bracket to close it back up), but it would have been more work than it was worth.

I had an '05 Impala as a company car, and their cabin air filter required removal of the cowl molding (at the bottom of the windshield wipers, where the air intake was). We always had Pennzoil change the oil and filters, as we had a company account there, so I never had to worry about it.

Too bad I didn't save my old filter. I could have framed it, and auctioned it off here for charity.

[BigIslandV]

Originally Posted by Wildcat Rudy

... I tried to think of a way I could modify that crossmember to make it easier (cut it at the filter area as wide as the filter, and put in a new piece or bracket to close it back up), but it would have been more work than it was worth...

It has been done before... The key is making sure the cross piece ends up stable since it holds the glovebox. Make the new piece of metal long enough to hold two bolts on each side. One person used wingnuts with lock washers on the back side making for a 3 minute change and no more giving blood.

[Wildcat Rudy]

Wingnuts are a good idea.

Fortunately I didn't give blood, but in my haste to put things back together (I also took the radio/cassette units out since the dash was apart), I forgot to reconnect the antenna and the power outlet. And somehow, the bezel around the power outlet cracked, which isn't really noticeable but I know it's there...

[Gopal]

So, I finally got around to changing the filter on Saturday (relatively warmer day ~60, here in TX). The old filter wasn't that bad. I had vacuumed it sometime ago, but the air-flow was weak hence I changed it. The problem is the air-flow CONTINUES to be weak. I am stumped. I checked the air-intake filter, that seemed OK (was changed about a year ago and I dusted it out again). Any ideas?

[sgtsandman]

Perhaps a ventilation door is broken or stuck?

[Gopal]

Originally Posted by sgtsandman

Perhaps a ventilation door is broken or stuck?

Possible

How do I check for that?