Just remove it...

http://madstyle1972.com/Repair/66/20ik7/x040001.pdf

 

Thanks that's exactly what I needed!

 

well I took it apart & what I found was depressing, there's unblocked BIG GAPING HOLES straight to the cabin filter. 2 big holes in the front sheet panel, 2 big holes in the back sheet panel. you can see the filter once you took off that top plastic trim. but there are caverns & drainage holes everywhere so if you only block the front holes, a mouse could use the drainage channel to gain access to the inside back holes. its hard to block the inside holes as the front sheet panel prevent access to the inside holes.

I foresee cutting/drilling the front sheet panel or taking out the compressor/fan from inside to gain access to the holes to seal them off. looks like a weekend project.

 

Cant you add a fiberglass screen?

 

before & after

in stock form, there is NOTHING blocking rodents from getting into your cabin airbox. I had to drill 2 holes (1 for light & 1 for the screwdriver) on the left side so I can see thru the sheet metal to put a screw into the screen to hold it. I lost a magnet & a screw on the 1st attempt (you can't reach back there). hopefully this helps someone.

 

looks good

 

it doesn't make sense to me, why are there big gaping holes straight to the cabin air filter? is my car missing something, like a filter/screen? I bought it used, toyota certified. what happens when you select INTERNAL air circulation only? how would external air be prevented from coming in?

 

You were definitely missing something. I thought of you when I was under the hood today and took a peek. I have a barrier there (can't remember the material).

 

My 05 does have a factory screen.

 

someone take a picture of your factory screen

 

When i wrote that i meant to say does not have a factory screen, sorry for the confusion

 

wife and baby are sleeping, but once one of them gets up I'll go out and take a picture.

 

 

you have to take off that plastic trim/panel (to get to the cabin filter holes) as a mouse can easily squeeze thru the SIDE (where hood hinges are) of that panel or come up from under the car. my panel has the same netting, it did not prevent mice from getting under.

 

unfortunately that screen will plug up and won't let air through.
Needs to be vacuumed occasionally

 

My first thought too. Still better than mice...

 

How mice get into the cabin via the cabin filter plenum.

I just popped the screen cowling off of my 2005 Matrix and found exactly what the photos showed, two big gaping holes in the firewall going to the cabin air filter. Clean shot into the car for mice. One thing that folks did not mention is that the entire area under the plastic screening cowl is a water drainage channel with the water draining down a large hole directly down into the open air under the water duct (picture enclosed). The water duct drain goes into a narrow channel that drains out onto the backside of the plastic cover down to the ground. No idea how to cover it with a screen by just a casual inspection.
I too will be adding wire mesh to the two large holes going directly to the cabin filter and will have to drill those couple of extra holes in the metal to fasten the far end of the screen EDIT : Too hard to do, see next post. I also had to mount a piece of metal mesh over the engine air intake as I found a nest there as well. No wonder the cat has been sitting under the car for a while now!
It is easy to remove the cowling to access the holes to see what you have in place. Remove the plastic clip on the passenger side (the cowl is in two pieces.) Using needle nose pliers, squeeze together the 6 plastic clips holding the gasket in place for the passenger side. Slide the cowling down away from the windshield and you can then clearly see what is letting the mice into the filter (and the car). It is also a great way to clean the screen of all the debris out by spraying the BACK of the screen with a hose.

 

Covering the cabin filter with a mouse proof mesh

Finding it impossible to cover the cabin air ducts on the firewall on my '05 Matrix, I tried a different approach. Cover the filter to prevent mice from working their way into the blower assembly. The air filter itself is a good tight fit so if I was able to COVER the filter in a metal mesh, I would prevent mice from entering via that route.
NOTE: just ABOVE the cabin filter cover is a small flap that pivots inward. That needs to be covered by mesh as well. I just used a small piece of mesh and used wire ties to hold it in place. About 15 minutes of work.
Using plastic wire ties, I just poked holes into the filter and mounted the screen onto the filter itself. About 10 minutes of work and I will need to do it every time I replace the filter. Make sure Jiffy Lube knows not to pull the filter! Mark on the cover and inside the glove compartment when you last replaced it so you know when to next replace it reusing the metal mesh. It is a tight squeeze to get it in and the cover closed but that is all to the good of mice proofing.

EDIT: I just checked the cabin filter and found a cozy nest on top of the wire mesh! And still the mice seem to be getting into the car as I find bits of chewed tissue in the car. What to do, what to do. At least they are no longer in the bottom of the engine filter assembly since I put a screen over the air opening. Perhaps some copper wire mesh over the fresh air intake.

 

Gotta bump this old thread. Fracking mice struck again. Chewed up the interior air filter good this time and pee'd on it good. Car smells something fierce. Nothing like driving in the rain/cold with the windows down because the smell is so bad. :frown:

Fortunately no dead mouse found so that's good.

So what have people done to block the gaping wide open holes straight to the interior blower/filter Assembly? Cannot believe Toyota left it wide open like that. Fracking stupid. Currently duct taped some fiberglass screening material over the firewall holes (interior holes) for the time being but that probably won't hold for very long. Also ran the screening material over the engine air intake as a mouse looks like it nibbled a bit on the engine air filter. Stuck a snap trap in the car's cabin along with putting some peppermint oil soaked cotton balls (one on top of the air filter) another in the car's cabin.

Edit to add: Some pictures.

The cabin air intake holes. Nothing to block the mice or anything else from getting in there.

First attempt to block the two holes with fiberglass screening using duct tape. Didn't work all that well. Ended up cutting another larger piece of screening to cover both holes (didn't get a picture of it) that seems to be holding up. May try some double sided Gorilla tape or molding tape rather than duct tape. Its very difficult to get to the left side of the left hole.

Used the same fiberglass screening to cover engine air intake. Used a zip tie to hold it in place. Seems to work OK so far.

 

Borrow a cat for a while. Mean, mouser? Cat piss? I've heard Irish Spring soap can deter. But if you're driving daily, what are mice attracted to? Bird seed, pet food, big no-no's in vicinity.

Glue traps a thing, too. Don't tell ASCPA.

 

Borrow a cat for a while. Mean, mouser? Cat piss? I've heard Irish Spring soap can deter. But if you're driving daily, what are mice attracted to? Bird seed, pet food, big no-no's in vicinity.

Car sits outside 24/7 and isn't driven every day which is part of the problem. Car interior is kept clean so its not food they're after. I've also heard of Irish Spring soap. That will be my next old wives tale to try if Peppermint Oil/cotton ball thing doesn't work.

This is the second or third time I've had to replace air filters due to mice chewing on and nesting on them over the many years. Irritating. Was shocked to see there was no screen over the air intakes (both engine and cabin) to prevent this very problem of which there are lots of complaints online. This is the first time however the smell (mouse piss) has been horrible and lingering for days. :frown:

Car interior now smells like mouse piss and candy cane when I turn the cabin fan on. :laugh: