DIY Cabin Air Filter Change

44325 Views 40 Replies 24 Participants Last post by invader, Mar 23, 2014

Exage

Discussion Starter · May 26, 2009 (Edited by Moderator)

Hey TN, thought I'd throw up this DIY for changing the AC Air Filter (AKA Cabin Air Filter) for your 9th Gen Toyota Corolla. It's purpose is to filter out any particles from entering your cars interior when you turn on the fan.

Tools: Phillips Screw Driver (Stubby)
Parts: AC Filter (Cabin Air Filter) $15-$30
Time: 5 min

GO!

Get in the front passengers seat and open the glove box. There is a screw on the right side of the glove box near the bottom. Take the screw out with the phillips screw driver, you'll need the door open (don't loose the screw).

Screw almost out

Screw out showing more of the glove box

With the screw taken out slip the holder (<-lack of better term) off the peg. Open the glove box as wide as it will go. Lift up on the glove box (I jiggled mine while lifting) it should pop out its hinges on the bottom.

Now that you've taken the glove box out you will see this

The AC Air Filter is housed where the black rectangular box with the clips on the left and right. Push the right and left clips in and remove the cover plate.

There is your AC Air (/Cabin Air) Filter!

Remove it and replace it if it's dirty.

Here's mine at 90,000KMs (56,250 Miles).

I don't think it's ever been replaced :sosad:. Because of the bad lighting I put some clean napkins to give a better idea. When I put the new filter in there was noticable difference in power and flow from the vents than from the old dirty one.

Reverse the instructions to put it back together. The new filter will have an arrow point up for reference (or atleast it should).

Hope this helps, see you around.

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cor06

· #2 · May 30, 2009

Thanks, good one but you could have added a bit more pictures for clarity.

Exage

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 30, 2009

I thought those pictures would be enough with what I had wrote up...

Slaander

· #4 · May 31, 2009

where you get the filter, and by any chance with the parts number? :clap:

Exage

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 31, 2009

Slaander said:
where you get the filter, and by any chance with the parts number? :clap:

Hey Slaander. I just went to my local auto parts store and got a Beck/Arnley Cabin Air Filter (AC Air Filter in Toyota terms) for about $17CAD ($19 after tax), just tell them your looking for a Cabin Air Filter for 200X Toyota Corolla that has AC, they might have a couple in stock! The Toyota dealership (parts division) will also carry them (most likely in stock).

The Beck/Arnley Cabin Air Filter part number is 042-2025, for the 9th Gen Toyota Corolla.
I don't know the OEM/Toyota part number and couldn't find it in my small search...

Slaander

· #6 · May 31, 2009

Exage said:
Hey Slaander. I just went to my local auto parts store and got a Beck/Arnley Cabin Air Filter (AC Air Filter in Toyota terms) for about $17CAD ($19 after tax), just tell them your looking for a Cabin Air Filter for 200X Toyota Corolla that has AC, they might have a couple in stock! The Toyota dealership (parts division) will also carry them (most likely in stock).

The Beck/Arnley Cabin Air Filter part number is 042-2025, for the 9th Gen Toyota Corolla.
I don't know the OEM/Toyota part number and couldn't find it in my small search...

thanks alot:thumbsup:

mikered30

· #7 · May 31, 2009

If you do not want to pay a lot for a filter, you can make your own. Just buy an furnace air filter and trace the outline of your current filter. You can get 3 or 4 cabin filters for $13 or so.

Reactions: 1

dz63

· #8 · Jun 3, 2009 (Edited)

The cheapest place I could find for a Corolla cabin filter is from aircabinman on Ebay. Google search "aircabinman" and you will find it. It was $12.30 USD shipped to Canada. No taxes, duty or brokerage getting it across the border. I think it is a $1 cheaper if you are getting it shipped to the USA.

Note that the new filter is grey in colour, (carbon activated), so if your old filter is grey in colour, it is not necessarily an indication that your filter is dirty.

Suggestion: When you intall the filter, use a wax pencil and write the date on it.

JasonA

· #9 · Jun 3, 2009

I put a Fram FreshBreeze filter in mine, with the Arm & Hammer baking soda. I noticed no change in aroma coming from the HVAC, but there was already no odor (a good thing). Here's a brief discussion on it on a Prius forum:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...oting/45029-fram-vs-oem-cabin-air-filter.html

I got mine from Amazon. Fram's air filters are generally regarded as great products (though I don't care for their engine air filter for our cars).

rollallor

· #10 · Jun 4, 2009

I did mine today and it was really really dirty. Looks like someone threw it on the sand and into the garbage can and put it back into the ac cabin. Took me 2 mins to do. 1 min to remove and 1 min to put back. Just make sure the arrow is in the right direction. I can breathe much more easily now. People ignore this alot and should be changed in conjunction with the engine air filter.

jamaicula

· #11 · Jun 24, 2009

AWESOME DIY!!! I was really afraid I had to remove the dash or something to address the air flow problem.

I did the replacement today and I too felt a significant difference in power and air flow through the vents.

Thanks!

FL03S

· #12 · Sep 5, 2009

I just got my 2003 Corolla and this is the first thing I did. When I checked the filter it was super clean so I just gave it a couple good shakes and put it back in. Great DIY for later down the road!!!

aspen007

· #13 · Sep 10, 2009

Nice DIY. Thanks for posting.

I recently bought a 2003 Corolla with about 165K. The cabin air filter had never been changed. When I pulled it out, the accumulated debris, seeds and other life forms was incredible.

What was surprising was that the blower seemed to be working just fine even with the filter totally clogged.

Took about 10 minutes to do the replacement. I plan to check/change it every six months or so. Especially after the fall season with all the falling leaves.

John Anthony

· #14 · Apr 29, 2010

Cabin Air Filter Replacement

It's not necessary to use a screwdriver to replace the cabin air filter. Just squeeze both sides of glovebox and pull out and down. The arm on the right side just stays connected and the left side will drop all the way down. No need to disconnect it.

2004 Corolla LE 130K miles. AMSOIL Signature Series 0/30, AMSOIL ATF.

Reactions: 2

Siward

· #15 · May 30, 2010

Which way is airflow? Up or down?

John Anthony

· #16 · May 31, 2010

cabin air filter direction

When I replaced my cabin air filter, the debris was on top of the filter, which means to me that the air flow is going down, from top to bottom. The arrow on the original filter was pointed upwards, which makes me think it simply meant to put the filter in with the arrow up, but that doesn't make sense, because usually with home A/C filters, the arrow is indicative of air flow, so I'm not sure.

aspen007

· #17 · Jun 1, 2010

The airflow direction of the filter for the 03-07 Corolla should be down. If your old filter airflow arrow was pointing up, then the filter was installed wrong.

Think about it. If the debris was on the top (up)side of the old filter when you removed it, the airflow was going down (from top to bottom).

John Anthony

· #18 · Jun 1, 2010

cabin air filter air flow direction

I agree, it goes down (top to bottom), however the Denso filter that was in there with the arrow pointing up was definitely the original. Maybe my Corolla was built on a Monday.

skippy911

· #19 · Jun 1, 2010

I take mine out every month or so, when I do a detail.. check it & shake it out.

dz63

· #20 · Jun 8, 2010 (Edited)

John Anthony said:
It's not necessary to use a screwdriver to replace the cabin air filter. Just squeeze both sides of glovebox and pull out and down. The arm on the right side just stays connected and the left side will drop all the way down. No need to disconnect it.

The glovebox door has a plastic damper mechanism on it to prevent the glovebox door from slamming open. The damper has two holes in it, one of which "snaps" over a split plastic pin. If you squeeze the two sides and pull the door down, it will stop before there is enough room to get the cabin filter out. You then need to reach inside and disconnect the damper from the plastic split pin in order to drop the glovebox door further to create enough of a gap to change the cabin filter.

If you simply squeeze the sides of the glovebox and are able to pull the door down enough to change the filter as suggested above, I suspect that either the damper is broken, or has been previously disconnected, or the split plastic pin has been previously broken on your vehicle. If your glovebox door drops "like a rock", then you have the situation described above. Every time I go in for a quick oil change, they pull the cabin filter out and try to upsell me a new one. In the process, they disconnect my damper. It is very annoying. I have to re-install it when I get home.

In my opinion, it is probably easier for the average DIYer to remove the Philips screw that secures the damper to the glovebox door than it is to reach inside the disconnect the damper. Once you know how to do it, however, it is not very difficult.

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