'02 Honda Odyssey cabin air filter replacement

Could be bad things. Cabin air filters first widely appeared in the mid-90s,
after a rash of evaporator failures. For example, the 1993 Volvo 850 was the
first Volvo to use R-134a. But within a year reports of pinhole leaks in the
evaporator began surfacing. By 1994 the reports were a flood, and the cause
was identified. It seems the evaporator designed for R-134a was being
corroded by dust and pollen mixed with normal condensation. In 1995 Volvo
added a cabin air filter to cure the problem and offered it as a retrofit.
Current production Volvos run the A/C fan for a while after shutdown to dry
the evaporator.

I've heard of other manufacturers that had similar experiences, but I wasn't
close enough to the other makes to follow them. Anyway, I consider the cabin
air filter to be a necessary fact of life for cars with R-134a A/C.

There is also a line of thought that cabin air filters are valuable for
preventing evaporator mildew, which is a recurring complaint in many cars
and a devil to cure. See
http://refrigerants.dupont.com/Suva/en_US/pdf/macs_200404.pdf

Mike

 

That's a good point. The A/C (or heater) core was immediately downstream of
the filter.

 

That's a good point. The A/C (or heater) core was immediately downstream of
the filter.

 

I hope that my '83 Honda Civic does not have a similar feature...

<gasp>

JT

 

I hope that my '83 Honda Civic does not have a similar feature...

<gasp>

JT

 

ive bought aftermarket engine filters that were made from a dark grey
material. kinda dumb. i like the white paper ones i can hold up at the
sun to get an idea of how dirty it is.

 

ive bought aftermarket engine filters that were made from a dark grey
material. kinda dumb. i like the white paper ones i can hold up at the
sun to get an idea of how dirty it is.

 

Then the alloy used for the evaporator is prone to failure? I know R-134A
is corrosive, where R-12 is utterly stable and inert.

Very interesting! I'm adding the link to the "Funny Smells" portion of the
FAQ. Thanks.

 

Then the alloy used for the evaporator is prone to failure? I know R-134A
is corrosive, where R-12 is utterly stable and inert.

Very interesting! I'm adding the link to the "Funny Smells" portion of the
FAQ. Thanks.

 

I don't know for sure, but that's what I assume. I've been told by the
garage mechanic at work (a semi-reliable source) that 134a needs a different
condensor. It might be that the reports of evap failure just coincided with
the introduction of R-134a.

Mike

 

I don't know for sure, but that's what I assume. I've been told by the
garage mechanic at work (a semi-reliable source) that 134a needs a different
condensor. It might be that the reports of evap failure just coincided with
the introduction of R-134a.

Mike

 

I was in for an oil change this morning and noticed "$135.95 for cabin
air filter change" on the board. Umm, my civics, accords, and crvs take
5 minutes to do this...taking your time.

 

I was in for an oil change this morning and noticed "$135.95 for cabin
air filter change" on the board. Umm, my civics, accords, and crvs take
5 minutes to do this...taking your time.

 

Nobody, wrote the following at or about 9/5/2006 2:05 PM:

Was that at the dealership or a "Jiffy-Screw" clone?

I could understand it at Jiffy-Screw as it becomes very time-consuming.
First they have to get the workers to stop playing with themselves,
retrain them on basic skill sets, review the specifics of the job at
hand, then, last but not least they must retrieve the required
filtration unit from the secure storage area where they also maintain a
supply of $24.95 wiper blades.

 

Nobody, wrote the following at or about 9/5/2006 2:05 PM:

Was that at the dealership or a "Jiffy-Screw" clone?

I could understand it at Jiffy-Screw as it becomes very time-consuming.
First they have to get the workers to stop playing with themselves,
retrain them on basic skill sets, review the specifics of the job at
hand, then, last but not least they must retrieve the required
filtration unit from the secure storage area where they also maintain a
supply of $24.95 wiper blades.

 

Unfortunately the cabin filter in the 99-04 Odyssey is not just a pull and
replace option. It is behind the glove box and that has to be removed along
with a bar that is not that easy to get at the screws. a decent DIYer can
replace it in a half hour or so. For instructions with pictures search on
Cabin Filter at the forum at www.odyclub.com If you own an Odyssey that is
the place to be.....

 

Unfortunately the cabin filter in the 99-04 Odyssey is not just a pull and
replace option. It is behind the glove box and that has to be removed along
with a bar that is not that easy to get at the screws. a decent DIYer can
replace it in a half hour or so. For instructions with pictures search on
Cabin Filter at the forum at www.odyclub.com If you own an Odyssey that is
the place to be.....

 

Cabin air filters are an excellent idea. For one thing, they reduce the
amount of crud which builds up on the A/C evaporator and can prolong the
life of said evaporator.

The Odyssey's failure is that the make the cabin filter too ****** hard
to change. This is one of the few places where GM's minivans are
better than Hondas. On the GM you simply open a door at the rear of the
glove box, slide out the old filters and slide in new ones. Length of
time required only depends on how much junk you have to empty from the
glove box first .

I changed the cabin filter on a friend's Odyssey for them and I was
shocked by how much of a PITA it was.

John

 

Cabin air filters are an excellent idea. For one thing, they reduce the
amount of crud which builds up on the A/C evaporator and can prolong the
life of said evaporator.

The Odyssey's failure is that the make the cabin filter too ****** hard
to change. This is one of the few places where GM's minivans are
better than Hondas. On the GM you simply open a door at the rear of the
glove box, slide out the old filters and slide in new ones. Length of
time required only depends on how much junk you have to empty from the
glove box first .

I changed the cabin filter on a friend's Odyssey for them and I was
shocked by how much of a PITA it was.

John

 

Technically, it's an hour labor and something like $36 each for the two
filters.

Yeah, I know. But there you have it.