When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I did my 30k service with the help of Gilcwong today. As part of the service, the AC pollen filter is to be replaced. I bought the filter yesterday at Hopkins Honda in Sunnyvale and the parts guys were shocked that this filter, a plastic ring with pleated paper, cost $40! So I was joking with Gilcwong that since I drive top down all the time, what use is the filter.
Anyways, we finished all the fluids and plugs and finally got to the filter. When I removed the old filter, I was immediately glad I bought a replacement! Check up the ugly sight below. Anyways, I would recommend that you check the filter and replace it on accasion. i am glad I did.
It seems to me that a filter of this nature is a redundant feature in a convertible. In summer, when the top is down a lot, the air does not need to be filtered and yet the filter gets plugged with all kinds of crud. Then winter comes along (for me anyways), the hardtop is on and I have a plugged filter which decreases the efficiency of my climate control system. I don't want to run without a filter in case I suck in bugs and small wildlife , so what to do? Maybe we could get K&N to make a filter this purpose. It won't keep out the pollen and stuff like that but at least we can clean it.
The filter is $26.16 + shipping from H and A accessories. I did mine this weekend. Make sure you pull up on the plastic below the hood seal and not on the hood seal rubber. The plastic clips that hold the sheet plastic down also hold the rubber hood seal down, so if you pull on the hood seal you'll likely tear the rubber. You need to pull up at least the first two clips from the passenger side in order to be able to pull up the plastic far enough to get the filter out.
Take note of the angle that the filter/housing is installed before you take it out, because you'll have to duplicate that angle to reinsert the new filter/housing. There are three plastic clips that are integral to the filter housing that hold the filter in place. You'll have to bend them back to get the old filter out. My old filter was dirty after 15,000 miles, but nothing like the one in first picture in this thread.
Yeah, I should have ordered from H and A and saved a few bucks, but I did not get realise I needed it until saturday. Oh well. Either way, I am glad I got mine changed. While the filter does seem redundant for those of us who drive top down most of the time, I think its still a good idea to have a new filter in there as it will increase the airflow the vents can pull in, and prevent any of the "stuff" to get into the vents. My filter had all sorts of "stuff" caught in it, both organic and inorganic.
is it possible to clean the filter with a few wacks or blow/suck it clean with compressed air or a vacumn cleaner? Seems like this part is a lot less critical then an engine air filter.
07-14-2002, 02:42 PM
, so what to do? Maybe we could get K&N to make a filter this purpose. It won't keep out the pollen and stuff like that but at least we can clean it.
