DIY Washable Cabin Air Filter

Jeez U want everything don't cha ?

 

Yeah, that's funny. You realize that dust comes in everywhere in your truck (ever have to wipe dust off your dash?). The '05 didn't even come with a filter. So for a truck, they work well at catching all the debris and a majority of bigger particles. The smaller stuff's coming in everywhere else anyway (seals, open windows, etc).

 

I noticed v. my oder vehicles I've owned I was wiping the dash more or less almost every end of the week. With the cabin filter in mine (07), I don't notice till maybe a good 1/1.5 weeks later that I need to wipe down the dash but it's VERY little dust compared to the filter!!

 

Finally doing this mod today....not that anyone cares, just a post to bring this to the top of my subscribed threads for reference later.

 

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me too

 

Very nice.

 

Totally worth it, that damn filter costs me 27.99 to replace.

Awesome share mate!

 

DAMN, I think mine was about $13 or so shipped, wished I would have found this thread before I bought the OE replacement though. Just letting time take it's course.

 

I bought mine from pep boys. Idiot me

 

This has been mentioned before but @ http://www.logical-source.com/default.html the OEM type filter is less than $4.

Personally I did the DIY one, works well.

 

Great info. I can't believe I missed this before. Going to buy one tonight.

 

I went out and bought one and when I went to put it in the one that was in there was brand new from the dealership so I'm going to leave it for a while. Might as well just get the use out of it before I toss it.

 

May have to do this. I just tapped mine out the other day to make it better. Had leaves and junk on top of it. Wasnt impressed with how they designed it.

Check out my posts here: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/215022-dog-leg-5.html to see what I did to keep leaves and junk from getting there. It aint the prettiest, but it looks decent when the trim is back on, and I dont have to worry about junk getting piled up in my "dogleg" any more either. Two birds with the one stone kind of thing. Works out well. Id anybody wants to try this, I suggest siliconing one side and letting it set before trying to do the other. Should make it a lot easier and keep you from sliding it around so much.

 

Just finished this up tonight. Thanks for the idea and write up.

 

Threads like this are, simultaneously, why I found this site and why I'll never leave.

005Moose, if you ever happen through south Florida, let me know. I pledge at least one of (your adult beverage of choice) for the help you have lent me this day.

I went outside, and popped out the glove box, and HOLYMOTHEROFGOD. Right there in the parking lot I banged that thing like a Thai hooker. It was disgusting...leaves, small twigs, dust bunnies....EEEEW! I was _breathing_ that!

It was only then that I thought "Damnit, I shoulda took a picture first!".

Best $20 I've spent in a while.

 

I'm gonna do this too. This electrostatic filter looks a hell of a lot better than those crappy TYC paper filters.

 

Since I had time to kill, and, when compared to the others around here least, 9 left thumbs and the hand-eye coordination of a sotted baboon, I figured I would post some pics regarding my time assembling this little DIY treasure.

Some points I will make, so that other may avoid suffering as I have have suffered (mostly by being a nine-left-thumbed putz, as noted above).

At first, this looked fairly easy, as noted above. However, over the course of two hours and ending up making the damn thing three times, let me point out some things to avoid along the way.

First, while you have a bunch of screen and plastic mesh, you only have one set of small side rails. Measure twice, cut once my rosy red ass. Measure three times, cut once, and still spend twenty minutes trimming all four sides until it's perfect.


Even if you cut it perfect, it'll be too big the first time. And, when it's just a little too big, it'll get stuck. Then, when you're trying to get it out, the back edge of the dash rail (that's deceptively sharp) is in just the right place to rip a chunk out of your finger while you're trying to lever the damn thing out.


Then, if you're like me and not paying QUITE enough attention or not thinking ahead, you'll get this far in the assembly process and grab your drill (FYI, the 3/16th bit is the perfect size for these rivets) and go to town. Don't do this. Here's what happens when you do:



Also note that, with my 2006 regular cab, the filter box is too small to use the 'outsides' of the 8 X 8 grid. I had to cut them off of all four sides to make the whole thing small enough to correctly fit:


Then I had gotten the whole thing together, it measured perfectly, I reveted it, it was so pretty...I took it out to the truck in the parking lot and...about a 16th too big all the way around. Start over!



So, after two hours and throwing away the ruler, I went "by eye" and fitted it with scotch tape until the rail assembly fit in the dash perfectly, THEN trimmed the grid and the filter material to fit THAT.

Bang. This time the whole thing came together in about 6 minutes, and slid effortlessly into the dash like it had been there the whole bloody time.



I'm heading for the fridge and a cold one now...

 

Haha. I thought I was the only one. I had a hell of a time but once I got it it was dead on.

 

Congratulations ! Beautiful job even if it did take a few tries. Hopefully your pointers will save someone some time and effort.

 

looks just like it would IF the dealership made it nice job!