Cabin Air Intake Screen Mod

Cool video! I was wondering what the foam panel was on the side, rats had chewed on that too. I set the trap under my truck again last night and sure enough caught another one...

 

Saved me man! Thanks for the post!

 

Just swapped the cabin filter I bought it with to a K&N filter, I believe it's

$36 VF2005 K&N LIFETIME Cabin Air Filter: Premium, Washable, Clean Air for your Cabin: Compatible with 1999-2023 Dodge/Pontiac/Subaru/Toyota: Dart, Vibe, Liberty, Tacoma, Voltz, VF2005

VF2005. Anyway, wasn't a whole lot of crap above the filter, so will see if I need this mod. I drove it from the desert to the woods though, so I could see me having this issue here where it didn't have it in the desert.

 

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I have a big issue with mice in my 3rd Gen 2021 Tacoma. There is a plastic mesh to guard the air filter from the outside but they chewed holes through that mesh and made a
Nest on top of the cabin air filter. Before this they just hung out on top of the mesh and pooped down and the filter was their toilet. So toyota addressed the issue with leaves by designing a mesh but it needs to be replaced with the metallic variety detailed here.

 

Amazon sells three packs of stainless steel mesh in small sheets that are still large enough to cover the 2nd gen opening. I am not familiar with the 3rd Gen but you could always use your existing plastic screen as a template to make sure the sizes on Amazon are big enough.

 

Just did it on my Tacoma. Thanks for the idea

 

The 3D printed cover above looks really cool. The side screens won't really accomplish anything because a mouse can easily get under the plastic cowl plate directly, without going thru the sides. I've had a ton of mouse problems also. If the cowl screen doesn't stop them, then check your antenna grommet- I had this issue where one evidently popped it loose, and they were getting in thru it!
If you DIY a screen, it should have a mesh size with an opening of no more than about 1/4" square.

 

Anybody knows how to clean the mesh when air circulation is on? Mine is a little dirty but I don’t know how to clean it. Like the one in this quote

 

From inside the glove box. That is how you change it.
https://youtu.be/9363_oFuoTg?si=Clcx55npwROJjG4e

 

Big thanks to BlackBeerd for the How-To. We did this tonight on my son's truck.



My son used the left over screen to make one for the engine air intake. He did a real good job.





He cut it a little long and folded under to fill the low swag in the bottom of the pic.

 

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Thanks for the writeup. I too did this over the weekend on a 3rd gen. Mine was squirrels as I found nuts and a huge pile of nesting material. Had to be mice too as the started to eat my cabin filter plastic insice cover. I screened that as well. What a PIA!!!

 

Thank you for the thorough instructions. I know this post is about 5 years old, but I'm excited to not smell mice stench or pull out live baby mice out anymore. Next project is engine filter.

 

The air duct design had to be by monkeys. Leaves and twigs fall straight down and land on the cabin air filter. When you pull out the cabin air filter this debree is scraped off and drops into the blower. In my case a twig got beween the blower fan and the fan shroud, making a loud scraping sound for about 6 months when the blower was used, until the twig was worn away and reduced to powder. I made a similiar mod as yours to my Tacoma a few years back. I wonder if Toyota redesigned current models to correct this design flaw.

 

Thank you OP for posting this. Just did it on my "new" 3rd gen today. Considering that it was about 30 degrees, I did not spend too much time trimming it. Also used 3M caulk (dum-dum) to keep the screen in place. Screened the air filter too.
Last time, on my previous 2nd gen I used the chicken wire and it was not as good as this gutter screen.

 

Just completed this today. Super easy.

 

I finally yanked that cowling off today after 2 yrs of meaning to...I've been pouring through diagrams until I just asked Google..Up you popped, and that's a great idea..And your right..Some big wig decided that they could cut cost on a screen..Those bolt holes are proof to me as well..

 

Thanks @BlackBeerd for this write up. I became an unfortunate member of this club recently. I wish I would of kept the original K&N cabin air filter that I replaced a month or so ago before doing this mod to show that they even chewed a small hole through the very thin metal mesh of the K&N filter. I also didn't take after photos of my install because it was hot and I was ready to go inside. I did however take these photos of the damage to the "grate" that Toyota put in the 3rd gens and how easily the mice chewed through it, as well as the access panel with the two clips you squeeze in the glove box to replace the filter. All is well now. I used 1/4 inch hardware cloth and painted it black for the rust factor, although I do believe it is galvanized. I also covered the two side holes near the fenders using JB Weld Steel Stick which worked amazing since there were no real attachment points for the side holes. It's a two part putty that when massaged together makes a malleable putty that hardens fairly quickly. It stuck to the painted surface great and I just pressed the hardware cloth into it and it was solid after about 10 minutes. It's not coming off.