Since I couldn't get my front end alignment checked at the dealer today, I figured that I'd come home and attempt to install my Cabin air filter upgrade mod that I've been tripping over in the garage. (maybe that will help my alignment ) :disappointed:
Anyways, I did find a post here somewhere where someone offered a tip that you didn't need to replace the entire air box, just the center section. This is what I did.
The post I refer to above (which I will locate and post its' link) is pretty much accurate, but I did find a few twists to it all.
0) The "muckett" (cool name for a gizmo, isn't is?) on the passengers side has a full-size Scrivit moulded into it!, so be carefull when removing it, - you will need to re-install this muckett with a used Scrivit embedded into it (a challenge to do too). The thing they call a muckett is this little foamy piece :
1) You have to completely remove the square steel sheet metal member from the car and set it on the ground. Also, you have to pull out the scrivit-like barbed tip wire loom holder for the windshield wiper motor from the bottom of the drivers side of that square sheet metal beam:
2) Plus another one on the passengers side, plus a huge connection block also on the bottom side of the beam on the passengers side (which has 2 Scrivit-like barbs) :
3) Be careful when handling that square sheet metal beam, - its' edges are sharp, and you WILL be scraping paint with the edges, best you can hope for is to limit how much under hood paint that you do scratch. It also has a slot/fork that the windshield wiper mounting grommet slides into. You have to wrangle with it a bit to get it out. Get it out of the car, and set the damn thing down on the ground next to the plastic cowling piece that you took off :
4) The PCM on this car is HUGE!. After the beam is removed from the vehicle and set down on the ground, you have to get this PCM out of the way:
5) With everything removed as set aside, you are ready to tackle the air box. It will look like this so far :
6) Remove the nuts on the firewall studs holding the airbox to the firewall. You have to pull the box (and the center section) completely away from the firewall to get it to clear these studs. To make clearance, the PCM (and it's cables) need to be pulled away, and set up on the shock tower. This is where the fun starts. The old center section will pull (slide?) right out once the airbox has been pulled away from the firewall clearing the studs. Putting the new center section does take some futzing, and you have to see it to understand how the edges of the stationary airbox has to slide thru (past) the slots in the ramped section on the back of the new center filter section :
7) Once in, you can put the new carbon enpregnated filter in:
8) The instruction booklet says to torque the nuts on the firewall studs down to 50-63 in-lbs. When you do, it feels like it will strip the threads. Felt like WAY too much torque to me. Do it in stages. Once you do reach that torque, it will completely pull the plastic edges of the airbox against the firewall firmly seating the plastic lips to the firewall (it becomes clear once you get to that torque) :
9) When reinstalling the square sheet-metal beam, the edges WILL scratch the paint a bit, but this area gets covered my the cowling. The torque of 25 ft-lbs feels like a LOT, but this is somewhat of a structural member, so I guess this torque is Ok.
9) Reinstalling the "muckett" on the passenger side takes some work, since as mentioned above, you are reusing a Scrivit that is moulded inside, and the barbs will have got messed up some (and facing against the grain). When the cowling is replaced, you may see a gap between the windshield sealing surface. I'm not sure how to fix this, as it becomes apparently clear that this part of the cowling, together with that silly 1/4 turn hold down screw was designed by some junior high kids at a Science Fair project while on a sugar high while experimenting with 'crack' :
10) Reinstalling the actual windshield wipers is a tad of a challenge as well as you have to try to hold the spring-loaded wiper "straight" as you put it on the shaft trying to find the spline alignment that will put the wipers on the little white marks on the windshield. The Passengers side will line up, but the drivers side will be a tad above the white mark (just like it was before I started).
The torque on the nut for the stud to hold the wiper arm down seems too high. I never reached the 25 ft-lbs called for, and settled for what I "felt" was adequate.
Oh yeah, be VERY careful removing the mini Scrivits on the tapered rubber tips of the cowling that meets up with the very upper tip of the fenders near the door, - I handed up chipping the paint right on the corner of the upper tip of the fender with a small screw driver. Can't believe I did that. most of the chip is in the vertical section (inside) of the tip of the fender where you can't see it easy, but a very small portion is on the horizontal surface where you can see it if you look close enough.
Hope this helps, and hopeful it will remove that dust smell when ID10T's driving in front of me drive on the white line kicking up winters' sand/crap on the side (and center medium) of the streets. Why do people DO this anyhow? - I see this EVERY day on my way to work, - people on these 2-lane roads here in Seattle can't stay between the lines. Sheese.
MM3
Anyways, I did find a post here somewhere where someone offered a tip that you didn't need to replace the entire air box, just the center section. This is what I did.
The post I refer to above (which I will locate and post its' link) is pretty much accurate, but I did find a few twists to it all.
0) The "muckett" (cool name for a gizmo, isn't is?) on the passengers side has a full-size Scrivit moulded into it!, so be carefull when removing it, - you will need to re-install this muckett with a used Scrivit embedded into it (a challenge to do too). The thing they call a muckett is this little foamy piece :
1) You have to completely remove the square steel sheet metal member from the car and set it on the ground. Also, you have to pull out the scrivit-like barbed tip wire loom holder for the windshield wiper motor from the bottom of the drivers side of that square sheet metal beam:
2) Plus another one on the passengers side, plus a huge connection block also on the bottom side of the beam on the passengers side (which has 2 Scrivit-like barbs) :
3) Be careful when handling that square sheet metal beam, - its' edges are sharp, and you WILL be scraping paint with the edges, best you can hope for is to limit how much under hood paint that you do scratch. It also has a slot/fork that the windshield wiper mounting grommet slides into. You have to wrangle with it a bit to get it out. Get it out of the car, and set the damn thing down on the ground next to the plastic cowling piece that you took off :
4) The PCM on this car is HUGE!. After the beam is removed from the vehicle and set down on the ground, you have to get this PCM out of the way:
5) With everything removed as set aside, you are ready to tackle the air box. It will look like this so far :
6) Remove the nuts on the firewall studs holding the airbox to the firewall. You have to pull the box (and the center section) completely away from the firewall to get it to clear these studs. To make clearance, the PCM (and it's cables) need to be pulled away, and set up on the shock tower. This is where the fun starts. The old center section will pull (slide?) right out once the airbox has been pulled away from the firewall clearing the studs. Putting the new center section does take some futzing, and you have to see it to understand how the edges of the stationary airbox has to slide thru (past) the slots in the ramped section on the back of the new center filter section :
7) Once in, you can put the new carbon enpregnated filter in:
8) The instruction booklet says to torque the nuts on the firewall studs down to 50-63 in-lbs. When you do, it feels like it will strip the threads. Felt like WAY too much torque to me. Do it in stages. Once you do reach that torque, it will completely pull the plastic edges of the airbox against the firewall firmly seating the plastic lips to the firewall (it becomes clear once you get to that torque) :
9) When reinstalling the square sheet-metal beam, the edges WILL scratch the paint a bit, but this area gets covered my the cowling. The torque of 25 ft-lbs feels like a LOT, but this is somewhat of a structural member, so I guess this torque is Ok.
9) Reinstalling the "muckett" on the passenger side takes some work, since as mentioned above, you are reusing a Scrivit that is moulded inside, and the barbs will have got messed up some (and facing against the grain). When the cowling is replaced, you may see a gap between the windshield sealing surface. I'm not sure how to fix this, as it becomes apparently clear that this part of the cowling, together with that silly 1/4 turn hold down screw was designed by some junior high kids at a Science Fair project while on a sugar high while experimenting with 'crack' :
10) Reinstalling the actual windshield wipers is a tad of a challenge as well as you have to try to hold the spring-loaded wiper "straight" as you put it on the shaft trying to find the spline alignment that will put the wipers on the little white marks on the windshield. The Passengers side will line up, but the drivers side will be a tad above the white mark (just like it was before I started).
The torque on the nut for the stud to hold the wiper arm down seems too high. I never reached the 25 ft-lbs called for, and settled for what I "felt" was adequate.
Oh yeah, be VERY careful removing the mini Scrivits on the tapered rubber tips of the cowling that meets up with the very upper tip of the fenders near the door, - I handed up chipping the paint right on the corner of the upper tip of the fender with a small screw driver. Can't believe I did that. most of the chip is in the vertical section (inside) of the tip of the fender where you can't see it easy, but a very small portion is on the horizontal surface where you can see it if you look close enough.
Hope this helps, and hopeful it will remove that dust smell when ID10T's driving in front of me drive on the white line kicking up winters' sand/crap on the side (and center medium) of the streets. Why do people DO this anyhow? - I see this EVERY day on my way to work, - people on these 2-lane roads here in Seattle can't stay between the lines. Sheese.
MM3