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Replace Cabin Air Filter

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Rangerdavid, Jan 24, 2017.

  1. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Fortunately, that was 10 years ago - and I haven't encountered that again. I don't think the farmers were very happy with the locusts either - decimated crops.
     
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  2. Rangerdavid

    Rangerdavid Senior Member

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    My dealer said it looked like a mouse or something had gotten in there. I got a new filter yesterday at Auto Zone and I'm going to try replacing it today after work. Doesn't look that difficult.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  3. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    That doesn't sound good. Is there room for a mouse trap too?

    Seriously - it could be worth checking how the rodent actually got in there and if there is some way of preventing it next time.
     
  4. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    Years ago a mouse family decided to set up their wee bit housie¹ in the fan blower of my Toyota Corolla, and the solution (after evicting said wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie¹) was to place moth-balls in all the nooks and crannies aroud the garage, since they tend to seek the warmer places particularly with the onset of winter.

    ¹ - c'mon all ye Caladonians, today (Jan 25th) is the birthday of the Bard of Ayrshire!
     
  5. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    And I thought love bugs were bad!! Well, they are, but maybe not quite THAT bad. :eek::D
     
    #25 jerrymildred, Jan 25, 2017
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2017
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  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if you determine that a mouse was in there, start reading the mice threads here, and tie action before it becomes a bigger problem.
     
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  7. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    +1 on bisco's comment. Mice can do a LOT of very expensive damage.
     
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  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Ok that makes a lot of sense. And per all the other responders, it's the mouse that's first priority. Changing the filter would be like changing the bedsheets, lol.

    We had a small rat making him self at home in our garage and the engine compartment for a while. Luckily he/she didn't get into the car interior. It went on for a short while, knew he was in the garage, didn't realize he was also in the engine bay at first. He finally got the bum's rush one night: we were baby sitting a Shiba Inu, and he went ballistic when we let him out of the car in the garage: flushed the creature in short order, it scampered out into the night unscathed, but never returned. :)
     
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  9. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    You realise all self respecting Scotsmen will be piping up the mother of all hangovers right now. It will have been a lame night if they sober-up before St.Valentine's Day. :D:notworthy::sleep::confused:
     
    #29 RCO, Jan 25, 2017
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2017
  10. MikeDee

    MikeDee Senior Member

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    Fram filters are cheap and have carbon and baking soda added for odor control. No need for expensive Toyota filters.
     
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  11. Rangerdavid

    Rangerdavid Senior Member

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    OK, changed out the filter myself, and learned two things. 1. This is easy, literally took me less than 4 minutes. 2. DO NOT Buy a filter from Auto zone or Advanced Auto, as the filters they have that say they'll fit in the 2016 Prius, DO NOT FIT. I went to Toyota and bought one for like $18, and did it myself.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Any sign of the mouse? Or he was gone since the service department looked into it?
     
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  13. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Yeah, I made the same mistake in getting filters from Autozone. Same is true with engine air filter.
     
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  14. Rangerdavid

    Rangerdavid Senior Member

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    yeah, looked like something got in there, but they didn't chew through anything, just nibbled the inside of the filter a bit.

    Thanks for the heads up on the engine air filter!!!
     
    #34 Rangerdavid, Feb 3, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 28, 2017
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  15. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I made it work. Just had to use side cuts to snip off a little plastic that wouldn't let it lay flat. Still it's SUPPOSED to fit.
     
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  16. priusgto

    priusgto Active Member

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    IMHO, cabin air filters are just leaf catchers and only there to make money for dealerships. I take mine out at every oil change, dust it off with low pressure air and reinstall it.
     
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  17. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    That's usually all it needs. Mine was getting pretty nasty. Clogged with fine dust that wouldn't let go.
     
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  18. MikeDee

    MikeDee Senior Member

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    You can do that, but the activated charcoal, which controls odors, eventually gets used up. These filters capture pollen and dust, so they are more than leaf catchers.
     
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  19. priusgto

    priusgto Active Member

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    Yes the active carbon filters have a benefit to air quality, I'll give you that, especially if you spend many hours behind the wheel but I see no benefit in replacing the original (non-charcoal) leaf catcher with another unless it's plugged up and restricting airflow.
     
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  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    These cabin filters are a recent imposition, err, feature. Just saying.
     
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