I replaced the cabin air filter on my 2003 the other day, I bought it after it had been rarely driven for serveral years so it had plenty of time for stuff to build up and get sucked in the few times it had been driven. The air filter was black and the were so many leaves and oak seeds that were stuck in it, I was amazed that I had any air at all coming from it. However, when I removed the air filter, some of those leaves fell down onto the fan and it makes this awful noise. I was looking at how to remove the blower to clean it out and I found this terrifying looking image instructing me to cut part of the glove box reinforcement off. It then says to replace it with some part that seems to be impossible to buy. "At the time of installation, please refer to the following item. Install the glove compartment door reinforcement (supply parts), instead of cutting reinforcement. Part No.: 55558-47010" Doing this, on top of having to remove the ECM, seems kinda insane. Do I have any other options? Or is there a place to get that part for a not insane price?
Yes, that filter holder design is one of the things that Toyota didn't get right. I've had mouse evidence in mine; one solution is to cut out a square of 1/4 inch galvanized mesh screen and place that under the retainer tabs ahead of (i.e., on top of) the filter. At least the mice won't be able to chew the filter. If you're careful, you can pull the filter out slowly with a vacuum running, and suck up the debris on the filter as you withdraw it; that should get most of the stuff. For what's already fallen down into the fan housing, Chap's advice is good to follow. As for the fan/motor, it's possible to r-and-r without cutting the plastic; my mechanic did that a few months ago. There was a thread on the forum where one of our members did just that, with clear instructions. The fan/motor assembly is listed in a number of on-line sources, at various prices. After 24 years, the assembly of my '02 was definitely tired and noisy, so I had my mechanic do the entire r-and-r job, at a total cost of over $300. Worth every penny, and done right.
Yeah mice (or rats, or squirrels) is the first thing that comes to mind. Galvanized steel mesh with a 1/4” spacing is readily available from hardware stores. Id recommend to completely stop them getting into cabin: cover the cabin air intake open in the engine bay firewall, secure it with sheet metal screws or pop rivets. You’ll need to remove wipers, their linkage and motor, and underlying metal cowl, if it’s similar to layer gens. There’s also a pair of air exit openings, in the rear hatch area, but maybe not as critical. another good place to mesh is the engine air filer intake snorkel, in case rodents want to take up residence there. Toyota could do customers a favour, mesh these zones at the factory.
