KJSmitty

Well, after reading several threads about glove box/housing removal and cabin filter replacements, at 26 months old it was time for me to attack my 04 TL. After easily removing the passenger black under dash panel, my direction was clear.

Now,
Quite awhile back I was chatting with another forum member who mentioned he decided to cut an access hole so he wouldn't have to remove the entire glove box housing each time he changes the cabin filter. Sorry I don't remember who that was but he does get credit for my much reduced time of TL maintenance.

What I discovered is that their is plenty of room to safely create this neat/nifty filter access hole while doing nothing more than just removing the glove box door. With my trusty/seasoned dremel tool with cutting disc I was able to make an approximate 3" by 11" opening that allows the filter to just slide right out. Now you can change filters easily by removing just the two door stops and regulator/strut on the right side. Just let the door hang down and R-&-R the filter. I'm not sure why Acura didn't engineer something like this in the first place...

While I was at it I even lubed up some of the housing fasteners that were causing the unwanted/infamous glove box rattle.
-- So if your thinking about changing your cabin filter but figured it was too much work,,, this mod may sound a little unorthodox but not only can it not be seen when complete, structurally its sound and it makes changing the filter a snap.

If anyone is interested in pictures, PM me with an address and I'll email you some.

Thanks for the assist Acurazine/members

SweetJazz

Thanks for the info. It's probably more beneficial if you simply posted the pics so that everyone may take a look and decide if they want to do the mod.

KJSmitty

I have no idea how to do that.....

Ron A

Thanks to KJSmitty, here are the pictures. Great mod, great pictures, great idea.

zootjeff

Does this mod change the flow of air for the return air having a hole there??

Where does the recirculate air come from anyway, does it suck it from behind the glove box?

-Jeff

KJSmitty

You are correct, the recirculate air "intake is directly above the filter housing. I can't imagine cutting the access hole would have any effect or difference for that matter on the recirculating air. Behind the panel that is cut it is not a sealed off area etc.. Having the glove box shut would also limit the amount of air flow through the access hole.

**Good thinking though.

That idea did not cross my mind - but due to the "openness" within the dash area where the recirculate intake is, I can't imagine it would cause any differences in heater/AC operation/effectiveness. If it does prove to be an issue, I will fabricate the appropriate cover.

Now, if you decided to store a dead rodent or dirty diaper in your glove box,,,, you may have an issue. :-)


Cheers

TBone2004

yo man that was me!...glad it worked out so well...you have helped me a few times in the past - glad I could return the favor....can't wait till it is time to change my filter again....might even let my 3 year old do it

SouthernBoy

Yeah really.. this job is a royal pain in the butt. I'm at odds as to whether or not I want to do this, but it would sure make life easier for a ridiculouly designed component which requires periodic replacements.

Nice job!

Gunsnroses316

hey guys just replaced cabin air filter but i broke one of the clamps on the left side while pulling the grey plastic cover behind the glove box, should i buy a new cover for that and if so anyone knows how much cost? i put the cover back on after replacement of cabin filter and so far everything is fine. Mine is a 04TL later vin 06XXXX . it is totally different from what its mentioned here, there are no clips to lower the glovebox , U just have to compress the sides and its out . Its scary to pull the grey plastic cover , putting it back is easy.

bklynpanman

such a pointless mod.. takes 2 seconds to take off the entire glove box housing..

aerocorp005

Is it the same procedure for 2006 TL's as well? I don't think I could bring myself to cut a hole in my dash, whether it be visable or not.

SouthernBoy

If you can remove the "entire glove box housing" in 2 seconds, I'll give you $100.

crazytsxmods

I'm with southernboy. That glove box removal is a bitch. If you plan on keeping the car for a while and have allergies like I do and change the filter every 15000-20000 miles. thats 5 changes or so in 4 years. That will wear down the materials and chance stripping the 2 screw holes that the glove box screws into. Not to mention the plastic were the clips attach wears down after every removal/install. Acura should have made the car with this cuttout but it is to make the average joe rely more on the dealer and they make more money. I will be doing this mod.

TBone2004

SouthernBoy

Yeah, I'm afraid that after several times doing this, I'm gonna break something. The first time I did it was last spring and a little piece of "tab?" plastic broke off.

KJSmitty did a super job with his cutting. I really looks great and makes the change S-O-O-O-O much easier.

bored7one4

i wonder if you can cut this with an razor blade??? i dont have a any power tools to cut the hole. ???

mangust

This mod is defintely worth the effort. I just did my first cabin filter replacement at 20K. First, I decided to go the by-the-book approach. After severeal hard pulls I had the housing off... and a badly cut finger. The metal housing clips are very thight and in several places they are attached to plastic tabs. In addition, the self-tapping screws holding the glove box will definetly strip the housing after a few removals.
Still, the first time through I suggest the housing to be removed. There are wires behind the housing so you need to be carefull not to go deep when cutting. It is safer and much easier to position the housing and cut the oppening when the housing is off. I used dremel.
At 20K the filter was quite dirty, so I'll stick to the 12K schedule. With this mod a replacement will take only a minute.

darksom1

When I was looking at this mod, I noticed those wires as well. I am not due for this mod yet, but I will take it off fully the first go around, and THEN cut it while it's off with the dremel. No sense taking chances. I wonder if KJ did it that way when he did it? Either way, hella mod and no doubt the way to go! I have no qualms whatsoever doing this as it will be covered anyway, even with the glovebox open. Thanks KJ!

theone

wheres a good place to actually to buy the filter?

erdoc48

I bought mine (non charcoal) at Advance Auto Parts for ~ $10.50 (it's a Purolator)
Thanks to everyone at Acurazine, it really did take only 10 minutes from start to finish.
The clips are a little difficult (plastic ones that hold the glovebox to the dash), but you just have to have a little faith and pull with the hope you don't break anything plastic.

All in all, a huge savings over having it done at the dealership.

ARX-01b

iTrader: (1)

Nice Job KJ. I tackled this mod this evening and it only took avout :30 minutes to complete. Now I'm able to get to the filter in less than five seconds without breaking anything to get to it. I'll probably start changing my filter yearly instead of once every 3-4 years.

Just a side note on the project, if you have the ebony interior the large hole is barely noticable even with the glove box out.

KJSmitty

Well done! You will probably notice that the filter gets dirty about every 6 months.. Like you said however, given the ease of changing it now, frequency is no issue.

Thanks


I never did see mangusk or darksoms post from back in May/Jun.. I did mine without taking the assembly off at all. Just carefully looked up underneath etc. to ensure I wouldn't cut anything besides the plastic. I don't remember their being any wires that concerned me.

Cheers all

ARX-01b

iTrader: (1)

There are wires in the upper right corner, but you won't cut them if you go straight accross at the corner cutout . I took mine out and of course broke a clip, but my cuts are straight as I was able to put the Rotozip cutting wheel on it and use my hand as a guide.

KJSmitty

At 82 years old straight cuts probably are quite difficult.. :-) :-)


(Now if thats your real age,,, poor humor on my part )

darksom1

As for cutting with the housing still mounted, the reason I still want to take it out is because it looks like, from the pics, such a small area to work in and still be careful with the dremel. Now, when I actually go out and look at it, if the area to cut in is ok for my hands and the dremel, then I will do it the same way KJ did.

This is one of the more functional mods I can do to my car! Again, thanks to KJSmitty for the hook-up! It's a long weekend so seeing this thread again has motivated me to get out there and do that mod, even though at 11,700 mls, I am a little ways off from needing it (15K). At least I'll be ready when I do! I think the perfect time to replace is annually just before pollen season!

Papaman677

I removed mine about a month ago and I think I must have broke half the clips in it. When I popped it off, 1 or 2 metal tabs popped and fell into the back of the housing, or whatever it's called. I also broke 2 plastic pieces. In the end, everything was put back together, no rattles or anything, but I thought it was a pain in the ass. I wish at the time when I had everything apart I cut a hole in it. I'm afraid to take it apart again and breaking a few more plastic pieces. I'm far from being a mechanic obviously. I just couldn't see spending $100 or however much it costs to have Acura do it.

ballinfizzle89

iTrader: (6)

Damnit, this thread just reminded me, I have to change mine

ltcjmb

I did the cut w/o removing the whole box, no problems.

THis was a fantastic idea, should've been done by Acura.

JAKE2000

Great mod! With Dremel it took 15 min.--can be done with a straight edge but would take much longer.

TheBigWhite 21

How can i access the Main air filter of the 06 TL?

Ron A

It's in the 3G Garage

F-129: DIY: Replacing Engine Air Filter
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1159175

GLowrdr

Just a quick question before I attempt this rightous mod...

Looking at the pictures, it looks like the upper right part of the glovebox is not attached any longer. Is this going to be an issue with rattles or anything?

I guess if I go and look at mine, it may make more sense.

darksom1

No rattles...



...no cover!

Thanks KJ!

KJSmitty

You are correct,
Given the location of my air filter, the upper right side portion of the cut extended further than one would like. However, this made no apparent "structural" integrity issues or rattles. All dashes/filter housings may not be aligned the same, thus as you make your cut make the determination then if yours requires the rectangular hole to extend that far to the right. Mine was literally only off by about 1/4 inch or so. Bottom line, if you don't need to cut through on the upper right it would be better structurally not to - but not critical.
This is one reason I felt it better to perform the cut while the glove box housing was still in the car. That way you can adjust the size of your opening as you go, depending on your dashes/housing alignment. For this, start your cut in the middle and work outward etc..

Good luck

KJSmitty

TBone2004 was the master/visionary...

I did figure however that this would have been a factory hole by now......? Do the 07/08 TL's still require the glove box housing to be removed etc.?


Cheers all.

scv76_

I just looked behind my 07's liner, and looks as if it is still solid plastic

BlackFlag

Just did mine with a hot knife. took 15 minutes and didn't have to take apart my virgin dash. Filter has obviously never been changed, even though the dealer i bought it from claimed they did as part of certification. Bastards.

NighthawkBlue

1. Will this same exact mod work on the 2001 CLs?

Privdog

thank you once again AZ and Tbone for pioneering. bought my car with 80k on it so I have no clue when the last time it was changed, if ever.. looks pretty nasty.


I'll feel much better knowing that that nasty thing is outta there.. now when i get past a 100k changing it won't be near as bad..

MaszTL

Finally took the time to do the cut out mod today. I own a 04 WDP TL and found that my glove box had no clips to undo to drop it out of the way. Here are some pics I took...





After cutting...