Truck Cabin Air Filter

[topgun2]

My 2017 Ford F-150 only has 31,000 miles on it.  But, I decided that it was time to replace the cabin air filter and with temperatures in the mid to high 70 yesterday it was just about the perfect day to do this small job.

After watching several YouTube videos on the subject, I got out my automobile trim removal tools and a 7mm socket and got to work.  Perhaps because this was the first time various parts of the dashboard had been removed it seemed to take a bit more force than I expected to get the trim to "pop" loose.  But all went as planned until I removed the old air filter and found this:

 

 

My first thought was that a rodent was building a nest.  But there are no signs of droppings, chew marks or any other of the usual rodent calling cards.  In addition, there is no sign of any of this type of "insulation" material anywhere near the dash.  My best guess is that it has been there since the truck was built.  Given the dirt roads I've been down and the general environments I've camped in, I'm a bit surprised that this filter wasn't even dirtier, but, I'm still very glad that I replaced it.

 Bill

[John E Davies]

Maybe cottonwood seeds? Those look similar and they do make a real mess.
 

My daughter’s Outback had a huge mouse nest, blocking about 90% of the airflow. Yuck, fortunately no signs of chewed wires, just grass and fur.

Regardless, you should be changing that filter annually. Cheap generics are fine if changed frequently.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[topgun2]

Nope - insulation and/or "stuffing" (as in for furniture) of some sort.  Nothing organic.

Bill

[Overland]

I've changed the filter on my F150 and didn't see anything like that.  No idea.  

Also no idea why Ford makes it so difficult to get to that filter.

[topgun2]

43 minutes ago, Overland said:

Also no idea why Ford makes it so difficult to get to that filter.

Yes - it should be easier to get to this filter.  Once you get over the nerves involved with those "crunching" sounds as you hope and pray that you are not actually cracking/breaking pieces of the dashboard, the process isn't really that hard - about 10 minutes start to finish.

Bill

[bhncb]

That looks like a firewall insulation, sucked into the filter by the fan. Telltail evidence is likely upstream in the intake ducting somewhere.

Edited March 27, 2021 by bhncb

[IL_Travelers]

I switched my vehicles' cabin filters to K&N Washable Cabin Filters.  Also purchased their spray kit for cleaning.  These filters are great!  Really help filter the allergens, too.  They last a long time.

[topgun2]

IL-T

I've used a K&N for the engine air intake for years now and have been very happy with it. 

Bill

[JRK]

Glad it wasn't mice or rats. I had mice in the engine compartment of my older Ford F-250 that chewed the ignition wires and radio wiring. And rats in my Toyota Tacoma cabin air filter, for years. I'd clean them out, they would return. Even killed one with the fan. Had them around my circuit breaker panel in the house, too. When I stopped feeding the birds, the rodents went to my neighbor's. I did find out that a lot of electrical wiring insulation is soy based, so the wiring manufacturers use rodent food. 

John