2004 Honda Civic LX 1.7 Replacing the Cabin Air Filter

This 2004 Honda Civic LX with the 1.7 engine, came into the shop for a couple of issues.  One thing that we did while we had it was to change the cabin air filter/pollen filter. (It goes by different names depending on manufacturer.)

On this make and model, the cabin air filter is located behind the glove box. The purpose of this filter is to remove odor from the HVAC system, allowing good, fresh air to come into the passenger department.

First, access the glove box. Open the glove box. In order to get to the filter, you will need to drop the glove box down out of the way.

Below, you will see that Honda did a good job making the process much easier than it is on some other makes. You will notice the tabs on the inside of the glove box on the inside. I have my flashlight shining on these tabs.

Next, pop these tabs out and pull them out of the glove box.  The next picture shows the tab popped out of place.

Next, simply push the tab out of position and pull it out.  Below, is what the tab looks like removed.

Now that the glove box will drop down out of the way, the filter housing is easily accessible.

Next, pop the cover off the housing to access the filter.  Below, is the cover removed.

With the cover removed, you can now see the filter in the housing.  Pull the old filter out.  As you can see below, this filter was very dirty and in dire need of replacing.

In the next pic is the new filter.

Now, place it inside the housing.

Then replace the cover over the filter in the housing.

Reattach the tabs in the glove box. This can be a little tricky.  You have to make sure the glove box is partially closed, so the tabs are on the other side of the stoppers.  Once they are in place, close the glove box.

And that's it.  These filters should be changed regularly according to the maintenance schedule.  Check your make and model's info for details.  (Note: not all vehicles come equipped with a cabin air filter. There are some others that did not come installed with one from the factory, but can be added if you want one . . . a Nissan Xterra comes to mind as one of these.)

Cabin air filters should also be replaced if you are constantly getting odor out of your HVAC registers/vents. Or if your HVAC system is not blowing air out as strongly as it once did, this filter could be the cause.