Change the Cabin Filter in a 2003 Ford Taurus
This article will explain how to install a cabin air filter in a 2003 Ford Taurus. For those that suffer from allergies or find debris on their dashboard when they use the climate controls, this will surely help.
Steps
- The Cabin Filter is not unlike the standard air filters you replace regularly. The difference is that this one is a bit thinner/smaller.
- Locate the passenger side cowl. In plain English, this is the plastic piece just below where your window wipers sit when they are at rest. There are two "cowls" One on the driver side, one on the passenger side. You will be removing the passenger side only.
- With the hood up, stand at the front, passenger side of your car. Face your front windshield and look for a series of small metal retaining clips at the base of the cowl (closest to the engine, not the windshield) You will remove the first three only - counting from the passenger side toward the center. One clip holds the left and right cowls where they meet.
- Use a very thin screwdriver or knife to carefully pry up the retaining clips and work them off the cowl. Set these aside in a safe place. Close your hood. Gently lift the rubber seal that is molded to the cowl from the windshield and locate the four more retaining clips. These don't come off, as the others did. Simply insert a small flat head screwdriver and press down on the barbed portion of the clip to release it. For ease of access, you may want to lift the wiper into the up position. Just don't forget to lay it back down before you open the hood again.
- Open the hood and remove the cowl. It should come loose quite easily.
- Find the plastic visor that fits over the filter, but was under the cowl you just removed. There is rubber seal that runs along the top of it and is not necessary to remove. Look just under the visor and you'll see the Cabin Air Filter. The left side of the visor is a friction fit. The right side has a simple snap clip molded in to the plastic visor. Lift up on the visor. The snap clip should release itself with gentle pressure. Now you should be able to reach in and remove the Cabin Air Filter.
- Use a shop vac to remove any large debris like leaves, bugs, etc. from the surrounding housing/area.
- Replace the filter and set the visor by pushing it back into place.
- Simply reverse these instructions to put everything else back together.
- Close the hood. Done!
