BrakeExpert

Well many new cars come with air filters for the car's cabin. After 20 years, a car may have a bad smell. Cleaning the car's seats, floormats and dash may keep it 'clean' but that smell can come from the ducting of the car's ventilation - its heating and air conditioning system. The plastic pipes and foam inside can collect dust and turn to a "musky" smell over time. Newer cars have paper air filters to filter in air that comes in, or recirculates in the car, keeping all this dust from collecting and keeping the car's air cleaner and fresher. As you know, the 01 and up civics come with this standard, but the EK chassis does not. However, it can be somewhat of a bolt in for 99 and 00 Civics.

This is why you may want to put in the air filter. It would collect all the dust and leaves drawn into the car, instead of them collecting in the car's air conditioning coil like so:





This is after I pulled it from the car, and after some more pinestraw and leaves fell out of it when i tilted it. The filter goes right before the coil and keeps all the dust from collecting on the evaporator, which gets cold and wet when it is removing the moisture from the air. When you shut the car down, this dust is gonna stick on the coils, and over say 13 years, may start to smell.


For 99 And 00 Civics, you may purchase the factory air filter frame, filter, and foam seal for it for a 2001 Honda CR-V and after you remove the glove box and lower frame, it is a BOLT IN.

For 96-98 Civics, some of us do not have the evaporator box style with the "lid" on the front where it slides in. The shape of the box and the different shaped coil (though identically functioning) does not allow a filter in there. So you can get creative, or get to hybridizing parts.

DIY: Honda cabin air filter for EK Honda Civics

99-00 Civics with a/c

For Those of us with EKs after the mid model change, this frame, filter and seal can be acquired and installed simply by removing the glove box, unscrewing the 6 bolts to the bottom frame where it bolts, and removing the plastic lid from the car's evaporator. This simply goes in. Unfortunatly for all of us, to change the filter, yeah, the glove box has to come out. If you want to cut the frame in half, I suppose you could, but for me, i'll just make it a once a year thing to change it.

96-98 Civics with a/c

Well this isn't a bolt on, so sucks for us. My evap was dirty and my high pressure a/c valve (the shrader valve) was leaking, so I got a used evaporator from a 99 Civic. Yes it is interchangable, and can fit in the car like stock, and does have the different shaped coil and lid to allow a factory box. So I removed the stock evaporator's screws and the two bolts for the hardlines in the engine bay per the Helm's manual, and put the 99-00 Civic evaporator in. It works!

96-00 Civics without a/c

Since you guys don't have a/c, there is no evaporator, but the blower and heater core which it sits between are identical. There is just a plastic box for the air to go through. You can get a busted 99-00 Civic evaporator assembly for cheap and open the box, throw away the coil, and voila. You now have a bigger box that sits between the blower and heater core. Because of the shape of the box, if you use that factory foam seal, the air filter can still sit in there without the coil I believe and you will still have the air filter fit as stock.


A/C notes:

Remember that if you have air conditioning and you are exchanging the evaporator like I am, that a/c should be recovered with a machine, and breathing in a large quantity of refrigerant (like if you inhale when you disconnect it and the whole system puffs it all out), it can make you sick, and I don't mean a cough, I mean physically ill.

If you are lazy and vent it into the atmosphere and then have a shop recharge it, let them know what you did. The internals of an a/c system shouldn't really ever wear, but if you expose it at low pressure to air, the moisture in the air will **** it up, so don't touch it till you get to a shop and let them 'vacuum' out the air in the system before they put in any refrigerant.

This may be a pain, but for me, I put in an evaporator core that I cleaned and will now stay clean courtesy of an air filter. Next step...disassemble the whole dash and clean out all the plastic air ducting so the car can be totally clean like it was from the factory.

The actual installation of a new a/c evaporator box for 96-98 civics is simple. You must remove the glovebox's lower frame (there are 6 bolts). It's held on by 6 or 7 phillips head screws (10mm socket will work) and the two 10mm bolts in the engine bay to attach the a/c hardlines to the evaporator box. These are located behind the battery (you will have to remove the battery via the 10mm bolts. Again remember that when disconnecting a/c to plug the ports if they are left that way for a while, and you WILL need to have the system vacuumed and recharged afterwards. Do NOT inhale the refrigerant!

Hope this helps!

EsotericImage

iTrader: (8)

nice write up, just a little too late, NOFX covered it a while back

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/how-cabin-air-filter-1998-2000-civic-2112319/


EDIT: His is for the 98-00 civic.. I see you have the 96-97 covered..

00_EKHatch

Good stuff man. Glad to know.

s13hero

Good information, for more information, with part numbers, etc, see this thread: https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/%5Bdiy%5D-interior-cabin-air-c-filter-retrofit-5g-92-95-delsol-6g-96-00-civic-2552431/

BrakeExpert

Sorry guess this was covered already. I'll try and find a mod to delete this then.

seeodywhy

I have a 96 Hatch. Does this mean that if I get an evap housing from a 99-00 I can get the piece you described from the crv to put cabin filters in my car?

Black R

What about other years / models?

I'm interested for EF civics and dc2's.

BrakeExpert

seeodywhy, yes you can get the box from a 99 civic and put it right in your 96

Black R, this covers the EK's cabin filter mod. There IS one for DC integras/EG Civics. You can use the evaporator box from a newer Integra (01 or I assume any that are after the mid model change, so itd be 98 and newer) or the evaporator box from a 97-01 CRV. Either of these boxes are interchangable with all EGs and all DCs, there are write ups out there with pictures, I've seen it done so I can guarantee it.

I personally don't know about EFs, search around, it may be doable.