Cabin filter?

[Bimati]

Does the VX have a cabin filter?

Now, before you start hatin' on me and throwing out one word answers, let me explain:

*Mom's Buick spews the smell of armadillo bung every time the car is turned on.
*I located the "air inlet" under the hood, and there's a big, horribly dirty and disgusting cabin filter shoved in there (bigger than the stock VX engine air filter).
*Went back and read the owners manual and it isn't mentioned anywhere.
*Auto Zone can't even order the filter, The Filter House just shrugged their shoulders, and the Buick dealer had one in stock, but Chester the Dillweed behind the counter didn't know a thing about them...

So, I found out that the Buick has a cabin filter so secret that it's developers were killed upon completion of the project.

At the VX only run in Moab, I was following Todd down a red dirt road at about 50 MPH, and the red dirt was shooting through my vents like the onset of a biblical plague (Hollywood style), so I'm guessing that we have no filter in the VX.

Has anyone fabbed one?
Any ideas?

Bim

[Ldub]

We have one...it's under the wiper arms & filters out particles (birds, bugs, other things that start with "B") down to about 1/4 inch.

[Joe_Black]

Actual cabin particulate filters are a recent and fairly engineered item, and usually touted as a "feature" and sometimes as an option. Mostly they're designed to minimize the intrusion of dust and allergens into the passenger cabin, although a few feature odor-fighting construction with activated charcoal or zeolite built into the filter material. You'll usually find these on European and luxury vehicles, almost never on a truck which Isuzu is very much. Our ventilation system is the standard plenum type where outside air enters through the vents ahead of the windshield and then feeds out of the plenum (big air box) into the cabin through the selected vent.

If you ever get some funkadelic odors then likely something has decided to take up damp residence either in the plenum, the plenum's likely plugged drain tubes or even the evaporator. There are a number of products for cleaning and removing such scents, but a good habit to get into is flushing a good amount of mild bleach water through the plenum intake to make sure the drains are clear.

[biju]

You two ALWAYS have me peeing my pants... total jokers...! If I wet myself one more time at work I swear I'm going to get fired!

Joe. Good info. So, think it's possible to fab up some sort of filter to reduce dust and maybe place it in one of the aformentioned plenum's.

-biju.

[Bimati]

Now that I have looked up the definition of plenum (I will be using that in sentences at the bar tonight), I thank you for the response.

So, since I occasionally still get red dirt flying out of the vents, my plenum needs cleaning? Are there any parts I can/should remove in this process, or just start drowning the wiper area in a mild bleach solution?

Any other cabin ventilation cleaning tips for the VX?

Bim

[Ldub]

You two ALWAYS have me peeing my pants... total jokers...! If I wet myself one more time at work I swear I'm going to get fired! -biju.

Haven't you started wearing Depends to work yet ???
I started a couple years ago & it's REALLy given my productivity a huge boost!
An added bonus...WAY fewer people I work with bother asking me stupid questions...or talk to me at all for that matter.

[Bimati]

Ldub,

You're wearing them on the outside of your pants aren't you? Thought so.

I had LCD screens installed in my head rests, but they get greasy every time I lean my head back............

Bim

[Ldub]

Ldub,

You're wearing them on the outside of your pants aren't you? Thought so.

Bim

Well duh...also using the optional rainbow suspenders.

[Tone]

Drop the fan (under the glove box) and check for debris. The evaporator may need cleaning with one of the spray products on the market or I believe some here have used regular cleaner but it does not evaporate. Whatever you use, make sure it is aluminum safe. I assume one can see the evaporator when the fan is out but most shops drill a small hole in the outer plastic and squirt it in that way.