Dumb question about air filters.

[Montego Murph]

So here's something that perplexes me.

Every year I replace my cabin air filter and engine air filter at the same time.

The engine air filter is always a little dusty at best, maybe a few leaf particles or a bug in there, but always clean enough to make me wonder if I'm changing it too early.

The cabin air filter is always completely packed with filth. No evidence of a rodent burrowing, but just road junk. Leaves. dust and dirt. twigs. Enough to make me wonder if I should be changing it 2x a year.

Both filters are operating at roughly the same number of hours. If nothing else, the cabin filter would be sucking in LESS air since sometimes the fan is on low, or I have the system off with the windows down. The engine air filter is ALWAYS pulling air through when the truck is in use.

Why would this be?

 

[Inv4drZm]

The outlet location for each is completely different. The engine sucks air from your wheel well, the cabin sucks air from the hood cowl on the passenger side.

I bet you park under trees a lot?

 

[riceandpho]

you can open the hood, and remove the cowl at the windshield and see how much leaves and other stuff there, just get a vacuum to it if its dirty, then see if the next filter change gets the same dirty look, also do you clean the inside of your truck often? at least vacuum the passenger side foot area.

 

[Montego Murph]

Ok, these answers make sense I guess. The truck does get parked outside 90% of the time but not directly under trees, and the interior is kept very clean, it rarely goes 2 weeks without a driveway detail job.

Because of where the engine intake is, I'd guess that air would be dirtier as it's sucking in road dust and such.

As always, thank you for indulging my idiot questions.

 

[ZebRuaj]

I replace my cabin filters at the earliest signs of dust and pollen. Never bothered me in my younger years. Does now as I age.

I'm still surprised by the amount of folks who don't know about the cabin air filter.

Just replaced a family member's 5 yr old car with the original cabin filter. Was amazed that the blower was pushing any air thru the vents. Had to bust out the shop vac. Was waiting to see if it would suck out a rodent or two.

On the other hand, I've read that some folks just cut up a furnace filter to size to replace the cabin filter. It's been itching my curiosity to attempt it too.

 

[WI_4Runner]

Have noticed the same with my two filters...Cabin = filthy engine = only slightly dirty.

 

[Montego Murph]

I'm still surprised by the amount of folks who don't know about the cabin air filter.

Against my better principles, I got into it with someone on a Hyundai facebook group (was looking up something for my nieces' ride.) She was complaining that her HVAC was barely blowing even though the fan made noise, and it smelled bad.

I told her to replace the filter, and she went on and on about "there you go, just like the dealer, trying to rip me off and make me buy some filter that doesn't even exist." There must have been 10 other people posting photos saying "Look, it's right here. We have the same exact car." She refused to even verify that she had one because "we were trying to rip her off." Not exactly sure what *we* were getting out of the deal, other than feeling foolish for essentially yelling at a wall....

 

[Tanker Yanker]

Against my better principles, I got into it with someone on a Hyundai facebook group (was looking up something for my nieces' ride.) She was complaining that her HVAC was barely blowing even though the fan made noise, and it smelled bad.

I told her to replace the filter, and she went on and on about "there you go, just like the dealer, trying to rip me off and make me buy some filter that doesn't even exist." There must have been 10 other people posting photos saying "Look, it's right here. We have the same exact car." She refused to even verify that she had one because "we were trying to rip her off." Not exactly sure what *we* were getting out of the deal, other than feeling foolish for essentially yelling at a wall....

Probably the same kind of person you could convince to replace all the air in the tires once a year or change out muffler bearings lmao!

 

[grave]

perfect candidate for the ol' blinker fluid con job.