youngdoog Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 I dropped the cover under the passenger side dash. Easy. Removed the plenum wing nuts, and took off the narrow access cover. Easy. Spent the rest of the day trying how to reach, and remove the filters. They are about 1 foot above the access opening. Since the access opening is only about 1" wide, the question is- How do I reach the filters? I can't get my hand in, so even my 12" needle nose pliers are useless. I tried for an hour, but I couldn't even imagine what tool will work. I guess it would need to be a pair of 2' long, skinny needle noses? With nibs on the end to allow me to get a strong grip? I appreciate your help. You're allowed to laugh, smarties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS/RXKevin Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 Youngdoog: I'm suprised that you can not reach the filters. Are you sure that there are filters in there? Maybe a screwdriver can be used to loosten them. Sounds like they may have been pushed up or improperly installed. They should be kind of floating in slots both above and below kind of tongue and groove fit. I have added a picture to show you what you are fishing for. Doc1.doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngdoog Posted March 19, 2004 Author Share Posted March 19, 2004 Thanks, Kevin. Yes, the drawing fits what what I am looking at. But I still have the same problem. The access opening, with the wing nut releases, lets me peer into a space where I can barely see the bottom of the filters with a strong light. I measured 11" from the access opening (1" wide) to the bottom of the filter. As so, it seems to be unreachable. I think that we're talking about the correct filters, since there is one filter offset, and even harder to reach than the obvious one. Which has been pointed out on 2 other discussions I have found here. It would seem that the only way for a normally constructed human being to access the filters would be to remove the encasing plenum-but since it is a pressure vessel, I don't think that this would be smart-the A/C airflow needs to be solidly encased in the plenum. So I am still stuck. Thanks for your help. Has anyone else looked through the access opening, and been able to remove the filters? 94 LS400. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngdoog Posted March 19, 2004 Author Share Posted March 19, 2004 Kevin, I just had a thought. Yes, I can see the bottom of the filters in the plenum. And they are 11" or so from the opening below. But your helpful drawing seems to show split or at least 2 part filters on each one. Could it be that I'm seeing the bottom of an upper portion of the filter, and that the bottom filter portion is missing? I do see side splines all the way down to the access opening, but no filters. Yet I can also see the front of the "radiator" i.e. cooling fins, which are totally exposed. I wonder if the high dollar experts at Lexus or somewhere else simply removed some of the filter, in response to a complaint about decreased flow, or smells. Gee, save 100% on materials, and charge 100% for labor? It's obvious that somebody worked in this area, since there are plastic tie-downs on the foolish pressure clips which always fall out, and get lost on the fascia covers.. Comments appreciated. By the way, I just found out that the previous owner of this beautiful car is 70 years old, owns a gypsum supply company, and would never have been found under the passenger side dashboard. So I think now that either Lexus or an Indie got lazy-or greedy-or confused.. Comments appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS/RXKevin Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 Youngdoog, This is not brain surgery, Joke! I doubt that you have filters in place. The two filters fit in parallel north and south if the car is facing north. Are you sure that you are seeing some grey matter up there. Actually they are a dark grey rubber in color here in Texas. All joking aside. The filters if they exist can be touched with your finger and should almost fall out. I think that you are seeing the top of the grouve in the top of the filter housing. I would recommend purchasing the filters and this will help you understand what you are up against. I may have additional pictures if you are interested. But this is the best that I have seen given the 100K limit on pix size. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS/RXKevin Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 OOPS! to be clear the first filter should drop out the second (north most) needs to be coaxed south over the opening to be removed. They will have to be bent slightly to avoid interference with the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngdoog Posted March 20, 2004 Author Share Posted March 20, 2004 Thanks, Kevin. I lived in Katy, Woodlands, Sugarland, etc., and knew a lot of auto pros in Houston-like you. Anyway, I went ahead and made up a temp filter which will suffice until I get a new set. I'm just amazed that the previous owner-a one owner car-wouldn't have had A/C air filters in the car. That's why I was fooled. Especially since he had the regular dealer recommended service/ransom performed. And the car is flawless and dingless. Live and learn..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS/RXKevin Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 I'm in Clear Lake area. Sure to bump into each other here. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickg Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 youngdoog: I just changed mine, and threw out the instructions, but my recollection is that it is impossible to get any one of the filters up 11" - the filters themselves are about 10 to 11" long. If you can see the evaporator fins - I would think the filters are not in there at all. You need to drop each filter out, bend it pretty severely toward the transmission hump, and drop the top portion out. Same for the second unit. Get a quote from Irontoad - good price, and delivery. Genuine Toyota / Lexus parts in original Japanese packaging! Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngdoog Posted March 23, 2004 Author Share Posted March 23, 2004 Mick, you are correct-there were never any filters to be found in the A/C plenum. I was fooled, since the previous owner left me with a nearly perfect car. I just wonder why there were no A/C filters in a desert car, where the only potential problems always relate around dust accumulation. For example, my remote gas cover wouldn't open today. Lubrication and a little twisting of the "nib" operator solved the problem. Thanks for your help. I'll order the filters tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngdoog Posted April 7, 2004 Author Share Posted April 7, 2004 Got the filters from autopartstogo.com for $36 plus $5 shipping-installed in 20 minutes. Life is good-thanks all for your help. Can't believe there was no filter in the plenum-Bet Lexus makes a bundle this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.