Cabin filter wet

[jamesbe]

Hey guys,

So I've had my LX for 3 years now. Every spring and fall the cabin filter gets soaked, I dry it out and all is well, when it's wet there is no airflow so ... no heat.

We don't drive the truck often so I thought all the moisture in the air was accumulating but I drove it Tuesday and it was dry then last yesterday it rained a ton, get in it today, no heat. The filter was SOAKED.

I can only assume that there is some drain blockage maybe under the cowl? Lots of pine needles around my place.

Anyone have any hints how to get the cowl off and poke around in there, or where to look? Anyone else have this issue? Thanks!

 

[jamesbe]

Thanks, that's a good first step, I never open the thing so possible, I did buy it used.

 

[Sinister]

Woops I cursed out of the chat room, didn't know that was forbidden and my post was deleted. Yeah I would check the subfloor drains, it's possible the inside filter could be getting wet in there from that. It's a long shot but worth a look, good luck.

 

[jamesbe]

Yeah so I blew out the sunroof drains but I don't think they were clogged at all.

I took the cowl off to try to understand and see if there was a drain on the cowl or something. What I saw next blew me away.

Once you remove the cowl, the filter is right there, exposed to the elements. How water doesn't ALWAYS get on there I don't know. If you have the recirc on then the door blocks the air from outside and therefore stops the filter from getting wet, but with recirc off then the filter is directly exposed to the elements.

Now there is a rubber seal that meets the base of the windshield and the cowl and it is possible that is suppose to stop water from getting in. I've cleaned it up and I'll seal it on and see if that helps. Nothing clogged, but there is litteraly nothing blocking that filter anyways.

Also explains how a mouse can get in there now!

 

[jamesbe]

Here is a photo of what I'm talking about.

 

[thzpcs]

Is that under where the cabin filter is?

 

[jamesbe]

That's under the cowl under the hood.

Further investigation shows there is a plastic protector on the cowl, that I assume stops water getting to the filter.

I can only assume after taking it apart the water is getting in by dripping down the windshield, slipping under the cowl rubber seal.

I cleaned it up and applied silicone lube. It shrinks in the cold so maybe it's not sealing properly. So weird.

 

[jamesbe]

I think I figured out the issue. On my car when you park it automatically goes into recirculation which protects the filter from getting wet. For some reason truck isn't doing that

The lights on the dash do not indicate that it switches but it does. Turn it back on and it flips back.

It might be a time delay or something that happens on shut down because I don't see it happen unless I drive car then check.

Anyone out there able to check their recirculation door after having their truck parked for a bit?

 

[jamesbe]

I think this will fix it.

 

[Like2Detail]

I work at a Toyota dealer but I'm not a technician. I may be wrong with this but it's worth checking in to.

We've been having a lot of issues with moisture in the vehicle due to spiders building nests in the drain tube on the AC condenser. It causes the excess water to back up through the AC system and into the passenger compartment. If unnoticed, it's enough to completely soak the passenger carpets and cause mold.

The techs usually can blow the nest out of the tube with compressed air. I know Toyota is working on a new tube design with some sort of insecticide embedded in it.

Might be worth checking out...


Sent from my iPhone

 

[jamesbe]

Only happens when it rains, when the vehicle is sitting outside. Nothing to do with when it runs