Easy⏱ 5 - 20 min8 steps·Original on iFixit ↗

2004 - 2008 Acura TSX (CL9) Cabin air filter Replacement

Recommendations are to replace the cabin air filter every year, or every 10,000 miles, whichever comes earlier. Depending upon your locale, you may wish to replace it after pollen season, or more frequently. When you see how easy this procedure is, you won't want to postpone this. Some dealers charge up to $60 for this service, which takes an experienced tech barely 10 minutes. That's a remarkable profit.

The OEM filter is made by micronAir, either overseas or in the USA. (Note: the 2006 Honda Accord air mixer/blower uses the very same filter, so you can buy one at a Honda dealer versus an Acura dealer. You may find a drastic difference in price.) Is there a difference? None that I can tell. Fram, Bosch, Purolater, and others make suitable aftermarket filters. Is there a difference? Some minor differences, but this is a consumable, or a part that is regularly replaced for dirt buildup, so change it as often as you like.

Parts (4)

Honda/Acura 80292-SDA-A01 buy ↗
FRAM CF10134 buy ↗
ATP HA-5 buy ↗
Purolator C35519 buy ↗

Step-by-step instructions

Release the damper assembly arm

Open the glove box and empty it of all contents.
The next step is critical. If you remove the stopper arms and pull down the glove box with the damper assy arm still attached, you'll break it. Replacing it involves removing a large part of the dashboard, a major job. You don't want to do this, trust us on that.
Release the glove box damper assy arm on the right side of the glovebox by pushing ''gently'' forwards towards the engine. The "C" latch will release from a pin, and the end of the arm will lift out of the opening.
The damper assy will not disappear into the dashboard, so there's no need to hang on to it. Just push it up a little and out of the way.

Remove the glove box stops

On the Honda Accord and other models, the glove box incorporates stops in the box drawer itself. Not the TSX! The glove box has two stops, left and right side, that must be removed.
Open the glove box and then close it about an inch.
You'll start with the right side glove box stopper arm because it's easier to see what you're doing.
Reach into the upper right side and also feel on the outer right side of the glove box. When you feel a flat flange on the interior of the box, you've identified the glove box stopper arm (p/n 77508-sx0-000).
From the outside of the box, gently push in on the flange. As you can see from the illustration, there are little tabs that hold it in. Slowly push the flange ''into '' the box to unsnap it.
With the stopper arm now loose, close the box a little further, and simultaneously pull the stop down in the hole, then pivot into the box. The rubber stopper (p/n 66417-sa0-000) will slide through the hole and the entire stopper arm comes free into the glove box interior.
Repeat for the corresponding stopper arm on the left side.

Gently, very gently, lower the glove box. There is a nylon cord that will support the glove box in a lowered position. If that cord isn't present, lower the glove box onto your knee(s).
By the mount for the nylon cord is the Trunk Main Switch. In the OFF position, this disables opening the trunk from the trunk lid switch by the license plate, and the remote transmitter (key fob) button.
With the entire glove box exposed, now is a convenient time to clean it out with a soft brush or damp microfiber cloth. A sheet torn off a pet hair roller does a good job of picking up stray dust and fibers.
If the glove box courtesy light is burnt out, you can find the bulb holder above the glove box opening to the right of the center. That's another guide....

Slide out the heater blower air filter tray

With the glove box now lowered, the heater blower unit is visible. At the top of the blower is the air filter tray.
The air filter tray is held in by two locking tabs on the front left and front right. Reach in and press these tabs in towards the center.
Gently slide out the tray. Use care not to snag on the nylon support cord or surrounding wiring.

Replacing the filter

With the tray removed, take out the old filter.
You may wish to vacuum or brush out the filter tray with a soft interior detailing brush.
Note the intended air flow through the filter. The air flow in the heater blower is from top to bottom (down). The tray should have an indicating mark.
Insert the new filter into the tray. The rigid sides of the filter (with printing) go to the left and right side of the tray.
When inserting the new filter, note the retaining tabs inside the tray that the last vanes of the filter fit into, on both ends. This ensures that the filter has a near-airtight seal in the tray.
Ensure the filter is fully inserted into the tray, or the tray won't fit back into the blower.

Reinstall the filter tray

Slide the filter tray back into the heater blower the same way it was removed. The left and right locking tabs should snap into place when it's fully inserted.

Reinstall the glove box stoppers

Reinstall the left and right glove box stopper arms just as they were removed. Close the glove box so that when the stops are reinserted into the holes, the rubber stops are ''above '' the dashboard fascia. Slide the stops upwards in the holes so that the tabs on the flanges snap into the glove box holes.
The flanges of the stopper arms should rest flat against the inside wall of the glove box. If they do not rest flat, you have not slid the stops up all the way in the holes.

Reattach the damper assembly arm

Lift the glove box closed and slowly pull the pneumatic arm down to the notch in the glove box door. ''Don't pull it faster than it wants to descend!'' From the rear of the notch in the glove box(towards the engine), snap the "C" clasp back on to the pin in the notch.
Put your belongings back into glove box and close. You're done!

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