Just to note…I have done this twice and it took me 15 minutes each time. Now, it has been well over a decade since I have changed other cars, so I can’t compare timewise. But it’s not that hard and certainly well worth your time.
So, when you get ready to do this again, a trick for the left bottom screw, or any other screw where access is less than generous. Take a small piece of paper and force the screw into the socket with the paper in between. Some of the paper will tear and stay between the walls of the socket and the edges of the screw head. this will hold it while you start the screw. Don't try using it to conduct a marching band or anything too energetic, but to just hold the screw to the tool long enough to line things up, it works wonders. Stay safe! Oh! And thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Love your ability to stick to an overcomplicated job and get through it!!! As usual, a wholly overengineered and overly difficult task that shouid be just pop out and pop in,,,but then that's how car makers keep you getting all that service,,,a lot of people would not be willing to tackle this,
It was recommended to me to use a tiny piece of paper in the hole then screw it in and the paper will hold it until the screw catches. Glad it worked out for you.
The worse part...the absolutely worse part is the damn bolt on the left side bottom that helps hold the glove compartment in. I never could get it back in.
Nice job, and to think to change my cabin filter on my 2016 Camry you opened glove compartment there is a little latch button you push and boom, that's it! Ford obviously wants you to pay them to do it, thanks for the advise, I'm gonna try it.
It's more obnoxious than hard. I just had a lot of trouble dealing with the dang bolt on the left underside of the glove compartment. Just couldn't get it back in.
Thank you for the video. My experience was good. No hiccups. Just need to be patient and have the right tools. I did a better job than the dealer and it only cost me $20. Much cheaper than the dealer would charge me which would be about $130. I will definitely say that it is probably engineered that way, so that the average person won’t attempt to do it on their own. Lol.
Thanks. It really didn't film very well. There was crud on the lens and I didn't have the right set up to film. Either way I hope it entertained someone. I probably should have put in outtakes of me going berserk when that damn bolt flew out of my fingers 15 times. 🙄
Not an unreasonable question. It does seem overly complex for such a simple filter change. Looking at my Honda insight and how you access this filter on that car, it really can make you scratch your head. I figure they never designed with the idea of the consumer replacing the filter, and for an experienced machanic, I don't think the ford's filter change design is much of a challenge. Either way it is annoying.
Perhaps. Of course they don't necessarily design cars with the idea to change these things. It's probably just a side effect of the design. Keep in mind I'm the one who did it so it's probably a lot easier for ANYONE else. ;)
That can be a serious problem. You'll need someone with a grab tool with a light at the end to hopefully fish it out. Otherwise you're in for an expensive fix due to the labor of pulling things apart to get to the hvac system. Don't worry about getting anything into the fan on this project. You'd have to actually be a bigger dufus than me to drop anything in there while replacing the filter. In other words unless your little kid is with you and puts something in there while playing around, or you're just plain crazy and stuff something in there yourself, then I don't see any way for anything accidentally getting into the fan here.
Fantastic vid! I just replaced my Fusion SEL filter after watching this. FYI, those two screws you thought were missing on the filter cover don't exist. This was the first replacement done on mine and they weren't there. They were on my 2016 Edge, of which I broke one of those clips, too. Lol Also, for a little less you can get a charcoal filter that's got stellar reviews. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07664V1JN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thanks for the info. Interestingly some Fusions have the screws and some don't. I guess it depends on the year of the model and whether they thought they would lose their shirts in profit adding the screws. Glad the video helped you out.
Wow all that for the cabin air filter? My goodness. Replacing the cabin filter on my Insight was the simplest thing in the world. I avoid American cars at all costs, Honda and Toyota are the way to go.