aaron613

I have a 2015 jku. So I was having issues with losing air flow from the vents and I saw in the forums that it could be debris on the cabin air filter. I took out the glove box and opened the recirc garage door and there wasn’t a cabin air filter installed. I know some models have them and some don’t. Curiously, though, when I felt around in there (looking for trash) I felt what seems to be a filter - but below where the cabin air filter should be. I could only feel the top and I couldn’t figure out how to get that filter out. I can’t find anywhere what that filter is or what it’s for. Any thoughts?

icrashbikes

I just had this whole unit apart. Below the cabin filter is the blower motor for the system. The fan vanes might feel like a filter if your fingers are jammed around a few corners and just brushing them.

This is the top of the intake where it meets the duct from the outside. There's a screen under the cowl where the windshield wipers attach, you could check that for debris. The recirculate door is above the filters, there's an actuator on here that can go bad but it should still draw air stuck in either position. My filters were caked with ten years of abuse (never knew I had them) but it still pumped air just fine.



From the front, this is the blower housing with the evap core. The cabin filters sit on top of the blower fan.



This is the housing split open and that's the blower fan, I'd guess that's what you're feeling through the cabin filter hole.



Are all the blend door actuators working? Does it switch from low vents to upper vents to defroster vents? I don't think there's a way for them to get stuck in a 'closed' configuration but you never know. I also don't know if you could get enough debris in through the intake screen to cause a blockage past the blower fan, but maybe that's possible? Your blower motor might also be bad. Either way, there's nothing past the cabin filters but the fan so hopefully that's helpful.

aaron613

[QUOTE=icrashbikes;4411842]I just had this whole unit apart. Below the cabin filter is the blower motor for the system. The fan vanes might feel like a filter if your fingers are jammed around a few corners and just brushing them.

This is the top of the intake where it meets the duct from the outside. There's a screen under the cowl where the windshield wipers attach, you could check that for debris. The recirculate door is above the filters, there's an actuator on here that can go bad but it should still draw air stuck in either position. My filters were caked with ten years of abuse (never knew I had them) but it still pumped air just fine.



From the front, this is the blower housing with the evap core. The cabin filters sit on top of the blower fan.



This is the housing split open and that's the blower fan, I'd guess that's what you're feeling through the cabin filter hole.



This is amazing. Thank you!!!

icrashbikes

Believe me, if I had to yank my whole dash out I'm glad the experience can help out some folks!

resharp001

I have never understood why some have cabin filters and others don't. it simply has never made sense to me. i do not have a cabin filter myself. at one point i thought about adding one, then i thought that thing would just get dirty so fast, and what value was it really going to add to my jeep?

icrashbikes

I put one (pair) back in for two reasons. One, they were like three bucks. Two, and more importantly, based on what I found in the filters that were in there, they are indeed keeping junk out of the AC system. Now that I spent the time to clean out all the ducts, I'm going to keep them clean. I even considered making a plug for the defroster vents since lots of dust and pollen and dirt settles in there. My Jeep is open at least half the year so plenty of nonsense blows in.

a64pilot

Assuming the evaporator is accessible it can be cleaned with a can of “stuff” meant to do that, the can comes with a hose and it’s foam so no need to be precise.
A nasty evaporator decreases its efficiency and the mold that can grow can cause issues for some people. As it runs it makes water and tgat rinses the cleaner off.
I could link, but a quick search for “auto evaporator cleaner” will get you lots of choices.

Usually a decrease in airflow is from something getting sucked into the inlet, Walmart bag or something, on mine it was fast food napkins the PO put in the glove box
Not running a filter is foolish in my opinion, they are cheap and do catch stuff