[XJ99]

Here was mine when I changed it about 3 months ago. View attachment 215206

By the looks of everyone's old filters it looks like the OP is normal.
That and we should be changing our filters more often! LOL
Maybe once twice a year? I change out the house HVAC once
a month and it sucks in no outside air, so there's that..

Just curious if it only filters outside air, and recirculating air?

 

[XJ99]

Ah ha! Long story short if the filter is located inside the cabin, it filters both
outside, and recirculating air. If it's located under the hood like it was on my
Commader, it only filers outside air. Good to know!

https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/26746/does-recirculated-cabin-air-pass-through-the-air-filter

Will the Cabin Filter Remove Harmful Contaminants from Air That is Already in the Passenger Compartment? - Premium Guard Filters

Cabin filters were first introduced in European vehicles in the 1980s. Since then, they’ve become standard fare on all cars and trucks sold in the U.S. There’s a lot of harmful contaminants in the air, especially in large cities, and cabin filters keep it out so you can breathe easy. Although...

www.pgfilters.com

 

[Lindy]

For those of you who have posted pictures of these filthy filters (in this thread or others) are you off roading with your Jeep or perhaps spending a lot of time on gravel roads?

I ask because I sometimes go 2-3 years before replacing a cabin filter and I've yet to see one that dirty and certainly no mold on it....although I would imagine the climate you live in might contribute to mold growth.

I replaced my Jeep cabin filter after 2.5 years and 25,000 miles and it wasn't really dirty at all....

 

[XJ99]

I off-road the TH when I can, and it's really hot and humid here in the summer.
Also I waited too long over 3 years, and 32k+.. They're all looking pretty much
the same, so I'm thinking we just need to change them sooner... IDK

 

[Gribb]

For those of you who have posted pictures of these filthy filters (in this thread or others) are you off roading with your Jeep or perhaps spending a lot of time on gravel roads?

I ask because I sometimes go 2-3 years before replacing a cabin filter and I've yet to see one that dirty and certainly no mold on it....although I would imagine the climate you live in might contribute to mold growth.

I replaced my Jeep cabin filter after 2.5 years and 25,000 miles and it wasn't really dirty at all....

This jeep hasn't been off road. High humidity environment though for sure. I think I'll be replacing my filter as well as using that cleaning kit every 9 months from now on.

 

[toofastgtp]

For those of you who have posted pictures of these filthy filters (in this thread or others) are you off roading with your Jeep or perhaps spending a lot of time on gravel roads?

I ask because I sometimes go 2-3 years before replacing a cabin filter and I've yet to see one that dirty and certainly no mold on it....although I would imagine the climate you live in might contribute to mold growth.

I replaced my Jeep cabin filter after 2.5 years and 25,000 miles and it wasn't really dirty at all....

Mine was a year old. All cory/hwy about 12k miles on it. No dusty roads or off road.

 

[XJ99]

I'm thinking it's got to do with the humidity. I'm going to give the new one 6 months and see how it looks. (so November 2021)

 

[Lindy]

I wonder if a cabin filter would get dirty faster if the hvac was setup to recirculate the inside air instead of pulling in fresh air from the outside.

I never use the recirculate mode and I've always assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that most people have their hvac setup that way.

 

[XJ99]

I wonder if a cabin filter would get dirty faster if the hvac was setup to recirculate the inside air instead of pulling in fresh air from the outside.

I never use the recirculate mode and I've always assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that most people have their hvac setup that way.

Not sure, but during the Summer hot/humid I always have it on recirculate so I'm
not pulling in hot air. It blows colder on recirculate. I mean my home HVAC is
always on recirculate, and never gets like that. Then again it's always set
to 70* unlike the Jeep that's outside and needs to remove heat and humidity
after every start up. Guess it's apples and oranges.. LOL

 

[zachpetes3]

we have a 2014 trailhawk and we are having the nasty smell come out of the vents and the dealership told us that the hvac housing seals are bad and its leaking that's why the filter has mold and it was wet inside but we were informed that it is$3280 to fix it for a 200$ part which is insane

 

[Trailhawk86]

we have a 2014 trailhawk and we are having the nasty smell come out of the vents and the dealership told us that the hvac housing seals are bad and its leaking that's why the filter has mold and it was wet inside but we were informed that it is$3280 to fix it for a 200$ part which is insane

That seems high, but they do have to take the whole dash apart I'm pretty sure.

Sent from my SM-F926U using Tapatalk

 

[isiahdavis]

So my AC had been smelling a bit funky on start up. Replaced the cabin air filter. I was shocked. Jeep has less than 30k miles on it.
Planning on heading to the dealer and asking for them to check out the evaporator for mold, as well as the drain plug.


View attachment 210554

When you find the cabin air filter, remove and inspect it. If it's dirty or clogged, then it may be causing the foul smell. Simply replace the filter with a new one. The mold smell may immediately disappear.

 

[Gator]

I’m feeling like a dunce here……didn’t know there was a cabin air filter, had my Cherokee over 8 years now…….looked at it today based on this thread…….you can guess what it looked like living in the humid gulf coast……doh!
Thanks for the heads up (out of the sand)!
replaced it today, only broke the snap at the top of the access panel…..epoxy is drying…..

 

[Gribb]

replaced it today, only broke the snap at the top of the access panel…..epoxy is drying…..

Ya, that thing breaks so easily.

Time to change the filter and run some 'un-funk juice' again.

 

[rumrunner]

Ya, that thing breaks so easily.

Time to change the filter and run some 'un-funk juice' again.

I use duct tape
'un-funk juice'? please elaborate!

 

[Gribb]

I use duct tape
'un-funk juice'? please elaborate!

I run this stuff through once a year. Really keeps things from getting moldy. Highly recommend it!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002Z2MKO?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

[XJ99]

Ah man... This thread reminded me about our filters again.

 

[rumrunner]

Ah man... This thread reminded me about our filters again.

yes but will you check them & or replace them? I did everyone's (5) last Spring, Mom's, mine, Wifey's, Son's & Daughter's
mine was waaaay overdue!