On a 2004 FG649 -- Is there some sort of trick to removing the air filter? The shop guide implies that after removing the cover from the bottom of the air box, the filter should just drop out easily, but mine is really stuck up in there. I've tried twisting and pulling pretty aggressively, but can't get it to budge at all. In looking at photos of the filter online, it looks like there's a rubber lip on the top of the filter that fits around a plastic tube at the top/inside of the air box, so I'm thinking maybe that rubber has fused to the plastic over time. Anyone ever run into this situation? I has hoping to just blow out the filter and reinstall, as per the shop guide, but am now thinking I may have to destroy this one just to get it out.
Can't remove air filter
- Thread starter glennm01
- Start date
Aussie Iron
Explorer
Usually, yes it takes a good pull/twist to get it to move but generally they come out. No tricks.
Dan.
Dan.
I finally got my hands on a new air filter, so was able to more confidently go after the stuck one. No amount of twisting and pulling was working, part of the problem being that there's nothing really great to grab onto while you do this, and the whole air box assembly wants to flex with any turning and twisting. So I got a bit medieval -- I removed the air box from the truck, turned it upside down, inserted a pole up into the filter, and then rammed the pole and air box hard against the ground. It took quite a few tries, but the filter eventually popped out. As I suspected, that rubber lip on the top of the filter had really secured itself to the inlet on the top of the air box. Even the new one was quite snug, so I wiped the tiniest bit of oil around the lip before installing it. Hopefully that helps at the next service interval. This is the first vehicle I've ever owned where the air filter did anything other than just lay inside of the air box, but on the upside, it's hard to imagine any unfiltered air *ever* getting past this thing.
