Where is the cabin air intake vent?!

[DolfanBill13]

Question for the community:
I have a 2018 Explorer XLT. Where is the cabin air intake located? I know the cabin air filter is behind the glove box, so it would make sense for the air intake vent to be beneath the glove box, right? I thought so too, but with the AC on recirc full blast, I feel no suction underneath the glove box.
Thank you!

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
I believe the cabin air filter only acts to filter the air coming in from outside sources, not inside.

Peter

 

[wkohn]

Welcome to the Forum.
I believe the cabin air filter only acts to filter the air coming in from outside sources, not inside.

Peter

This would be correct. The filter only works on outside air coming in.

 

[jdadams1218]

Can anyone suggest where the cabin air intake is? My filter is clean and still getting an odor in the cabin. TIA

 

[jayyo]

is it an egg smell? there is a known tsb for exhaust fumes to creep into the cabin so it may be that. a lot of posts suggest to have it checked by your dealer. maybe some other members can chime in

 

[jdadams1218]

Not an egg smell. Only started about two months ago. Smells like grass. Thanks though.

 

[peterk9]

Not an egg smell. Only started about two months ago. Smells like grass. Thanks though.

Welcome to the Forum
Legal or illegal grass?
Your thread was merged with this one although it doesn't seem to have a definitive answer I would guess it would be under the cowl near the passenger side. If you don't get an answer, you could try removing the cabin air filter and check to see if you can follow the flow, so to speak.

Peter

 

[PProph]

I don't typically want to Necro dead threads, but I just wanted to give a bit of a helpful tip for anyone who, like me, only found this thread in relation to this question.

The last couple years we've had a mouse/dead mouse smell in my FIL's 2016 Explorer. It's been better and worse over time, but it stunk to high heck after a car wash yesterday and I had a nice day today to finally go to town on the problem.

Short answer, to access the cabin air intake, you need to remove the wipers, the cowl, and then a shroud underneath the cowl, and there it will be on the passenger side in all its fresh air glory. We had a mouse nest built about 3/4 the way around it. Wish I would have done all this sooner.

I will provide some pictures and maybe a bit of a write-up later. The removal really isn't too bad actually.

Have I mentioned how much I hate mice? They'd be cute if there weren't hundreds of them around here and if they didn't spread disease and destruction.

 

[PProph]

Here are some pictures. I was gonna get video of putting it back together, but the wind was brutal today.

Step by step procedure:

1. Remove windshield wipers. Requires 15mm socket. Remove the plastic clips at the base of each wiper (I used a flat screwdriver to pop them off. Remove nuts. The proper way to remove the wipers themselves is with a puller, but I just put some light pressure under with a small pry bar and wiggled a bit and they popped right off.

2. Remove the cowl. Requires Phillips screwdriver and careful attention to plastic clips. There are 6 plastic clips held in with plastic screws. I turned one of said screws from a Phillips into a flat, but managed to get them out. Popped the clips from underneath after removing the screws. The cowl itself is clipped in closer to the windshield as well. I managed to pop it out by focusing one clip at a time from underneath with my hands while pulling the cowl.

3. Under the cowl there is a plastic shroud. It is connected with 2 metal clips, and 2 plastic. The 2 metal clips I removed with an angled pair of pliers, the plastic ones stay attached when you pop up the shroud. Of note, there are two clips connecting a hose to this shroud, on the passenger side. Easy unclip to move the little hose (I think washer fluid hose?). Once the shroud is off, you now have access to the cabin air intake.

Reassembly is simply reverse of removal.