Protege cabin air filter Installation

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2001 BJFP MT
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2016 BMYFS AT
REPOSTED FROM CLUBPROTEGE. Originally posted on 10/12/2003.

Got my E-spec aldehyde cabin filter!
<hr color="#d1d1e1" size="1"> <!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> Just got my E-spec aldehyde filter parts... this is a cabin air filter that is available as an option in Europe and Japan... the aldehyde filter removes not only just pollen, but also mold, mildew, and man made pollutants! This type of filter has been available in the J-spec/E-spec cars since 1999... only FINALLY we have a car here that has one available as an option... the RX-8... car companies really do love to give us crap here

a little background on this high tech filter invented by Mazda:
http://www.mazda.com/publicity/publ...4/990408ea.html

This mod is relatively cheap as far as parts goes... getting it installed is something else..

all parts mentioned below will fit ANY 3rd gen

The few parts you need are:
GE6T-61-J02 AC evaporator lower half case
TC86-61-J31 AC evaporator case filter plug
CB12-61-J6X aldehyde filter
J001-50-171 license plate holder bracket (believe it or not, this part works perfectly with this setup.. more later)
metric size license plate bolt that fits the bracket
2 suitable size self tapping screws
set of finisher washers

all of those parts EXCEPT for the aldehyde filter can be purchased at any local Mazda dealer.. the filter you *must* import from Europe... however, if you are just content with a normal pollen filter, you can order GE6T-61-J6X locally and it's half the price of the aldehyde filter.... funny enough, the lower half case is not used on ANY car sold in the US... it just happens so mazda mistakenly put it in their US parts database to let everyone use it to their advantage :D

EDIT: at the time of writting, I omitted 3 additional parts you'll need
GA5R-61-J04 seal
GE4T-61-J05 seal
GE4T-61-J29 protector
details on post 19. Negatize also recently discovered that his evaporator unit is completely different from mine because his is a 99 model. It turns out that the filter conversion will ONLY work on 2000+ models. If you have a 99, then you'll have to upgrade to the newer (and more efficient/reliable) evaporator design. Details for that are in the FAQ. The entire evaporator unit WITH filter is orderable from ANY US dealer!


If for some retarded reason you don't have AC in your car but you want the filter setup anyway:
GE7B-61-150E air duct box (this is in place of where the AC evaporator unit normally goes) with pollen filter
or
GG3E-61-150 air duct box with aldehyde filter
and if any of you ever ended up getting this and want to get replacement filters:
GE7B-61-J6XA non-AC pollen filter
CB11-61-J6X non-AC aldehyde filter

The only way you can get these 2 stupid parts are importing





the filter is installed in the evaporator or air duct box.. and here is where it is in the car:
 

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you *have* to replace the bottom half of the evaporator box so that you have this access hole to install the filter:
 

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and this is the plug that seals that hole after you install the filter:
 

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notice in the other pic where the bottom of the box is shown, there are 2 screw holes and no bracket... well the bracket is not available as a separate part and the only way to get it is to order the WHOLE evaporator unit with the filter... with some creative parts bin searching, the license plate holder bracket from the MP3 front bumper fits perfectly after some creative use of washers:
 

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a close up of the bracket piece itself, no modifying needed!
 

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and once you have the plug in place:
 

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this is the white side of the filter... this is the pollen filter side... it's supposed to face the blower
 

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and the blue side... this is the aldehyde side... this is where all the nasty smelling s*** gets filtered out (no more worries driving behind some asshole spewing black smoke everywhere!)
 

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the 2 piece filters slides into place and tada!
this is the blower side of the box:
 

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and finally the other side of the box facing where the evaporator is supposed to be... it then will connect up with the heater core unit...

so there's a little hole between the filters.. big deal... it'll have 99% efficiency anyway
 

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so are the parts cheap? yes, very cheap considering what you get!

is it easy to install? Not really. You can't do this shade tree in your home garage.. you will have to recover the freon, then disconnect the 2 lines going to and from the evaporator unit, remove the glove box and then finally you can take out the evaporator unit... not hard once you get the freon out of the AC system! In case any of you have thoughts about taking the evaporator box apart while its still in the car... it's IMPOSSIBLE... there is little clearance between the evaporator and the box itself... not to mention the drain pipe sticks through the firewall (you can see it in the other pics, it's the only thing that sticks way out)

Is it a worthwhile mod? Yes, if you have access to the tools. Is it a recommended mod? No, simply because of the amount of time and work involved

If your AC system is toasted and you have no freon left, then you can just install the s*** yourself, then have it recharged at a shop... but if your AC is working fine (like mine), then you'll have to use a AC recovery machine first!
 
it took me only 2 hours to R&R the whole evaporator unit... and I
knew what exactly I was doing

I will NOT write a how-to... if you're smart enough, you should be able to figure out what's happening with these pics... you HAVE to be competent enough to mess with the AC system, if you can easily **** s*** up installing something in your car, DON'T DO THIS YOURSELF... let a professional do it!

so after I recovered the freon and disconnected the lines, I removed the glove box:
 

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and having all of those electrical connections to the sensors and fan resistor out of the way.... 2 bolts and the whole unit comes out...
 

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this is where your cold air comes from people!
 

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and the blower side where the TXV is
 

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and now what is mysteriously inside that black box
 

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well, it turns out there are 1 more part that I needed that I didn't buy... and 2 parts I already got that I haven't mentioned yet.. those are the foam seals that goes on each end of the evaporator ducting... and then at the bottom of the box, there's supposed to be a foam insert protector that is taped into the box...

the seals are:
GA5R-61-J04 and GE4T-61-J05
as for the foam insert protector:
GE4T-61-J29

this is what will get your panties in a knot... these 3 parts are the most rediculously priced parts of all the other parts I've mentioned so far! But don't worry, the total cost of the whole mod is about 110 bucks for all the parts if you got the trick aldehyde filter and about 70 bucks for just the normal pollen filter... those are approximate RETAIL prices

I was able to carefully remove the foam insert and use double sided tape to tape it to the new box

EDIT: at time of writing, parts prices were MUCH lower than now... it will now cost approximately $150 US (retail) for the aldehyde setup... about $30-40 less for just the normal pollen filter setup of course.... I've since redid my setup, and installed a NEW "foam insert protector", but using 3M Super 77 adhesive which is basically what the factory uses: http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3M-Super-77/Super77/
 
and after I throw everything back together and recharge the system to 1lbs 5 oz of R134a (funny enough, what came OUT of the car was 1lbs 1oz).. I installed the filter... I had ZERO clearance installing the filter... I had to get the floor mats out of the way, and have the bottom corner of the filter touching the floor carpet and I basically had to brute force the filter into the box... then the plug went into place....

and the end result was: AC works perfectly, and damn cold
the filter makes me feel like I'm breathing mountain air... no nasty odors at all... it doesn't matter anymore whether I have it on fresh air or recirculated air... it all feels the same
 

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