Cabin air filter

[CANADIANCADDY]

I don't know why but after getting my own rather simple 1994 STS in almost pristine condition I went out and bought a 1998 STS for the wife last week. While the interior and exterior are in magnificent shape there are a number of the usual fluid and water leaks to fix and so starts another project but with the newer unit things appear as if they will be much trickier to deal with. The previous owner did little if anything in the way of servicing this car save and except regular oil changes. Because my kids have allergies I liked the sound of the cabin filter mentioned in the manual however upon asking the previous owner when was the last time he changed it , he said he never knew it had one . I thought I would change it tonight but I couldn't quite locate the filter or an access door to it . Could someone please advise me how to tackle this little chore.

Many thanks

[Bentham]

Check this post out.. hope it helps

http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=444

[marty]

I changed my 98 sls cabin filter. I visited my chiropractor afterward........It is a very hard job, the filter is in segments which slide together with grooves, the manual said to loosen and tie back the shift cable, which is directly in the way of the filter pieces as you remove and replace them. It is a very difficult job, the new filter had some glue overrun on the edges, which caused A LOT of problems...at one point I dropped one segment into the plenum, and was able to fish it out after a while, but I was having visions of MAJOR SURGERY to the dash and hvac system.......and this was a GENUINE gm filter from the dealer. I did get it in after cleaning the glue, and the old filter (origional, 4 years old, was very very dirty and pretty much plugged. I am not sure I wont pay to have it done next time, but would insist on seeing the old filter( it is marked with my initials and date ).

The car had about 30,000 miles best I recall at the time of change...

By the way, changed the wife's 2000 deville cabin filter at 45,000 or so and nearly 4 years. It was a snap, under a panel on the cowl under the hood, it was only moderately dirty, so maybe the previous owner was running a bush hog with my sls........anyway good luck if you attempt this. Just be patient, dont eat before, and check for the darn excess glue! By the way,I did not make clear, the way the housing is made and the lack of room, the filter is segmented so as you can remove and install the pieces 1 at a time.......raising the stack as you add more (on the replacemrnt) part of this little drama.......

[Maximln]

I would really like to know who engineered that filter system and have him change a few of them. I struggled for a long time just to get them out! I opted to not put another one back because it was so difficult. Another reason was because I liked the increased air flow without the restriction of the filter. I'm not allergic to anything and I figured all the previous cars ran fine without one so I didn't think I needed it.

Max