Like many, I found a massive mouse nest above the cabin air filter. Removing this debris is difficult to say the least and I earned several cuts working through the small cabin air filter door. I learned quite a bit though and though I'd share with this community TO OVERCOME HONDA'S TERRIBLE DESIGN. Seriously Honda, spend the $1 and put a screen in this opening.
First if you have a nest, go ahead and remove the blower motor. It is held in with 3 screws and is easy to remove from below. You will have to contort yourself looking upside down from the passenger footwell. Why remove it? Because there is debris in the fan that will make it sound loud and throw it off balance. Trust me- just do it.
Next- I recommend NOT trying to remove the debris from the Cabin Air Filter access door. It has sharp edges and is poorly designed. Instead, consider removing the debris from the engine bay itself. To do so, you will have to remove both the windshield wiper arms as well as the plastic shroud across the lower windshield. Doing this- you will take the same path as the mouse and see just what the problem is. Once you expose the opening, you can remove the mouse nest from the gracious 5 x 12" opening that Honda provided you. Notice you can see the air filter through this opening.
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I removed the plastic trim panel on each side of the engine bay near the hood hinge. Each panel has 3 clips that you need to pop out. Moving "up" towards the windshield, there is a rubber piece on each side that has small pop in place features. These pieces are easy to remove. As you notice in the photo above, I added a piece of tape to the windshield as a reference for wiper arm position - this came in handy. Similarly, I didn't fully remove the black plastic piece across the lower windshield, but instead just propped it up with a 2x4. This allows you not to remove the windshield fluid tube or disrupt the gasket area.
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I cut a piece of 1/2" hardware cloth to 5" x 12" . I then used a piece of scotch brite to lightly scuff the area around the mouse entrance point prior to fastening the hardware clot to the body. I used self tapping sheet metal screws and and impact driver to easily attach the hardware cloth. Placement of screws is really about where you can fit your drill / driver.. Don't worry my CRV didn't explode because of these screws. I then sealed around the opening with auto body sealant to secure and bond the screen further. You could surely use a good silicone as well. Here is a detail pic at this stage:
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Putting the car back together is simply a reverse of this process. I will say- take a good look at how the lower windshield black plastic piece attaches to the car. It is obvious when you look at it but make sure all of the tabs engage where they are intended to.
I also broke a few of the plastic doo-dads that hold everything together. The doo-dads that hold down the large lower windshield trim require that you Pop them apart before removing them.. I didn't get a pic, sorry- but simply use a small flathead to separate both halves -they are typical automotive fasteners. I was able to find replacements at the auto parts store; however, I plan to start looking and find an appropriate source for a bulk pack. The plastic fasteners are a joke and fail without being abused-
I hope this helps you. It took me a total of 2 hours to figure this all out and fix it. If you can change your own oil, you can do this!
First if you have a nest, go ahead and remove the blower motor. It is held in with 3 screws and is easy to remove from below. You will have to contort yourself looking upside down from the passenger footwell. Why remove it? Because there is debris in the fan that will make it sound loud and throw it off balance. Trust me- just do it.
Next- I recommend NOT trying to remove the debris from the Cabin Air Filter access door. It has sharp edges and is poorly designed. Instead, consider removing the debris from the engine bay itself. To do so, you will have to remove both the windshield wiper arms as well as the plastic shroud across the lower windshield. Doing this- you will take the same path as the mouse and see just what the problem is. Once you expose the opening, you can remove the mouse nest from the gracious 5 x 12" opening that Honda provided you. Notice you can see the air filter through this opening.
I removed the plastic trim panel on each side of the engine bay near the hood hinge. Each panel has 3 clips that you need to pop out. Moving "up" towards the windshield, there is a rubber piece on each side that has small pop in place features. These pieces are easy to remove. As you notice in the photo above, I added a piece of tape to the windshield as a reference for wiper arm position - this came in handy. Similarly, I didn't fully remove the black plastic piece across the lower windshield, but instead just propped it up with a 2x4. This allows you not to remove the windshield fluid tube or disrupt the gasket area.
I cut a piece of 1/2" hardware cloth to 5" x 12" . I then used a piece of scotch brite to lightly scuff the area around the mouse entrance point prior to fastening the hardware clot to the body. I used self tapping sheet metal screws and and impact driver to easily attach the hardware cloth. Placement of screws is really about where you can fit your drill / driver.. Don't worry my CRV didn't explode because of these screws. I then sealed around the opening with auto body sealant to secure and bond the screen further. You could surely use a good silicone as well. Here is a detail pic at this stage:
Putting the car back together is simply a reverse of this process. I will say- take a good look at how the lower windshield black plastic piece attaches to the car. It is obvious when you look at it but make sure all of the tabs engage where they are intended to.
I also broke a few of the plastic doo-dads that hold everything together. The doo-dads that hold down the large lower windshield trim require that you Pop them apart before removing them.. I didn't get a pic, sorry- but simply use a small flathead to separate both halves -they are typical automotive fasteners. I was able to find replacements at the auto parts store; however, I plan to start looking and find an appropriate source for a bulk pack. The plastic fasteners are a joke and fail without being abused-
I hope this helps you. It took me a total of 2 hours to figure this all out and fix it. If you can change your own oil, you can do this!
