I am trying to figure out how to change the air filter on my 99 Dodge Caravan. I have taken out the two screws that hold the housing down, but I can't seem to figure out how to open the box.
Thanks for your help.
That is not the air filter housing. That is called the resonator. The air filter housing is below the resonator. Remove the resonator completely by removing those two bolts and detaching the air ducts. One duct goes to the throttle body and the other, below, goes to the air filter housing.
Oh, and be careful with the ducting to the throttle body. It tends to get brittle due to all the heat in there and, when installed, it's under tension and can break. Attach the ducting to the resonator first, then bolt the resonator to the frame being careful not to stretch the ducting too harshly.
And one pain in the ass job to do also, I might add.
Dan
Not a hard job if you know what you are doing. I just replaced the air filter in my 96 GV.
The housing with the screws and where the hose from the top of the valve cover goes isn't the housing for the air filter. I'm not exactly sure what this does other than provide a place for the crankcase gases to get sucked into the intake, but it appears to be glued together so getting it apart could be really tricky!
Assuming that the 99 didn't change much from the 96....
After removing the two screws (I'd call them bolts since they have a hex head), unhook the hose from the valve cover and then loosen two of the air duct clamps. Loosen the one on the end of the rear duct where it attaches to the throttle body and then loosen one of the clamps on the duct under the housing that goes straight down to the OTHER housing that actually contains the air filter. The bottom clamp is slightly harder to get to, but is the best one to take off as you won't then have the duct in the way on the air filter cover.
After doing the above, raise the housing until the lower duct comes free and then rotate the top housing clockwise and pull toward you until the duct comes off the throttle body. Now you can see the housing that contains the air filter. you will see two spring clamps on the rear of the housing (toward the firewall). Pop these and the cover will rotate open. It is held at the front side by four tabs. You can slip it off these if you wiggle it around a little. You will no see the air filter. Carefully pull it out and replace it making sure that the right side is facing toward the housing (the metal support grid should be facing away from the housing). Make sure the silicon seal is seated properly, especially at the bottom. If it isn't seated properly, the cover won't go back on correctly. The filter has a propensity to hang a little low at the bottom and not seat into the recess. Now get the outer cover back over the four tabs (takes a little wiggling around), rotate it closed and pop the snaps back in place. Replace the upper housing, being careful to get the lower duct in place correctly. This can be tricky as it wants to fold up the lip rather than fit over the tube. Now tighten both of the clamps on the air ducts, replace the two bolts and plug the hose from the valve cover back in place.
Not as easy as the old days with circular filters right on top of the carburetor, but I did mine in less than 20 minutes, so not a real big deal. I find mine stays clean a long time (50,000 miles typically) even though I live on dirt roads. The air intake is somewhere behind the grill it appears and seems to bring in pretty much only clean air and bugs, and not much dust from the tires.
Matt
I still have the scars.......
Agreed!
However, I find it easier to leave the duct on the throttle body, and detach it from the resonator. I then detach the duct from the bottom of the resonator. After removing the resonator, the filter housing will come out in one piece.
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