Pollen filter and canopy/tub sealing - D40

[Old.Tony]

I wonder what other manufacturers are doing? This is pure common sense:

protection of the evaporator from dust is pretty basic common-sense AC stuff.

and if that's the case, then either:

1) manufacturers are relying on the moisture draining away the dirt from the evaporator and expelling that to outside the vehicle; or

2) manufacturers haven't given this part of their vehicle a lot of consideration; or

3) manufacturers don't believe it is necessary.

I can see how car makers could think like that. Cars are completely different to, say, a house. Houses have people inside and windows that open and close, where cars don't unless you're caught speeding or just picking up stuff at the drive through, in which case they have probably measured the average dust content at a McDonalds and deemed it too low to worry about putting filters in cars.

Me? Cynic? Never.

 

[Jason]

The condensation from the evaporator will clean some of the dirt away but some stays, when the evaporator goes back to ambient temp when the car is switched off it will dry the dirt which causes the problems.

Can anyone definately say there are no other filters apart from these pollen filters?

 

[Pete22]

The condensation from the evaporator will clean some of the dirt away but some stays, when the evaporator goes back to ambient temp when the car is switched off it will dry the dirt which causes the problems.

Can anyone definately say there are no other filters apart from these pollen filters?

The last 8 or 9 cars I've owned since 1972 have had aircon....none of them have had filters....and I only ever had to repair one and that way a Toyota Tarago back in the 80s. Personally I don't this this is an issue to worry about. Give you ulcers for no real or measurable return.

 

[Jason]

Haha, no ulcers mate, I haven't got the D40.

Just trying to work out the methodology behind fitting filters after 20,000 k's. It's been a good convo.

 

[KraftyPg]

Haha, no ulcers mate, I haven't got the D40.

Just trying to work out the methodology behind fitting filters after 20,000 k's. It's been a good convo.

The biggest problem appears to be there is no methodology. In America they must not have pollen because they don't call them pollen filters yet here we only get pollen after 20K. So far I'm yet to hear anything really solid as to why they don't get put in and very little solid to support the fact they are desperately needed.

Don't know how I am going to effectively test this but I'm actually planning to drive over to Perth with my make shift filters in and then remove them for the return trip. Maybe I'll count the sneezes or something but I'm curious as to whether they might make a difference and thats the best way I can figure a test right now.

 

[burgo]

Gents,
Nissan charge approx $80 for the filters (I think/ hope thats for the pair & not one??)
Logically you would think they would be fitted from new.
Hyundai sonata have them fitted from new as do a couple of other manufacturers.
Nissan are DIFFERENT ???? to say the least
Evaps. do need a filter in this application and it's a lot easier to clean a filter than clean the EVAP. or repair it after it's failed due to corrosion.
It's easy enough to make up a filter out of AC filter or air filter foam with a reinforced backing (plastic mesh) to reduce deformation and flexing into the fan.
Maybe not as good as a pollen filter but will keep the leaves, bugs, sticks and rocks (and possibly rats) out, and only costs a few dollars.
Rd's

 

[KraftyPg]

Gents,
Maybe not as good as a pollen filter but will keep the leaves, bugs, sticks and rocks (and possibly rats) out, and only costs a few dollars.
Rd's

OOhh god imagine driving down the road minding your own business, turning on the a/c and being smacked in the head with a rat, not only that a rat that had come through the fan and the vent. Only thing that would top that off is being pulled over and being done by a copper for being Ratarsed.

 

[KraftyPg]

Krafty
There is 4 on each side, one above each mounting support for the side track.
I had to remove the track to get to them and administer the foam.
Remove the track, lay on your back in the tub and look up. At first you will think it can't be a hole as it is TOO BIG but drop a small weight on a line through & you'll see.
Hay!! if you're getting water up that high "I wanna watch"
Rd's

Burgo I'm intrigued as to where these holes you speak of are. After doing the rain test on the canopy yesterday while Huey was throwing it down in bucket fulls, followed by the buckets. I'm happy to say the canopy doesn't leak at all not even at the bolts where they could still need some adjusting since the canopy will have settled on its seals since installation, however the tub was another matter.

Below is a pic I pinched and modified from the gallery because it was the best I could find without getting my camera out. It's a d22 from Nav04 I think but just assume it's a D40.

Imagine the black lines are the track for the tie downs, the red is the join in the panel work which curves close to the top and the blue arrows point roughly to the two points I had a major problem with.

The top is just poorly mass produced panels put together but robots (although humans may be no better)

The lower arrow is pointing to a machine cut curve in the panel work for the front, which does match the same cut on the panel coming from the side but both miss joining up by about 5mm.

I'm gathering from your description above these aren't the holes you are talking about. With a bit of luck the front of my tub is nearly water tight now but it wont hurt to check the ones you are refering too.

 

[burgo]

Krafty,
You are in the right area but come back along the side to the first mounting bolt for the track.
Directly above this you will find a channel leading to the space between the inner and outer skin. It's the same for each side bolt.
Watch out for RATS up there.
Rd's

 

[KraftyPg]

Krafty,
You are in the right area but come back along the side to the first mounting bolt for the track.
Directly above this you will find a channel leading to the space between the inner and outer skin. It's the same for each side bolt.
Watch out for RATS up there.
Rd's

Ahh Ok Gotta say I haven't looked there yet but I will in the morning.

I actually found two of my rail bolts on the front (the ones you need the star screw driver for) were also leaking because they weren't done up very tight, glad I didn't use them for hanging something off.

 

[Leprechaun]

Just like to update this thread on the fittment of pollen filters to Kingcabs and possibly the new ST.
At first glance I didn't think there was provision to fit the filters, but with a closer look I've discovered there is a knock out panel that needs to be removed, I did this with a combination of small screwdriver, hammer, stanely knife and some pliers. Once you have removed the knockout, screw in a self taper, then pull out the blanking cartridge.
This is a far as I have got, next is to purchase some filters(hopefully the same as Spain D40) fit them in the slot and then make up some sort of cover plate to seal them in.

I've attached a few pics.

 

[KraftyPg]

I took my home made ones out before leaving Perth too see if they made any difference and never bothered putting them back in as I couldn't notice any real difference, no excessive amount of dust or crap got in on the way over and none got in on the way home. Opening the windows lets more dust in than the a/c system with or without filters.

Of course everyone's opinions of how well these work or don't work will be different, I know Pathy owners in northern WA who reckon the factory ones do nothing and there is plenty of people here who claim they do work. For now because I've got other things to do mine will stay out.

If you do find they are they same as the Spain D40 then SuperCrap sell the filters for about $12 each.

 

[Leprechaun]

It may be a Kingcab thing as the door don't seal very well at the bottom. I still haven't recovered from my last desert trip, the amount of dust we ate was unbelievable, there was so much dust inside the cabin, that my seat belts have been permanently stained red, the heater fan is completely full of dust, I'm going to try and get in there with the vacuum tomorrow.

Thanks for the advice I'll take one of the blanks to Supercheap and try and find a match. Nissan in Frankston want $66 for the kit.
I'm crossing the Simpson, weather permitting in May, so I'll be able to make a comparison, if they work or not.

 

[Leprechaun]

Update on fitting cabin filters to kingcabs.

Bought some cabin filters on the way home tonight, Genuine Nissan D40 Spain build. (No listing for a Thai build)
No go they are thicker than the slot by 4mm, I thought I could squeeze them in, but nope not going to work.
So if any one wants some new filters I'll sell them for $70 including postage.

Looks like I'll have to try some A/C filter material

 

[KraftyPg]

Given that they aren't listing them for Kingcabs I'm guessing that also means there is no mention of changing such filters at 20K and beyond. Still seems weird to me that Nissan claim these filters are needed but not until 20K, then changed every 20K, yet in the same truck without the second row of seats they aren't needed at all. Surely with the mark up on such items they would try and convince kingcab owners of their worth as well as crew cab owners.

 

[Old.Tony]

Odd that my dealer told me they were supposed to be in from factory, and installed a pair for me in order to ensure that they were there. We haven't driven through significant dust yet, although we copped a little bit and none of it saw the interior. Maybe they work. Not definite, but they definitely don't NOT work.

 

[ants_oz]

My D40 is not my main vehicle (as Old.Tony would know - how's things going buddy?). I mainly use it for hunting and fishing trips - as a result, it sees a LOT of dirt and dust.

I do all my own maintenance and scheduled servicing (both logbook and adhoc), and have noticed that when changing the filters in the AC, they trap a HUGE amount of muck. Bugs and dirt mainly.

As an experiment I have cleaned out one set of filters and will reuse them next time around. When doing an initial rinse in water, the amount of dirt that came out was quite large. So for anyone that thinks these filters don't trap dirt and dust - I disagree - I've seen evidence to the contrary.

With regard to cleaning and reusing the filters, I've got a simple theory - I have paper filters in my outdoor spa. Every little while I remove the filters, clean them to remove as much physical substance as possible, soak them in a chemical (which is basically a type of bleach) which "burns off" organic contaminants like body oils etc, then reinstall them.

I went through a similar process with my old pollen filters - simplified since they are just pollen filters....basically I hosed them out (backwards so as not to force dirt through the filter material), soaked them overnight in nappy san, then dried them thoroughly. They are now ready for next time. And I have to say - they look like new filters.

As I replace my filters every 10,000km or thereabouts, I was interested in ways to reduce the cost of possible - this may work - it should - logic says it should.

 

[KraftyPg]

Odd that my dealer told me they were supposed to be in from factory, and installed a pair for me in order to ensure that they were there. We haven't driven through significant dust yet, although we copped a little bit and none of it saw the interior. Maybe they work. Not definite, but they definitely don't NOT work.

I actually found it odd your dealer told you there were suppose to be there. I'm yet to find a Nav dealer that has admitted that. Myself and several mates that drive Nav's and Pathy's of different ages have asked different dealers about this and while none have suggested they should be done at the factory there has also been none that could tell us why they weren't and why the book suggested they should be put in after 20K.

As previously stated I've driven mine through coal dust storms before my home made filters went in and then took them out to come back from Perth to see if there was any major differences and I've still had no dust into the cabin, and definitely no fan forced dust when the a/c is on. To me these things are still a personal preference item, some people will swear by them and say they have to be in while there will be thousands of owners who buy these vehicles that don't even know they haven't got them in there. Until such time as I start getting dust into the cabin I'll be leaving mine out as well.

 

[Old.Tony]

My D40 is not my main vehicle (as Old.Tony would know - how's things going buddy?). I mainly use it for hunting and fishing trips - as a result, it sees a LOT of dirt and dust.

We're doing pretty good thanks, still running around like mad rabbits, was up at Mt Wilson (and more) just yesterday with a return trip over the Wisemans Ferry. A couple of pics are below.

Been thinking about sealing the tub and that solution you have across the bottom is pretty neat, but an accident with my tarp gave me an idea - a simple flat piece of rubber that, with the tailgate down, simple sits under the tub liner and runs across the gap to the tailgate that when the tailgate is lifted, completely seals the bottom gap. Now I just gotta have a brain accident for the sides!

 

[KraftyPg]

I guess I'm just not enough of a perfectionist and don't mind some little flaws in my ute. I've sealed the holes in the front of the tub where the water was getting in but as far as the dust getting in I'm more than happy to leave the gaps in the tailgate, one because they must let out as much dust as they let in, two they create a good air flow path from the front windows to the rear of the tub past the fridge and three I just don't consider the amount of dust and stuff thats getting in to be a huge issue.

I got a film of dust on the fridge and bags on the Perth trip but it's not like it was anything more than a small film. When I got home I took the liner out to give the tub a good clean and the majority of what I was blowing out was grass and crap that had fallen off the mower while I'd been carting it around.