# Honda CRV - Changing air filter with rusty bolts. How about installing new bolts? Anyone do it?



## Don2222 (Jun 19, 2017)

Hello
Anyone have trouble changing their Honda Car's air filter with rusted and rounded air filter box bolts or screws as they are sometimes called???
This is a 2002 Honda CRV but this air filter housing is very common on different models and model years!
This all started when we changed the oil and I asked if the air filter was changed. He thought his mechanic changed it. When I tried to get the rusted housing bolts out it looked like they were not taken out in a very long time! The 2 rusted bolts on the right side were so bad that the slots for the Phillips driver were chewed up and the hex heads were so rounded the socket drive did not work! So in this case we were very fortunate and with very small turns with the vise grips the 2 bolts finally came out of the engine and we got the housing off! Needless to say the air filter was beyond dirty!
Anyway, we did not want to rest here so we got 5 new bolts with washers from the Honda Dealer. These bolts looked like they were painted or coated and I sprayed them with Dry Moly so we hope these will work better!!
We took the top air filter housing off and brought it into the new workshop for the big operation!

Pic 1 - Honda CRV
Pic 2 -  Very Dirty Filter - Have to make changing it more possible!
Pic 3 - Honda CRV air filter housing
Pic 4 - Cutting the head of the bolt off
Pic 5 - Pulling the threads out
Pic 6 - New OEM bolt. About $25 for 5 that is $5 each
Pic 7 - Decapitated old rusty bolt - Parts man at Honda Dealer said these bolts are always breaking when servicing them in the shop!!
Pic 8 - Screwing in new bolt into metal sleeve that pushes into housing so bolt does not fall out!


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## Don2222 (Jun 19, 2017)

Hello
More pics
Before putting the new bolt into the housing and metal sleveve, we sprayed the inside of the sleeve with WD-40. It was tricky because we had to push the metal sleeve out of the plastic housing so we could get the vise grips in the end of the sleeve to hold it so the new bolt could be screwed in all the way!!

Pic 9 - Banging sleeve into plastic housing
Pic 10 - bolt sleeve in housing
Pic 11 - Pushing head of bolt into sleeve so the top of the bolt that has no threads, turns freely in the metal sleeve in the plastic top housing.
Pic 12 - Spraying Dry Moly on threads
Pic 13-14 New bolts screwed into engine - all done
Took about 2 Hours!


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## heat seeker (Jun 19, 2017)

Good work!

Now you need to address the issue of the dishonest garage.


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## Don2222 (Jun 19, 2017)

heat seeker said:


> Good work!
> 
> Now you need to address the issue of the dishonest garage.


What would they do in this case and how much? $$$


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## heat seeker (Jun 19, 2017)

Did they charge you for a new air filter? Anyway, I'd be looking for an honest garage to go to. Trust is important; who knows what else was/wasn't done? What did they use for oil? Did they even change it - and the filter? Too many unknowns, and if I can't trust someone, I don't do business with them. Period.


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## Don2222 (Jun 19, 2017)

heat seeker said:


> Did they charge you for a new air filter? Anyway, I'd be looking for an honest garage to go to. Trust is important; who knows what else was/wasn't done? What did they use for oil? Did they even change it - and the filter? Too many unknowns, and if I can't trust someone, I don't do business with them. Period.


Oh no the garage never said they changed the air filter. So we just did it ourselves.
$25 for new bolts and $10 for the filter and we even changed our own oil and oil filter this time just to save money and we sure did!
I wonder what it would cost for a garage to change the bolts and air filter?

It is $75 for the top air box and $40 to install it at a Honda dealer
See
http://www.crvownersclub.com/forums...it-broken-2002-cr-v.html#/topics/10155?page=2


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## heat seeker (Jun 19, 2017)

"This all started when we changed the oil and I asked if the air filter was changed. He thought his mechanic changed it."  It sounded to me like they told you it was done. Guess not... 

At $90-100 dollars an hour (local shop rates here), do the math. And they'd probably not do as thorough a job as you did. No one works on a car the way the owner does, time is too expensive.


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## moey (Jun 20, 2017)

Ive put long zip ties around them as well when I was in a hurry.


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## sportbikerider78 (Jun 20, 2017)

Find your car in a junkyard.  They are treasure troves for little items like this.

You almost never need OEM bolts.  Just go to your local fastener store and get a full thread hex.  Would have been $.15 each.  It is probably just an M5.


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## moey (Jun 28, 2017)

Your local boneyard probably would give these bolts away for free. At least the one by me has given me such items for free.

You would think they would just put stainless in there its not like its under any stress. Ive had several cars break those bolts over the years.


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## Don2222 (Jun 28, 2017)

moey said:


> Your local boneyard probably would give these bolts away for free. At least the one by me has given me such items for free.
> 
> You would think they would just put stainless in there its not like its under any stress. Ive had several cars break those bolts over the years.


Yes, Stainless is the way to go.
They are metric M5 x 36 mm long but have a space at the top with no threads and are tapered a bit at the bottom so not sure if the bolts at Home Depot or a hardware store would work. The 5 new ones I bought from the Honda Dealer for $25 are black so there is some sort of coating on them to protect against rusting but still light in weight.


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## moey (Jun 28, 2017)

Majestic Honda has cheap OEM honda parts sometimes the local dealer will match the price. Ive ordered a lot of honda parts from them thru the years you do have to pay a shipping fee but OEM parts are very inexpensive compared to a dealer.

https://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/


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## EatenByLimestone (Jun 29, 2017)

My wife's crv has snaps.  I think it's a 14.   Maybe a correction of a known issue?


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## Don2222 (Jun 30, 2017)

EatenByLimestone said:


> My wife's crv has snaps.  I think it's a 14.   Maybe a correction of a known issue?


Wow - snaps make it easier!


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