Ray -

Don't be so hard on yourself.....at least you recovered all of your fasteners.

The astronauts spacewalking on the ISS lost hold of a bolt yesterday....and it will never be found.

They lost another one today. Let's hope they aren't found by way of impact with another space shuttle.

They are weightless, how the hell do you drop something when there is no gravity? I think the real story is one of them bet the other he couldn't hit something with it. Probably triple-dog-dared him to do it....

I put in a cabin air filter a few weeks ago (2006 FEH), and it fitted the compartment just fine. But I've noticed that the blower seems to be putting a lot less air into the cabin now. Anyone else notice a significant decrease in air flow after installing the filter?

Hal

Sure did - big reduction at that.

I did notice a big decrease in dust on the dash though. My '06 doesn't have a filter yet and the dash on it is covered. The '05 with the filter is staying a lot cleaner.

Could be my imagination at work but I don't think so.

Hmmm. I wonder if that's why Ford didn't include the filter in the new car. I find the reduction in air flow a real pain---and my wife lets me know that she does too.

There's no reason for a filter meant for peacetime use to offer a lot of air resistance. I might get a furnace filter and cut it to size. That would remove enough pollen and dust to make the cabin habitable, yet let the air through. Anyone tried that?

Hal

The furnace filter makes perfect sense. Probably get four or more from the filters my house furnace uses. And they are a heck of a lot cheaper than even the Bosch filter I got at Autozone. It's almost heating season here in New England so when I change the filter in the furnace maybe I will play with the old one......thanks for the idea.

I guess you really wouldn't need a HEPA type filter or anything even close in a vehicle in which the windows open.

Hmmm... it didn't seem to make that big a difference to me. Even with the filter I rarely have my fan above 2.

Interesting. Made an enormous difference to me. I don't know what the rating of this filter is, but it's mighty effective, and lets very little air through. Filters are always a trade between air flow and efficiency, and Ford has obviously opted for a tight filter. It may well be that the aftermarket ones may vary in porosity. (The YMMV effect.)

Anyway, for those who might prefer air flow, there is even an alternative to the furnace filter option. The filter compartment in my car (2006 FEH) is sized for a 6x10 filter (actual dimensions 6 1/4 x 10 1/2 inches), and my local hardware store sells the spun fiberglas material for $3 per running foot, from which one could cut out a half-dozen filters. I cut one to fill my compartment, and it works just fine. (I think that Home Depot also sells the material.) Open up your compartment, measure your own dimensions, and you can have a filter to suit your personal needs.

Hal

My filter was made by Bosch, so thats probably the difference.

I also installed the Bosch filter. Plenty of flow in fan positions 1 thru 4 when using A/C. Noticeable reduction in dust on top of the dash.