Ford Galaxy - Pollen filter removal and replacement

[Mirez]

The pollen filter on the Galaxy is one of the most overlooked filters fitted and the main reason is that its inaccessible and time consuming to change. However there is nothing that difficult about the procedure and a good DIY'er will have no problem in changing it. Its essential its done because if its old it will cause a number of issues including:

Odour of "wet-dog" when the ventilation system is used
Water ingress into the passenger footwell
Poor ventilation fan speed
Steamy windows when raining
Possible corrosion of ventilation components

There are two methods detailed here so you should read the entire how-to first. So where is the filter? Well its tucked away right at the back of the engine bay, behind the bulkhead extension panel. In fact its so obscured you can't see it directly until some parts are removed but its overlayed as a green square here:

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If you are planning to remove the mechanism then you don't need to do this step. First up the windscreen wipers need to be put into the "up" or maintenance position, turn the ignition on then off and press down on the wiper stalk - the wipers should move and stop upright (Why? This moves the linkage to a position that allows the filter to slide, its next to impossible if this step isn't carried out!). On some models this feature appears not to work correctly so the wipers should be operated and the ignition switched off as they reach the top of their travel.

Next the bulhead extender needs to be removed. There are 3 bolts shown on the above image as red arrows but a more detailed post is here: Bulkhead Extension Removal

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If you have a 2004 on car then to make access much easier you should remove the windscreen wipers and then lift the scuttle plate up out of the way, pre 2004 cars have a different set-up that is higher so doesn't get in the way as much. With it removed you can get your first glimpse of the filter:

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A decision should now be made as to how skilled you are with inaccessible places and working blind, My personal preference is to remove the wiper mechanism as its only one wiring connector (as seen above) and 3 bolts which makes fitting the filter a doodle however if you dont mind tight spaces it is replaceable from this point on with some fiddling.

The filter sits in a plastic housing which slides off to the left, looking at this photo with the filter removed you can see the catch-clip on the left and the two slide guides on the right. When refitting it must sit into the guides and slide back to the right to lock into place.

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The filter carries part numbers:

Ford: 104121015
VW/Seat: 7M0819644

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Refitting is a reverse ensuring the housing locks securely in place to avoid water ingress, noise and dirt getting into the blower.

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