I have an 04 EX Accord, 4 cyl, manual transmission. I'd like to change the air filter myself, but never done it before. Please help. Thanks in advance

 

I don't have an 04 in front of me but air filters are fairly standard.... Look for a squarish shaped box towards the front of the car (typically on the passenger side but not always) that box houses the air filter, look around the outide edge of it for any clips and/or screws, remove the clips and unscrew the screws, they probably won't come out completely since most of them have retainers of some sort to keep them in/with the airbox, lift it off, remove the old filter and just slide the new one in the way that the old one came out and re-install the reverse of removal.... sorry I don't have pictures or manual pages....

 

I got that far by unscrewing the four screws on the top of the housing, but I could not get the top of the housing off. I could get it to detatch just barely, but I could never get it off completely. In other words, I never got to the old filter that is in there now. Plus, it looked like there were some sensors attached to the tube between the housing and the engine that would restrict me from pulling it off completely. Am I doing something wrong or is there a special trick that I don't know?

 

If the sensor wires are to short to allow access then you can disconnect them, or depending on the configuration you can disconnect the main tube that goes from the airbox to the throttle body, disconnect it from the airbox via unclamping it or option 2, with it all unscrewed lift up one side so that you can get to the old airfilter and reach your hand in, and pull it out of the small opening and then insert the new one in the same fashion....

 

no need to pull top off completely, undo the 4 top phillip screws , just raise it up toward the left side of car at an angle first than lift it from the rt side a bit ,, it will raise enough for you to slide the old filter out and install the new oneit is a bit tight but ,, that's how i do it and got no problems
otherwise you have to disconnect the sensors ..... too much work