Musty A/C Odor

Hello all, I have a problem that maybe someone in these groups can help me with. I not too long ago got my A/C working on my '90 Camry DX, 3SFE engine with over 280,000 miles on the odometer. If I had known all was needed was to have the system charged I would have done it 5 years ago instead of driving around in the heat of Houston. Anyway, when I run the A/C for a while and cut off the engine for like a day or a few hours and start it again, there is a musty odor that comes from the vents. I asked my mechanic about it and he said that it was most likely the evaporator which probably had mold growing inside it from the moisture build up from the A/C running. He said that on cars old as mine that they werent serviceable. There has got to be some way of killing the odor and mold. I have sorta solved the problem by just leaving the vent open and opening the windows and try to dry the moisture out a while before I cut off the car. If anyone knows of some way of solving this problem please let me know. It will be much appreciated.

Reply to
Savalas
Loading thread data ...

The usual recommendation is buy a spray can of Febreeze and give all the the vents a good squirt, and leave it overnite. If its really bad, you may have to take the evaporator fan shroud off (if its accessible) and squirt the fins directly.

May take several applications.

Stewart DIBBS

Reply to
Stewart DIBBS

The problem with the usual recommendation is that it doesn't kill the cause (mold) but just masks it.

You need to kill the mold.

Reply to
Gary L. Burnore

I have had pretty good luck, in cars without a cabin filter.

By

Spraying Lysol thru the intake (cowl area) while running the fan. I use the aerosol type and usually give it a real good shot several times. Not sure if it will get all the mold but should help.

Ron

Reply to
ron

First, check the carpet under the passenger side of the dashboard for dampness. If it is damp or if you hear water sloshing around under the passenger side of the dashboard, then the evaporator drain tube is mis-positioned or clogged. Make sure it exits out the hole in the floor of the car, and stick a wire up from underneath to make sure it is not clogged.

Besides Lysol, you can spray water mixed with bleach to kill the mold, or you can try Frigi-Fresh by BG - some auto shops may carry it.

Reply to
Ray O

What I usually do to preven this is I switch the AC off a couple minutes before I reach my destination and just let it blow air. It will prevent condensation in the system and you won't get the bad smell. Make sure the ac is off but the fan is still running. This is actually quite common in many cars.

Reply to
RT

Either steam clean your floor mats or replace them. Or, I highly recommend Oust. Don't use Lysol it can attack your lungs. It's not meant to be used as a air spray and definitely not in such a closed space. Read the warning label. mark_

Reply to
mark digital

If your floor mats are wet on passenger side probably the drain hose is plugged. Unclog it then try the other remedies. Easy to get mold in high humidity areas if the drain is plugged.

Reply to
ron

Won't the bleach mixture damage metal parts? It might take a while but chlorine bleach eats metal. When furnace manufacturers thinned out metal parts to make furnaces more energy efficient, people that had washing machines near furnaces and used bleached often suffered premature failure of the heat exchangers. It was traced to the use of bleach in the same room.

Reply to
Art

Or use the lysol when you are not going to be driving the car for a while.

Reply to
Art

I don't know whether the bleach mixture will damage metal parts or not, so to be on the safe side, forget what I said about the bleach and stick to Frigi-Fresh!

Reply to
Ray O

Not if properly diluted. It is like the 'bleach' in the water you drink water, but you can't drink bleach ;)

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Sprinkle some Old Spice in there while you're at it.

mark_

Reply to
mark digital

OK. If one drop of bleach in a gallon of water is the equivalent of tap water tell me how many drops will it take to be "properly diluted"? mark_

Reply to
mark digital

Better yet, some FDS. Heh.

Reply to
Gary L. Burnore

We used a mist spray solution of 2 oz per gallon for years, to kill mold and mildew in thousands of fleet vehicles, without ill effects.

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Reply to
Zekers!

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.