2005 Focus Fishy smell from heater

Ford is telling me that mildew is collecting inside the air conditioner unit, and when not used for long periods, gives off this odor. Any remedy?

Reply to
News Reeder
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A can of Lysol sprayed into the outside vents below windshield while AC is running, or you can sub Ford's own spray stuff.

Reply to
Sharon K.Cooke

Here's the procedure ver batim from the Haynes manual for a Taurus, not sure what kind of car you have but should be identical:

The evaporator core on most vehicles is hard to access, and dealership service departments have a lenghtly procedure to eliminate the fungus by opening the evaporator case and using a powerful disinfectant and rinse on the core until the fungus is gone. You can service your own system at home, but it takes something much stronger than basic household germ-killers or deodorizers.

Aerosol disinfectants for automotive air conditioning systems are available in most auto parts stores, but the most effective treatments are also the most expensive. The basic procedure for using these sprays is to start by running the system in the recirculation mode for

10 minutes with the blower on its highest speed. Use the highest heat mode to dry out the system. Keep the compressor from engaging by disconnecting the wiring connector at the compressor.

The disinfectant can usually comes with a long spray hose. Remove the blower motor resistor, point the nozzle inside the hole and spray, according to the manufacturers recommendations. Try to cover the whole surface of the evaporator core by aiming the spray up, down and sideways. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for the length of spray and waiting time between applications.

After the evaporator core is cleaned, the best way to prevent the mildew from returning is to make sure your evaporator housing drain tube is clear.

Hope this helps!

Reply to
Jeremiah Greer

this is an obvious problem with these cars?

Reply to
News Reeder

It's a problem with air conditioning in general. The evaporator core stays wet and has lots of little pockets making it a prime spot for mold/mildew to grow. Some car makers have attempted to fix this by having the blower cycle on and off a few times after you turn off the car to dry the core out to prevent growth.

Probably not a bad idea to spray-clean it out at least once a year, depending on how much you use the air conditioner.

News Reeder wrote:

Reply to
Jeremiah Greer

Reply to
News Reeder

Don't know where you live at, but we are in South Florida and whenever there is a red tide outbreak and you are anywhere near the beach EVERYTHING seems to smell fishy. That smell seems to permeate everything!

Reply to
Jeremiah Greer

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