2001 Civic - Air conditioning, Suspension

Nov 04, 2005 4 Replies
K

Hi, I've started reading a.a.honda and r.a.m.honda recently, and find that there're nice and very knowledgeable people here. Hope you can give me some ideas regarding my 2001 Civic :)



I live in the Pacific Northwest, where we have dry summers and wet winters. That means, I only use the air conditioning mostly during the winter. To save gas, I turn off the a/c when the windshield is clear, and turn it back on when it fogs up again.



I don't know whether this practice actually gave me this problem, but when I turn on the a/c, it started to give a mouldy/mewdewy smell. I don't think breathing this kinda air is very healthy anyway...



So, my question is: is it easy to take apart the HVAC system (ducts, filters etc...) for a thorough cleaning? Is it a DIY job?



Second question: regarding my rear suspension. The 2001 Civic is known to have very soft rear suspension, and the poor rear passengers get tossed around for quite a bit. What kind of aftermarket parts exist that can improve its ride? (Or even OEM parts that fits the 2001 Civic...)



Thank you very much!!



Kevin


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M

It's such a common complaint with so many cars I am surprised there aren't any great kits on the shelves to take care of it.

The most comprehensive treatment I've seen described (haven't had occasion to try it) involves connecting a basketball pump to the evaporator drain tube. The pump is filled with rubbing alcohol or straight isopropyl and the alcohol is flushed backward into the evaporator drain pan. The OP had us fill the drain pan until it ran over and then let it sit a minute or two. When the pump is removed the mostly disinfected drain pan contents are flushed out.

The OP indicated the overflow dries quickly without harming the carpet, but I think I'd fold an old towel in the passenger floor at least.

Mike

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S

its pretty much normal, to some extent.

i dont think thats anything id want to try. if you want, you could try spraying some lysol into the air intake near the hood/wipers while the A/C is running *and* set so it takes in outside air, not recirculate. itll make your car smell like lysol for a while, but should kill any germs.

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T

"Michael Pardee" wrote in news:kPCdnXm5luSwVvfenZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@sedona.net:

This really is a FAQ, isn't it?

Now that I think about it, reports of this tend to crop up when the warm weather starts (about the smae time as the Main Relay problems!)

One more for my list.

disinfectant procedure>

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K

Thanks everyone for the tips!! Will try them out to get rid of that smell.

Kevin

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