A/C Smells

[Brian Teitell]

I just noticed today for the first time that my ac smells alittle what can i do about this to fix it and get rid of it?

Thanks

brian

 

[Robert Stanton]

Leave your A/C off?



(Sorry, someone was gonna say it!)



Febreeze is always nice.

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

Mine does it also if it hasn't been used for awile. Not much you can do, it will get "musty" smelling. The Febreeze is a good option.

 

[Fer Echegaray]

We had that issue with my wife's focus.

Solved by runing the hot air for about 15 minutes (to try and dry the vents some), let it cool and then spray lysol on the air entrance and run it for a couple more minutes...

 

[Fer Echegaray]

ywah, I could not think of the proper name, thx... and it does work, at least on a Focus

 

[A K]

AutoZone has something similar to this:

 

[Frank Marano]

Buy some OZIUM at your auto parts store and turn your AC on high. Spray the OZIUM into the air intake vents below your windsheild wipers on the outside of your trac..... It kills the musty smell .......you can also spray some on your mats and seats to kill odors.

 

[Frank Marano]

well you cant spray it then sit in the vehicle. you have to do it then let it sit, plus you arent suppose to use the whole can at once, lol



it is potent....

 

[Dre L]

None of it really works other than running the heat on high for a while, lysol, or AC cleaner in the vents. They're all temporary fixes.



I did not have any issues when I smoked, the car always smelled nice. When I stopped smoking, I noticed the rotting garbage/urine/BO smell from the vents.:angry:



"The nature of an air-conditioner is that it generates condensation “water” as it cools the air passing through it. The dust in the air (and bacteria) sticks to the water and then when the car is shut off, the water and dust stagnates. Consequentially, when the car is started the next day and the blower is turned on, you get a musty air smell. The older the car, the more dirt build up and the stronger the smell." (musty my ***, it smells like musty *** maybe.):angry:



I have found that leaving the vents open, and a couple of dryer sheets under the seats when the car is parked, leaves it smelling fresh all the time.



At least winter is here, this is a summertime issue with the AC and condensation. Winter and the heater stop the problem.



Good article:

 

[Dre L]

 

[FlipTrac_511]

Leave your A/C off?

On the contrary, you should leave it on! The owner's manual recommends leaving the AC turned to any position except 'Max AC' when you're not operating the vehicle (i.e. leaving it parked overnight). This allows the system to "breathe". This sounded like bodine symantics at first but it actually stopped the humid smell during the first moments of AC operation.

 

[Ron Tobias]

You are correct sir! Certain settings on your climate control (Max A/C for example) actually close the system and recycle the cabin air. Leaving the system closed when parked will cause a stink.



I think you will find, as I have, that leaving the climate controls in a position that will allow air to travel throught the system while parked will eventually fix the problem. I live in the extremely humid S.E. corner of Georgia (hits 100% almost every day) and I have found this to be very successful.

 

[Keith Lew]

I bought this stuff from Kragen called Pure Air made by Interdynamics. You use it like Frank described in using Ozium plus through the inside ducts. I also sprayed into the heater vent ducts in the footwells. It recommends running the fan on high for 5-10 minutes. It's odorless and works well. My ducts were smelling musty last spring and the treatment lasted through summer. Vacuuming the floor and shampooing/pressure washing the mats got rid of odors too

 

[Gavin Allan]

Why is the stinky A/C mostly a Ford problem? You never hear of other makes having it.

 

[Wes Davis]

My Hyundai Santa Fe had the a/c stink something awful. Just like the Ford I found out it was because I always used my a/c on max here in Florida. I think this happens only if you live in a high humidity climate. You have to run the a/c on the vent from outside position to dry the coils and duct work maybe 10 minutes before you reach your stop. If you have the stink now just do this a couple times and it will clear up.

 

[Brian Teitell]

Ya i live in dallas

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Never had the problem in OKC. Humidity is rather low, and I use the vent instead of A/C in the morning to save gas.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Vents in front of the windshield on all makes and models are/is called the

"Cowl Inlet ". This is where the inlet air to the passenger compartment

comes from, when your HVAC is set to anything other than recirculate.

 

[Chris Crawford]

I mix up Mr Clean and water and pour it down the cowl inlet - in front of the windshield.

 

[TomT]

I live in on the humid gulf coast but have never experieced any odors. Must be because I almost always run the ac in the fan/vent position.