Getting rid of HVAC odor

fuct

omg!! keep bleach away from the automobile!!!

kenchan

it only corrodes everything in its path...

BrandonT

Lot of great replies! In response to some of them in no particular order:

I'll probably try the spray but I'm looking for a more permanent solution.

I hate things that hide odor with some fake flower smell. Kinda repulses me.

I'll check the drainage.

I already turn AC off a couple miles before my destination, that's how I know if you wait a minute the odor appears then goes away after a few more minutes. So that really hasn't changed anything.

Kenchan might be on to something with the Temp. I put mine about 70 where it started to automatically switch between Recirc and Fresh on its own, now when I turn off the AC it smells ok. Might be something there? Maybe it's the running in Fresh, or maybe the switching which allows both pathways to stay dry?

kenchan

brandon - i keep my air to FRESH mode all the time. i rarely use re-circulate since i drive with my window down often anyway.

Bonzo

You obviously don't know what bleach will and won't do. I'm not talking about putting it on your cloth seats. These drains in all my past (and current) cars have all been plastic, and bleach isn't going to harm the plastic, especially watered down. It was recommended by nationally recognized/circulated newspaper car guys, and I'm telling you that on my Tahoe it worked after nothing else did. ZERO ill side affects.

But again, I'm not sure about a Z, and whether it will work or not. I certainly will not worry about hurting anything though, so if this problem does arise it will be the first thing I try.

kenchan

yah, not convinced. you give it a try on your solstice.

Bonzo

Never had the problem on the Solstice, my Murano, my wife's current Soul, or her old Grand Am.

I did some looking around and while most people on line aren't recommending bleach (although some do), they do talk a lot about spraying lysol into the outside vents with the outside air on. The problem is an old one, and it's 2 fold, not usually related to any cabin filter. I think where my problem on my Tahoe was the pan and the drain. Water in this area is usually caused by the drain hose getting clogged. This is where my smell was coming from, and running the bleach solution down there killed the bacteria in the pan and the hose. The other area is the evaporator, and this is where the lysol spray thing might help, but I'm not sure.

What I have learned today is this is a very common problem and there are a lot of people out there with no clue what they are talking about. You think my bleach thing is wrong, you should read some of the other stupid things out there. The bleach thing sounds down right genius compared to some other's ideas. Do a search and you'll see.

Gotta run ---- Later ---- Bonzo

BrandonT

Reviving this from the dead. So I think I found a solution from this recurring, similar to Kenchan I keep the temp in the upper 70's, everything on auto. This way it switches back and forth from fresh to recirc, and every path gets dried. However I still I have some residual mold from the original problem, and I want to kill it. I will probably use the spray recommended in one of the replies, but what I need to know is how to apply. Which vents, and what mode should I have the AC in so I don't damage something?

BTW I also added a baking soda/carbon cabin filter. Will be changed after this treatment.

oro

If you can find it I would use a aerosol bomb from Wurth. I used it on my 350z back when I worked at a euro shop, we used to use it on the customer cars that smoked when we were setting their cars up for pre-sale service.

Stuff is awesome you pull the pin like a grenade turn the AC on recirc close the windows and let the stuff fly. After it's done spraying you crack the windows for 20 minutes and you're good. Your car will smell sterile and it will kill anything living in there...hence why you can't sit in the car when it's running...lol. I haven't been able to find it but if you know someone or a vendor that is a Wurth dealer, I'm sure they could get ahold of it.

memorylasts

Try Ozium(auto zone) just keep spraying into the area of the air pick up, with recirculation on, and AC on, but the temp set at full hot and full fan speed let it blow for 15 20 min. let everything get hot inside and just let it circulate the air.

I used to have to do this with my GTI. Had the same problem and this fixed it.

Run your heat for about 5 minutes after you use the ac to dry everything(in the same way i described above just not as long), best way to keep it from not coming back.

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slo

Just like someone else mentioned, I turn my a/c off a couple miles from home but keep the fan on. No odors.....

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BrandonT

Where is that? Base of the window outside?

ZMan8

That's what I have been doing.

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memorylasts

It was in the passenger foot well on the gti, I'm talking about the re-circulation I believe the Z is the same way put the air to another section and see if you can feel air movement.

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memorylasts

Yeah passenger foot well at the bottom of the dash you will feel air move up past your fingers into the dash.

Just checked. It might help to pull the filter out when you spray the Ozium. So it goes through the system instead of getting caught in the filter.

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