Horrible smell after turning A/C off

SouthArk370Z

The '09s did not come with the cabin filter but use the same air handler as several other Nissan/Infiniti models that do. Everything is there but the filter. I had my dealer install a filter in my '09.

There is a hole in the firewall through which you can see if the filter is installed (at least on '09s). Remove the battery cover and look behind and below the battery.

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Bking

I'm pretty sure it's mold/mildew forming on the evaporator since the car was parked in a garage for a few months in Raincouver.

Can I spray some mold remover on the evaporator coils? If so, where can I locate the evaporator? Thanks.

BeemaaZ

I had this moldy (sometimes rubbery) smell in the past, I was able to get rid of it by turning on the heater for at least 10 minutes for about a week while driving to and from work. After that, I am setting the temp at 75 uncirculated (fresh air) every time the AC is on. The smell never came back.

Btw, thanks to Kenchan's great advise!

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7speed

I thought the smell was from sardines I stupidly ate in the car one time. But the description sounds right, I never smell anything with ac. Wonder if they can replace lines under warranty??

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binary0x01

Eating sardines in the car? oh man...

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Drex

fwiw, ive been told in the past to keep the fresh air setting on a much as possible to avoid mold growth. so i usually drive with the ac off and the fresh air setting on. occasionally, i will get a musty smell after it rains, but it will go away after driving the car for a bit. to avoid this, i put the air on recirculate mode if i am in the car when it is raining.

basically, damp & warm air will promote mold growth. so keep the fresh air coming in to dry everything out, or keep the ac on to keep it cold.

edit: i don't think it is possible to have outside air and the ac on at the same time.

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alvitdk

Outside air and A/C is always on if in upper air settings, otherwise your windows would fog up. In the defrost setting you are actually unable to set it in air re-circulation mode.

Just try it, put it in recirculation mode with A/C on, 1 minute later you will be blind

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Bking

The thing is I don't smell it when the A/C is off (fresh air mode), doesn't matter if it's raining or sunny. But as soon as I turn it off after using the A/C, I smell dirty moldy towels blasting in my face.

SouthArk370Z

It's pretty much impossible to prevent mold/mildew around the evaporator. It stays wet/damp a lot and you're always bringing in outside air that contains spores. Even if you get rid of it, it will just come back.

Same thing happens with home A/Cs but they are designed to run the fan for a while after the compressor shuts off which helps drying and limits growth to acceptable levels.

As others have mentioned, running with the compressor off as much as possible will help keep things drier and reduce (not eliminate) the problem. Turning it off a block before you park will not help all that much as it takes a while for the evaporator to warm up and things to dry out; but it's better than nothing.

If the smell is really bad you may have a very large accumulation or a very smelly variety. I'm not sure what to do in that case - call a pro.

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kidkotic2001

This smell will always be there if you have your AC on all the time. I have learned to live with it. I had three Zs and the smell was the same. LOL

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LakeShow

I found this to be the solution whenever the AC produced a smell. Just turn the AC off a few mins before turning the car off will help the smell go away. Trust me it works, did it on my Z and G37.

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Vaughanabe13

Holy lack of punctuation, Batman!

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BrandonT

This is a well known issue and frankly Nissan should be embarrassed. I know I am if I smell it with a passenger Anyway the best thing I have found if you don't want to mess with turning the AC on and off all the time is to keep the temp a click or two above 75F. It will switch back and forth between recirc and fresh by itself and this seems to help minimize it.

Mt Tam I am

Is it possible to spray an anti mold compound into or on something?

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SouthArk370Z

The most popular fungicides are bleach and vinegar, both of which can attack the Aluminum parts of the system (bleach attacks just about everything). Some kind of Silver micro/nano-particle spray around the evaporator area might help.

There may be a restriction in the drain. Kink/dirt/mold in the hose, &c.

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