ac stinks up my car?

[mluu510]

i bought my car in oct06. thus, i didn't use the ac. now it's summer, i am using the ac and it REALLY STINKS! is this typical of new car? i hope the smell is be gone soon. i hate bringing cars to dealer.

[Ruski]

Change your cabin filter or get air fresheners .
"i hope the smell is be gone soon." reword that please

[ClassySolaraGuy]

Change your cabin filter

I was just thinking that. Its located right behind the glove box.

[iinokturnolii]

i have that problem too... i should change it even being an 1 year old car?

[sydemoid]

they sell a vent cleaner spray.. its like $4 a can. I just sprayed my vents, I have a Gen 1, and goodbye smelly stuff.

Autozone is where I got it. FYI

[kingkakyle]

it could be like mildew?
i dunno but change the filter first
then if thats doesn't work get the spray

[Sebas007]

It is the air filter behind the glovebox 100% sure !! I got the samething here...not working for the 3/4 of the year...when heppening the time to use it...stink the curdled milk !

[linmk2]

It's very likely the smell is caused by mold. It's not uncommon for mold to form in the evaporator case of your A/C. A spray can be very effective. However, be sure to follow the directions on the can. Try not to get the stuff on the paint. They say it will not hurt the finish, but still use caution. When spraying in the vent intake below the windsheild, be sure your A/C is set on fresh air and that your blower is on high. Good luck.

[philosophicaljt]

spray the area around the filter (not the filter itself) with febreeze.

[NeFaRiOuS_SLE]

It's very likely the smell is caused by mold. It's not uncommon for mold to form in the evaporator case of your A/C. A spray can be very effective. However, be sure to follow the directions on the can. Try not to get the stuff on the paint. They say it will not hurt the finish, but still use caution. When spraying in the vent intake below the windsheild, be sure your A/C is set on fresh air and that your blower is on high. Good luck.

That stuff works, but I'd still recommend masking tape around the area it will spray into and something that won't absorb the stuff underneath (e.g. a wooden board or rubber floor mat; even ones from the dollar store would work)... I tried that stuff with my car, and although I got most of it out, there's still a small noticeable amount of "overspray" on my glove compartment door...

Good news is that my A/C doesn't have that mildew smell, although the "vanilla" scent will be pretty overbearing for a few days... Feel free to use the days after to pick up chicks (vanilla is an aphrodisiac) .

[Gadgetjq]

i bought my car in oct06. thus, i didn't use the ac. now it's summer, i am using the ac and it REALLY STINKS!

Before you start using a bunch of expensive chemicals let me toss out a couple of 'seasoned driver' (what my insurance company calls us old guys) tricks.

1. With your engine up to operating temperature put your heater temp and fan on high. Run it that way at least 15 minutes. The heated air will help dry out collected moisture in the duct system where mold may have started growing. If that helps a bunch but there's still a little odor do it again.

2. Remove your cabin air filter and with the fan on low squirt some Lysol into the filter opening. The fan will circulate the Lysol around the vent system which will kill any mold growing in there. The odor won't stick around nearly as long as some other products (Febreeze will be with you seemingly forever).

3. Make sure your drain isn't plugged. When you run the AC you should see water dripping from a hose mounted low on the firewall. If there's no puddle under your car when you park (and the AC has been running awhile) the drain is probably clogged. Eventually moisture could build up to the point where it starts draining 'into' your car. 'Then' you're going to have a stink fer sure.

If you can remember to do it you'll eliminate this problem by turning off your AC a few minutes before turning off your car for the day. Letting the fan continue to blow will help dry out the system.

Cheers

[MCOjerry]

Also, don't always run your A/C on recirculate, and when you are driving and the A/C is off...mkes sure recirculate is off so fresh air flows through. This will help keep moisture from building up.

[NeFaRiOuS_SLE]

^^In that case I hope he doesn't drive a car equipped with auto climate... I ALWAYS have to remember to turn off RECIRC before I leave the car ! Don't know if that's the case with Gen2 though.

[JMSinMaryland]

Vehicles equipped with an in cabin air filters should have the filters changed between 15k-20k. I've seen them at 15k and they look worse than the engine air filter with the same mileage, black and clogged with little pieces of leaves, bugs, etc

Vehicles without an in cabin air filter or those with but higher mileage (45-60k?) should have a A/C service done. I have a 99 with 95k on it. It got to the point that it would start off musty and eventually blow cold but not "max" cold right away. I got an A/C service which consists of sending an expanding foam cleaner up through the drainage hose into the condensor and letting it drain out. Following that a 'refresher' through the vent system via the outside cowl. My A/C is no longer musty and gets ice cold within seconds of starting the system. Hands down recommended. Toyota is running a special this month for the service at some dealers for $40, well worth it, normally would be around $120.

[MCOjerry]

^^In that case I hope he doesn't drive a car equipped with auto climate... I ALWAYS have to remember to turn off RECIRC before I leave the car ! Don't know if that's the case with Gen2 though.

Yes, unfortunately it is the same on the Gen2, even if the fan is off. Not sure why they programed it like that, but it can be annoying.

When I'm driving around with the top down, I always try to pop it back to fresh just to keep air circulating through. Silly little annoyance