ac smell

jhnybgood47

jhnybgood47

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I have a 2011 Corolla le and there is a smell that comes out of the ac intermittently. It smells moldy and I have no idea what is causing it.

I have sprayed everything I can think of in the car and ac. The smell has been happening for about 3 years. I've also changed the air filter and no change.

The smell goes away if I turn the outside air on or turn the ac off so it blows room temp air or if I turn the ac knob from 1-4 multiple times.

Does anyone have any ideas what it could be?
 
I have same issue with my tacoma... Tried the spray in the ducts and other things nothing seems work for long and it comes back...
 
I'm thinking about pouring lysol in the top vent on the outside of the car. I'm that desperate.
 
Does it have an afterblow option? Most modern cars will turn on the fan after the car has been off for sometime to assist in removing odors and condensation in the HVAC system.
 
No it does not. I've ran the car with the heat on and outside air and the smell went away for a couple days but it came back.

Now she drives with the outside air on most of the time. A couple minutes after the outside are is off, the smell comes back.

But like I said above, the smell lasts for maybe 3-5 minutes tops then goes away for a while then comes back.
 
Why does the smell go away when she changes the speed of the air coming out of the vents?
 
I have used this stuff before in the past. On my truck I bought from my grandpa that smoked. This made a huge difference. The smell is usually coming from evaporator core. They get dirty and are constantly wet from the ac condensation. That causes mold and bacteria. You should have seen the junk that came out of the evap drain.
IMG_2549.jpg Photo by skylinegtr09 | Photobucket
 
You spray it down the center vents, or up through the condensate drain, as has been stated before, you are trying to get the product to the evaporator.
 
OK. While I wait for the can to ship would it be a bad idea to spray lysol through my ac?
 
I'd say check the cabin filter:thumbup:

Sent from my SPH-M930 using Tapatalk 2
 
jhnybgood47 said:
OK. While I wait for the can to ship would it be a bad idea to spray lysol through my ac?
Click to expand...
I would not do that...

Also, I would make sure when you use the 1Z that you are getting it directly in the condenser. Best bet is probably doing it from the bottom through the evap drain.
 
AeroCleanse said:
First, make sure the drip tube isn't blocked. Second, 1z-Klima Cleaner - 1Z Einszett Klima-Cleaner Air Conditioner Treatment
Click to expand...


Precisely!

I have an older Corolla and my drain tube was "glued shut" too. I opened it and to keep it open I put a piece of plastic tube in it to hold it open. They are designed to spring shut on their own to keep rain splash from getting into the tube. But here in California there is not only no rain, but so little moisture in the air that there isn't enough condensation to keep it open and clean.

Then I sprayed the air intake, both on the cowl and under the dash with the Klima-Cleaner.
That got rid of 99% of any odors. But just to finish off the job i ran my ozone generator for an hour with the AC fan turned on full. After all that there was no smell and it never returned.
 
Here is a video on what I did. The easiest way is to find the drain and hook up the foam kit into the drain.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi22mdXj3wM]KOOL-IT Evaporator and Heater Foam Cleaner - YouTube[/video]

The kit I bought had the foam plus it had a can of basically lysol that you spray into the fresh air intake of the car. Usually on the outside, hence fresh air, below the windshield. The cowling where your wipers sit. Don't forget after you let the foam cleaner do its work you must go drive with the ac on and the fresh air on. That will condense the most water in the evap and thus "flush" out all the cleaner and junk it cleaned off.

The kit gave the steps on how to do everything. It made a huge difference. 4 years later it is still fresh.

This is the exact kit I ordered. Lexus Toyota A C Refresher Kit | eBay

It worked awesome!
 
Forgot to add that yes if you do have a air filter remove it before you do this work and replace it afterward
 
Lysol works for me. Remove the cabin filter if there is one. Then with fan on and recirc off, spray Lysol through the outside vents near the windshield. Do it several times. Then turn recirc on and spray the inside vents near the feet area, driver and passenger sides. Do this several times. I usually do this once a year during the humid season. As a preventative, get in the habit of turning off the AC a couple minutes before you reach your destination. But leave the fans running. This should help prevent moisture buildup.
 
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