The last couple of times I have started my X, the A/C puts out a musty odor. Is there something that causes this, and what can I do to make it go away.

Thanks!

 

I have a little musty smell too....it goes away after a while, but I wonmder if the filter system for incoming air for the HVAC system is easily accessable for clearing. ANd does anybody recommend any kind of chemical tratment? Or should I consider baking soda like I have in home refigerator?

 

Make certain your drain is not clogged.

Once the drain is clear, you can use a chlorine bleach solution to sanitize the system.

Steve

 

Is there an access point for the drain container other than the drain plug?

Is it only necessary to add the clorine solution to the drain area, or is there really a filter somewhere that can get junked up?

 

Where do I find the drain?

 

AC Smell,
If you see water under the truck the when the AC is running the drain is fine. The drain does not normally get clogged. The musty smell is a fungas that grows on the evaporator which is the item the air passes through before entering the cabin. There are no filters etc... The early Expy's had a filter kit avail but few sold. Ok how to fix this, first when you are parking your truck run the system on vent for a minute or two to dry out the evaporator, if you live in a very humid climate you might need to get a commerical product to kill the mold/fungas. Most of the time lysol will work, I don't suggest the bleech idea due to the fumes and the effects on ABS plastic over time. Run the system on low and spray lysol at the base of the windshield on the passenger side into the plastic screen looking mesh. I would do this with all the windows down. Good luck let us know what happens.

Dave

 

Using settings other than MAX A/C may also help if you use this setting all the time.

MAX A/C recirculates interior air, and doesn't introduce outside air to the system.

But the other posters have the likely solution.

 

thanks, I'l give that a try and let you know.

 

Everytime I turn on the air my two boys say "It stinks in here", I figured it must be some kind of mildew. It always clears up within seconds.

 

I took my '03 in to the dealership with the same complaint, musty smell. They sprayed some kind of chemical through the system to kill the fungus/bacteria. By doing this they ended up melting all the vents in my dash and staining the seats and door panels. They had to replace the dash vents and clean the interior of my truck. Be careful what you are spraying into the ventilation system, and always park the truck with the selector set to vent to allow the vents to "air out".

 

It's best to never leave the system on MAX A/C or OFF when you park the truck - these settings do not allow fresh air to get in and dry the ducts out. I seem to recall that the owner's manual actually has a warning about this.