HI,

I have a 04 Supercrew FX4, 50,000 milages

I started to smell funny its smell like body odor coming out of AC vent. i know theres not DEAD body in the engine bay . It started about few days ago.

WHat is the possible cause this smell funny?

I noticed it will go away after a minute turned on AC.

Thanks!
YOMAN!

 

If it goes away with the recirc turned off I think we can narrow the cause down.

 

 

Possible moisture? Mold maybe? My cousin had mold problems with a Ford Probe a few years back and Ford ended up buying it back because of health problems from it.

 

If you park anywhere near trees, I'd say it is rotting leaves in the Evaporator case. As the weather gets warmer, the humidity buildup from the A/C will moisten the leaves and cause them to start to rot. It also plugs up the drain tube leaving moisture in the case. This can also cause mildew.

There is no really simple solution to this if the case is indeed filled with something rotten. Removing the Evap. case is no easy task in itself and I'm not familiar enough with the ducting to be able to say whether or not you can clean the unit out from beneath the dash by going through the recirculation port.

One thing you might try is to run a hose to the cowl inlet where the fresh air runs in and see if the evaporator does drain out the bottom through the drain tube. If it does, then there may be some hope although I'm not sure what you can use to help kill the odor. Vinegar or bleach come to mind for killing mildew, but I am not certain how either will react to the aluminum evap. core and certainly know that it would ruin the interior if it escaped beyond the A/C system into the vehicle. Whatever you use, make sure you flush the evap. case thoroughly with water by pouring it in the cowl inlet with the fan on "3".

I'd definitely either call the dealer or a reputable local detail shop and see what they recommend to eliminate the odor. They might just have something that'll do the trick but remember that if there is some foreign matter in there, the smell will come back.

Hope this helps...

 

Turn a/c off and run vent air for several minutes before you shut off motor. This could help dry out moisture in vent system

 

just turning off the a/c while its parked will help dry it out...opens the recirc door to let fresh air in...

Mark

 

My wifes Escape had this problem. I took it into Ford and they did an A/C reconditioning and the smell was gone. It is basically a vent cleaning and some other stuff that I did not understand.

 

With the fan running at a medium speed a\c off, spray a little lysol into the recirc door opening. Kills the bacteria growing on the evaporator.

 

This is what I did on a different vehicle It worked but the lysol smell was just as bad. The smell came back a few months later I then used the Wyans a/c cleaner works the same as the lysol but smells way better. The smell never came back. It's bacteria that you smell get rid of it asap. Check your a/c drain tube if blocked as mentioned above.

 

Where is the recirc door located?

 

Pass side under the dash approx behind the glove box.