Looked back till March and see no recent talk of vent smells so asking a new post...


2014 FX$ with the Auto setting on all the time for temp control, set at 70-72 99 percent of time. Short trips of a few miles mostly and each start up I get a wiff of something pungent from the vents. Turn the system off and no smell, so I know its the vents. Plastic to manure type stink. Wife says its moldy smelling and makes her want to cough.


Search interweb and see different models of all manufactures, people reporting and seems to be the a/c system. I know I saw it in here over winter too.


Any outcomes? Results, repairs, ideas to rid this smell?

 

There's an ongoing thread about this on another forum I frequent "Air conditioning smells like Cow Manure".
It seems that deodorizing the vents and evaporator lasts about 2 weeks and evaporator replacement lasts about 8 months before the smell returns.
I've only used the A/C in my 2014 a few times and so far and haven't had this issue.
Some people suggest to shut off the A/C and let the fan run a couple minutes before shutting the truck off to get the moisture out of the system.

 

I believe this also get exacerbated when the AC in on MAX or recycle a lot. I have about 38,000 on mine and have yet to have any odor so far. I mainly run it on fresh air mode and only occasionally on MAX mode (When it is really hot outside). If you use the recycle or MAX mode...try putting it to fresh air mode for about 10 min. before shutting the truck off.

 

It sounds like it's time for a trip to the dealer, bakon. How many miles are on your truck now? I'll see what I can do to help freshen things up.

Crystal

 

I have '14 f150 same smell problem. Started only had 7000 miles been in three times to two different service departments. First time it smelled like it was going to catch fire-- left it in the drive for week and a half waiting to go in. Of course they couldn't find a thing. Second time drove it straight to service and they could actually smell it... But when I took it back couldn't find a thing wrong with wiring. For 4 months the smell is still here ..just brought it back tonight service still can't smell it. It's so bad I don't even want to drive it!!

 

in my mind, this will make it worse.

i've frequently used both on my 2010 at work and have noticed a difference when i park the truck.

if i've been running it in fresh air mode, i get a huge puddle under the truck. if i have it in recirculate mode, i get a very very small puddle.

my expedition is the same way, most notably with the rear AC unit, which ONLY pulls air from within the vehicle. if i've been running the front unit in fresh air mode, there's a huge puddle under the rear unit. if i've been running the front in recirculate then there is usually just a drop or two from the rear unit. (the front unit pours condensate all over the frame on the expo, so it's hard to tell anything from that).

when it is running in recirculation mode, the AC is constantly pulling moisture out of the air in the cab. once the moisture in the cab is (mostly) gone, it's gone and you shouldn't see much condensate coming from the coil. whereas, in fresh air mode it is always pulling moisture out of the ambient air and you will have a fairly consistent rate of condensate. depending on climate, your AC will very likely have to handle a lot more moisture in fresh air mode than it will in recirculate because the moisture content of the air that the system has to handle is constant outside, but will continue to approach zero the longer the system pulls air from within the cab.

for what it's worth, my 2010 does not have a smell problem. i'm at 48,000 miles and during the summer my truck has occasionally run for 8-10 hours straight with the AC running to keep the loose nut behind the wheel cool.

out of all the suggestions above, turning the AC off for a few minutes before shut down seems to make the most sense. if there is any frost on the coil, this will melt it and should allow the water to escape through the drain

if the drain is working properly, which my guess is mostly likely the root of the problem.

 

Welcome to the site, rlj2014! Have you heard anything from the dealership this morning? How many miles are on the truck currently? I'll do what I can to help out from my neck of the woods.

Crystal

 

No smell for three days...got a trip planned to outer banks next Sunday.


I have been keeping it in AUTO, but I do not have the max a/c or Recirc lit up....don't know if they were before because I played with them to see they were off...
Question in AUTO does it do max on its own until cooled down?


Most trips are three miles or so, doubt it would ever get out of max if AUTO puts it there.


As for taking to dealer...7k miles and selling dealer is quite a distance. Local Lincoln dealer is real nice and don't want to take a problem to them without a firm constant problem to find....So going to give the trip first as see what happens.

 

Currently at 10,511 drove to the dealer ( not the one I bought it from ) service manager finally got a whiff of the smell .. Calling area rep to see where to go from here .

 

Keep us in the loop, bakon. If you need my assistance in the future, I'll be here.

I'm glad the dealer was able to replicate the smell, rlj2014. If you'd like, I can escalate this to your regional customer service manager. PM me your full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, current mileage, and servicing dealership. I'll push your details up the line.

Crystal

 

Turn the AC off a minute or two before you shut the truck off AND keep the setting on vent or floor when you turn the truck off to keep the system more open to dry out and/or stay dried out. I've never had an issue in any vehicle by just doing those simple things.

 

Does it happen running the vents? Almost sounds like a bad cabin air-filter that needs replacing. Read your Owner's Manual and look for the filter. I've had plenty of people come in to the shop I was working in that have newer vehicles with cabin air filters and ask about the smell.

 

no cabin air-filters in this generation F-150.

i'm also pretty sure that the fresh air door shuts when the truck shuts off.

 

I had to have the dash completely removed twice because of the mold that was growing on the AC evaporator coil. Evidently in their efforts to reduce weight and sizes of some components Ford has made the evaporator coil with the fins very close together which prevent condensation from draining completely. Any moisture at all left will allow mold to grow.


I found that it's a good idea to allow the fan to run for about 20 to 30 seconds after shuttling the AC off before turning off the ignition.

 

is the evaporator pre or post the heater coil on the 09-14's?