Interior mildew smell
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 607
Likes: 3
From: CT
What Ligito said.
I had the windshield replaced on my '01, F-350. Turned out that glass tech did a mediocre job of sealing around the glass. For about 6 months, I had a small leak at the base of the window on the passenger side, and I didn't realize it. It would seep down behind the dashboard and would soak the carpet padding. After a bad rainy stretch, the truck started to smell moldy, and that's when I found the water problem. (Spent about an hour with someone outside with a garden hose and me with my head under the dashboard to reproduce the leak.) Had the glass removed and resealed and it fixed the problem.
Also, check the condensate drain on your A/C. If it gets plugged, then stale water will sit in the tray and make it smell moldy.
The worst smelly truck problem I had was on a '95 F-150. My Rottweiler got carsick and threw up on the passenger side dashboard. Unfortunately it went down the defroster vents. But, that's another story .......
I had the windshield replaced on my '01, F-350. Turned out that glass tech did a mediocre job of sealing around the glass. For about 6 months, I had a small leak at the base of the window on the passenger side, and I didn't realize it. It would seep down behind the dashboard and would soak the carpet padding. After a bad rainy stretch, the truck started to smell moldy, and that's when I found the water problem. (Spent about an hour with someone outside with a garden hose and me with my head under the dashboard to reproduce the leak.) Had the glass removed and resealed and it fixed the problem.
Also, check the condensate drain on your A/C. If it gets plugged, then stale water will sit in the tray and make it smell moldy.
The worst smelly truck problem I had was on a '95 F-150. My Rottweiler got carsick and threw up on the passenger side dashboard. Unfortunately it went down the defroster vents. But, that's another story .......
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 675
Likes: 0
From: Beautiful BC
What Ligito said.
I had the windshield replaced on my '01, F-350. Turned out that glass tech did a mediocre job of sealing around the glass. For about 6 months, I had a small leak at the base of the window on the passenger side, and I didn't realize it. It would seep down behind the dashboard and would soak the carpet padding. After a bad rainy stretch, the truck started to smell moldy, and that's when I found the water problem. (Spent about an hour with someone outside with a garden hose and me with my head under the dashboard to reproduce the leak.) Had the glass removed and resealed and it fixed the problem.
Also, check the condensate drain on your A/C. If it gets plugged, then stale water will sit in the tray and make it smell moldy.
The worst smelly truck problem I had was on a '95 F-150. My Rottweiler got carsick and threw up on the passenger side dashboard. Unfortunately it went down the defroster vents. But, that's another story .......
I had the windshield replaced on my '01, F-350. Turned out that glass tech did a mediocre job of sealing around the glass. For about 6 months, I had a small leak at the base of the window on the passenger side, and I didn't realize it. It would seep down behind the dashboard and would soak the carpet padding. After a bad rainy stretch, the truck started to smell moldy, and that's when I found the water problem. (Spent about an hour with someone outside with a garden hose and me with my head under the dashboard to reproduce the leak.) Had the glass removed and resealed and it fixed the problem.
Also, check the condensate drain on your A/C. If it gets plugged, then stale water will sit in the tray and make it smell moldy.
The worst smelly truck problem I had was on a '95 F-150. My Rottweiler got carsick and threw up on the passenger side dashboard. Unfortunately it went down the defroster vents. But, that's another story .......
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 607
Likes: 3
From: CT
Sorry - don't know specifically on our trucks. I am assuming it's inside the cab under the dashboard. When the A/C is running I see water dripping under the truck on the passenger side about even with the firewall.
The drain plugged up on my wife's Honda Odyssey. You had to disassemble the Ventilation system under the dash. There was a condensate tray underneath the A/C heat exchanger. The tray had a hose hooked up to one corner which drained under the vehicle. It was blocked with green goo, and the water just sat there and stagnated - it smelled like a frog pond. I snaked out the hose with a wire until the tray drained. Then I ran about a quart of Clorox Bleach through it. It definitely killed the mildew smell, but the mini-van smelled like a public swimming pool for the next few months.
The drain plugged up on my wife's Honda Odyssey. You had to disassemble the Ventilation system under the dash. There was a condensate tray underneath the A/C heat exchanger. The tray had a hose hooked up to one corner which drained under the vehicle. It was blocked with green goo, and the water just sat there and stagnated - it smelled like a frog pond. I snaked out the hose with a wire until the tray drained. Then I ran about a quart of Clorox Bleach through it. It definitely killed the mildew smell, but the mini-van smelled like a public swimming pool for the next few months.
Last edited by RightWingNutJob; Feb 1, 2016 at 06:31 AM. Reason: sp
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 264
Likes: 0
From: Northcentral Missouri
I had someone leave the window down on my F150 last summer. I got MOST of the water out but the carpet was still damp. After a few days, I had a "musty" smell. I dumped some coffee grounds (fresh, not used) on the floor board, let it "percolate" for a couple days, then used the shop vac. Came out smelling fresh!
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Tuned
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 282
Likes: 3
Find the damp padding under the carpet... your top surface of your carpet may feel dry to the touch, that's because it is. If it's a mildew smell then your padding has become a petri dish in the affected area. Trace the leak upward from there.
New User
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
If related to the A/C unit, I had the same problem with the moldy smell. Joking aside, I douched the unit. I applied 2 full good smelling douches to the outside vent (usually right below the windshield on the passenger side). Afterward I would make sure that when I ran the air conditioner, I would switch it over to regular outside air to dry it out about 5 min before reaching my destination. Doing that several times, I have not had the issue for over a year now.
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FirstOverRutDude
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Feb 21, 2005 03:04 PM