A/C Smells Like MOLD
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A/C Smells Like MOLD
My truck has been out of commision for about 3 mounths, i finally saved up enough to get it fixed, and now when I turn onthe Air Conditioner its smells like mold. What can I do to fix/clean this situation?
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From: Other side of the sunrise
At the dealership they have a deoderizer for the AC system. I had them do it to mine. Not sure exactly what it is that they do, but it worked. My AC had a smell similar to dirty socks, yuck.
One thing I have found to avoid that smell is (before shutting off the engine) to turn the climate control **** from AC to heat and turn the temp **** all the wat to hot, with the fan a full blast for about 10 seconds. I will do this while my turbo is cooling down, then turn the climate control **** to the off position prior to shutting off the engine. It helps dry out the moisture in the ducting and I haven't had that nasty smell since starting doing this. If I forget to do this, and it starts to smell, I just follow the procedure with the heater a couple times and the smell goes away.
You might try the heater idea a few times before going to the dealer for the deoterizer. It might work and save you a trip to the dealership.
One thing I have found to avoid that smell is (before shutting off the engine) to turn the climate control **** from AC to heat and turn the temp **** all the wat to hot, with the fan a full blast for about 10 seconds. I will do this while my turbo is cooling down, then turn the climate control **** to the off position prior to shutting off the engine. It helps dry out the moisture in the ducting and I haven't had that nasty smell since starting doing this. If I forget to do this, and it starts to smell, I just follow the procedure with the heater a couple times and the smell goes away.
You might try the heater idea a few times before going to the dealer for the deoterizer. It might work and save you a trip to the dealership.
Last edited by olfordsnstone; Nov 2, 2007 at 03:03 PM.
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Joined: Mar 2001
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From: So Cal
The cheapskate's way to fix mold is to turn on the Air conditioning or vents to full blast, NOT RECIRCULATE, and spray a can of Lysol or similar spray dis-infectant thru the intake grill under the hood right at the base of the windshield.
This usually works to kill the mold but has the temporary effect of making the car smell like Lysol. I would leave all the doors and windows open while doing this to help lessen the smell and allow the spray to flow freely thru the intake.
A lot of guys on an old chebby site I used to visit did this with good results.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
This usually works to kill the mold but has the temporary effect of making the car smell like Lysol. I would leave all the doors and windows open while doing this to help lessen the smell and allow the spray to flow freely thru the intake.
A lot of guys on an old chebby site I used to visit did this with good results.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
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From: Long Island USA
I was going to say the same thing about Lysol... it's always worked for me, and usually never comes back.
One thing to check is if the air-box drain is open and flowing. Before the Lysol thing, I take a hose and spray directly into the air box (from outside) and flush the thing as much as possible without flooding the vehicle
Making sure that the drain works.
Then, do the Lysol thing. If you can, find the old-style green (or yellow?) can, not the new "fruity" looking stuff ...
One thing to check is if the air-box drain is open and flowing. Before the Lysol thing, I take a hose and spray directly into the air box (from outside) and flush the thing as much as possible without flooding the vehicle
Making sure that the drain works.Then, do the Lysol thing. If you can, find the old-style green (or yellow?) can, not the new "fruity" looking stuff ...
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