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My ac stinks!!!

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stinks
12K views 19 replies 15 participants last post by  jkt1954 
#1 ·
My air conditioner smells musty and mildewish........I took my car to the dealer Friday and they were not able to recreate the smell. I changed the cabin air filter and they alledgedly checked to make sure the ac was draining. Also, when idleing at a stop light when I accelerate the ac gets warm and takes a few seconds to get cold again. They want me to bring it and drop it off so they can keep trying to get the smell. Any suggestions on how to handle this? I have no patience for this guy as the first question he asked me was what was the color of my interior.......because having black interior makes the ac get warm. This is not my first car with black/ grey interior.
TIA
Valerie
 
#2 ·
what kind of stupid comment is that?! ur car smells cause the interior is black? Good grief what an idiot, yeah that's why no1 makes black interiors...smh. Black doesn't dissipate heat like white, but it doesn't means it stinks like a corpse! Stay way from that man, can u get another dealer/mech to work on it? Please do so.
 
#3 ·
First, make sure your settings are what they should be. Check that little dial and make sure it is turned all the way to the far left (blue) for cold and not to the center or far right (red). Make sure the A/C is actually on (seems obvious but.....). Try setting it to MAX A/C (if you haven't). I use my A/C almost every day and I have a black interior. Stopping at a light (which can be a couple of minutes here) does not change the cooling in any way. Many posts ago, someone was saying how they would hear gurgling noises in the cooling system and many said that was normal. If you are hearing gurgling noises, they are NOT normal and indicate low levels of coolant and/or other issues. My A/C has only had one filter change since October 2011, and I have had no odor or A/C issues.
 
#5 ·
Alot of folks don't know to normalize the hvac pipes temperature after driving with the a/c on. Water can condense after parking and whatever dust is in there starts a mildew farm. Shut off the ac about a half mile from home and run it until warm again to avoid this.
 
#8 ·
Well, I have a Veloster with a black interior and it has smelled a bit "fishy" (vice moldy and mildewy) ever since I bought it. I don't drive it much and it sits outside but the smell seems to be coming from the interior materials and not the vents.
Did you buy it used? Has it gotten wet inside at all? Have you changed the cabin filter behind the glove box?
 
#10 ·
My air conditioner smells musty and mildewish........I took my car to the dealer Friday and they were not able to recreate the smell. I changed the cabin air filter and they alledgedly checked to make sure the ac was draining. Also, when idleing at a stop light when I accelerate the ac gets warm and takes a few seconds to get cold again. They want me to bring it and drop it off so they can keep trying to get the smell. Any suggestions on how to handle this? I have no patience for this guy as the first question he asked me was what was the color of my interior.......because having black interior makes the ac get warm. This is not my first car with black/ grey interior.
TIA
Valerie
in response to the air getting warm then cold when you accelerate: I had that happen to me in my old car. Ended up being the AC condenser was going bad.
 
#12 ·
There are sprays you inject into the venting intake to 1)kill the mould/mildew , 2)deoderize - though the 'fresh' smell is almost as bad. Can happen as mentioned in earlier posts - condensation + dust/pollens.

Usually stronger first couple minutes till cold air is flowing.

Dealer has to get to the evaporator (a/c 'coil') and scrub it with the appropriate cleaner.

Check your drain isn't plugged or kinked.

Dealers resist this as its a hard sell to the corporate warranty dept. It's dependent on use and locale.

Get in the habit of shutting off the a/c a few miles from home and put the fan on high to dry it out before shutting down.

Hot damp areas are worse than the desert, or northern climates for this.

Dealers can claim this if the vehicle is new enough .... circumstances vary.
 
#16 ·
I used to get this smell really bad when I first started using the AC on mine.. One thing I figured out is do not use the recycling air for a long period of time with the AC turned on. This seems to cause a lot of moisture and mildew to develop inside. One way that will help is by turning the AC on but then turning the heat on full blast and turn the fans up. This way the heat gets inside the Compressor and can dry up and hopefully kill and mildew that's in there. You could also take disinfectant spray and turn the AC full blast and spray into the intake vents by the windshield wipers. This will hopefully get into the AC system and disinfect it as well all while leaving a nice smell in your cabin (if you choose a good smelling one). Also remember to leave all your windows down lol
 
#18 ·
There is a drain under the evaporater that drains the condensation to the ground. Usually just a black plastic tube that you can see underneath the car. Does the car make a little puddle on the driveway if you leave it running with the air on for 1/2 hour? If not, that's the problem. Water in the evaporater box. Yes, it stinks with bacteria and mold. Yes, it can make you sick. Used to see this a lot when aftermarket rustproofers would spray a tar underneath the car and clog that line. Happened to me with my new '88 CRX.
 
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