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Bad smell from air vents

tcman54

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When I first turn the A/C on in the car it is ok and then maybe 5 minutes later it begins to get a rotten egg smell.

The smell isn't over powering and it tends to come and go.

Where is the cabin air filter in the car, is that the problem?

Maybe the A/C drain tube under the car is clogged, where is that?

Any help would be appreciated.

TC
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rebellovw

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When I first turn the A/C on in the car it is ok and then maybe 5 minutes later it begins to get a rotten egg smell.

The smell isn't over powering and it tends to come and go.

Where is the cabin air filter in the car, is that the problem?

Maybe the A/C drain tube under the car is clogged, where is that?

Any help would be appreciated.

TC
My 2004 Mercedes used to do that. I would drive around with the heater full blast on the hottest setting for as long as I could take it and it seemed to help. My problem was mildew growing on the coils.
 

WildHorse

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Had a dead mouse in one of the vents in my truck.. same smell.
 

Marvinmadman

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Mine did the same for about 3 weeks until I realized it was the "freon" leaking inside the cab.
 

Decosse

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Exact issue as OP, comes and goes, haven't yet pinned down conditions to re-create it. Nothing dead in there (grin). Cabin filter was changed last year as routine maintenance, but I don't know if there was an effect as it was in cold weather. Looking forward to seeing responses.
 

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tcman54

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Have a cabin air filter on order, will try that first and see if it makes a difference, car has 23,000 miles on it and the filter has never been changed.

The A/C evaporator was replaced under warranty awhile back, hopefully that isn't causing problems via some kind of bad install technique.

TC
 

Marvinmadman

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I too ordered a filter and the next day I noticed the warm air on the driver side. Refilled it with a leak sealer and a can of r134a and smell is gone. K&N cabin filter is still in the Amazon box lol.
 

eco16

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ac evaporator coil

Had the same issue around 26,000 miles. Mine turned out to be ac evaporator coil. I think they replaced it with the same faulty part, so it will probably eventually go out again.
 

ElAviator72

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AFAIK, R134a is odorless. If it's leaking, the only thing you might smell is a slightly oily smell (kinda like WD40). That would be the compressor oil leaking out...

If it's a musty smell (kinda like a locker room), that's mold/mildew growing in the evaporator coils. Several YouTube videos on how to shoot Lysol down the cabin air intake (not car specific) to kill any mold or mildew growth in there. You might want to take the cabin air filter out first...
 

PRG3k

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Its mold/mildew inside the evaporator. A cabin air filter will only mask the issue. It mostly happens to cars in which the system gets run on recirculate all the time and the humidity builds up. Switch from recirc to outside air every now and then during your drive to combat it.



My evaporator in the HVAC went out and had it replaced under warranty. Air conditioning recharges are easy, as are servicing compressors and condensers. But when the HVAC unit goes, that is probably one of the least serviceable parts in the entire automotive industry. In most vehicles nowadays and I know Toyotas for a fact, the entire dash has to come out to service it. Sometimes you can get lucky with certain vehicles and you can access it from the console, dash etc.


A preventative tip for some: On a hot day when you've been utilizing your AC a lot, turn the compressor off and blast some outside air full blast through the system to combat the condensation that has built up. Keep it dry and it should last a long time.


(This should actually be posted in the general section. Its common to all Stangs)
 

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tcman54

tcman54

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Got my cabin air filter late yesterday and put it in this morning.

The install was pretty easy thanks to a youtube video.

I expected to pull out a dirty filter but none was ever installed.

I went to the store afterwards with the a/c on and the smell seemed better but was probably my mind just wanting to think it was, lol.

TC
 

lowatts

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Not sure if you have the same odor as mine a while back. Mine was fixed or close to it by pouring a large bottle of 90% rubbing alcohol from Walmart (only about couple of bucks a bottle) down the air intake vents at the base of the windshield/under the rear edge of the hood. I poured some with the vent set to recir and some with the vent set to let in outside air. If I were to do it again--don't have the car anymore--I'd do it with the vent in recirc to keep the alcohol outside of the car, and wait a few days and only pour some with the vent open if the first pour doesn't kill all the odor.
 

Jay-rod427

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Your evaporator drain may be plugged/obstructed allowing water to set in the bottom. Inspect that. Should drip water under car within minutes of running a/c. To deodorize can put a/c on high fan and recirc mode and spray lysol or something to that effect under the glove box where the air is drawn into the evap core housing.
 

CHUCKinFLL

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I just picked my car up from having the evap core replaced, and noticed back and forth a musty smell and an anti-freeze smell. Never had any smells before it went in. Not sure if something may be leaking or if maybe it's musty from sitting (they had it 21 days).
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