Musty cabin

[rhexis]

thought this was kind of cool. my mustang is usually garage kept but recently we bought a new house and the car was in the driveway for a month while we cleared space. its super humid here and we have a lot of old growth pine trees that constantly drop needles everywhere. anyway i was power washing the car twice a week and started to notice that the cabin was smelling very damp and musty. i got a container of damp rid from amazon and left it in the car for a week. amazingly it collected almost a half cup of water in 10 days. totally removed the smell and the car feels and smells dry again. its back in the garage now but i thought i would see if anyone else gets that damp smell and if so try damp rid.

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[IPOGT]

No power washing. You’re probably forcing water between the seals.

 

[traxiii]

We'd get that in our boats that were moored in the water if we didn't do something. One trick was to leave a low wattage light on all the time, 15w or so. The other boat had baseboard heaters we'd leave on low, just enough to come on every night for a few hours. Never had any issues unless someone unplugged the shore power.

 

[rhexis]

No power washing. You’re probably forcing water between the seals.

yeah that was probably not helping matters. i wasnt aware you shouldnt power wash a mustang. i have been washing my other cars that way for years and never got that smell before.

 

[IPOGT]

The frameless window seals can’t handle the pressure, I suspect it’s forcing water in and then heating up once inside. Damp rid is awesome.

 

[kilobravo]

<smiling> Guys, hordes of people have been pressure washing their vehicles for decades and until now, I've never heard of an S550 leaking water because of the device. If water IS entering the cabin, the operator is too close to the window edge AND far too close with the tip of the wand.

Now...I am talking about ELECTRIC pressure washers not ICE. Those can get up into the the 3000psi range and have enough power to push water inside. Personally, I don't recommend using a gas pressure washer on vehicles BUT, it can be done if you're careful. The electric models are only in the 1500psi range and often with a wider angle tip and in my experience, never cause water to enter the cabin.

 

[WD Pro]

I wrote my thoughts about jet washing and window seals on another thread (about jet washing decals / hood stripes), but it also fits here :

I think the benefits of a jet wash far out-way the problems they ‘could’ cause if used incorrectly or without thought.

As with most things, common sense goes a long way in determining what tasks can (and can’t) be safely performed with a jet wash.

Can you safely jet wash window seals ? Absolutely.

Can you force water past a window seal and wet the interior with a jet wash ? Absolutely - and the same group of people who do that will most likely complain about Fords crap window seals.

Fords manual has to be written to accommodate the later group of people ...

WD

WD

 

[DFB5.0]

<smiling> Guys, hordes of people have been pressure washing their vehicles for decades and until now, I've never heard of an S550 leaking water because of the device. If water IS entering the cabin, the operator is too close to the window edge AND far too close with the tip of the wand.

Now...I am talking about ELECTRIC pressure washers not ICE. Those can get up into the the 3000psi range and have enough power to push water inside. Personally, I don't recommend using a gas pressure washer on vehicles BUT, it can be done if you're careful. The electric models are only in the 1500psi range and often with a wider angle tip and in my experience, never cause water to enter the cabin.

My exact thoughts, I have been washing my Mustang since new with a pressure washer and have never encountered water entering the cabin, first with a 1600psi Karcher and then a Kranzle with 1050psi.

The OP will most likely have a crimped, unseated or cut rubber seal at some point around the car.

 

[94gt]

When I first got my current Mustang back in August of 21, it had that same damp smell to it (it was actually on a dealers lot for almost 3 months). The damp smell persisted for about 2 months after buying it, driving with the AC helped reduce it and when I would park it (in the garage) I would leave the windows open about 1/2" and that helped to remove the smell. I did find also that when I drive with the cooled seats on, it would have a faint smell of damp the next time I got in it, so I am not sure if there is some type of condensation that forms around the cooling in the seat or what, but since I have started with the leaving the windows partly down, its never gone back to the strong damp smell it had when I got it. I am gonna try some damp rid too, I use it in my safe, and it does wonders

 

[Cobra Jet]

thought this was kind of cool. my mustang is usually garage kept but recently we bought a new house and the car was in the driveway for a month while we cleared space. its super humid here and we have a lot of old growth pine trees that constantly drop needles everywhere. anyway i was power washing the car twice a week and started to notice that the cabin was smelling very damp and musty. i got a container of damp rid from amazon and left it in the car for a week. amazingly it collected almost a half cup of water in 10 days. totally removed the smell and the car feels and smells dry again. its back in the garage now but i thought i would see if anyone else gets that damp smell and if so try damp rid.

I wouldn't expect a sealed car sitting in the driveway, outside in the sun or hot elements to have any moisture inside of it at all - considering if it has sat for a bit too. I say this because it has been documented that depending on exterior temps, a sealed car interior can reach temps as high as 130*+F.... even on what can be a "cool day", interior temps can approach 100*F. That fact alone would (and should) dry out an interior that has been baking outside.

I would suggest checking that you don't have ANY inteior water breaches - water behind interior plastics, inside on floor boards or under seats (front or rear), water collecting in C-pillars or headliner from rain or washing the car, or HVAC leak into front floor pan.

Make sure the cowling at base of windshield isn't full of debris or that the drain channel isn't plugged (yes, this area is still an issue with modern day Mustangs). If the cowl is plugged, water can come in over the cabin filter. The modern cowl is supposed to have a few drainage holes to allow water to drain out instead of accumulating. There is also a cowl drain with a flap that is supposed to auto open to allow water to drain. If those holes are plugged with debris or the drainage flap is not functioning, it’s possible water could spill over through where the cabin filter is located.

This thread discusses the cowl drain flapper:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/cowl-drain-valve.132078/


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These are the most common sources of water intrusion issues with the S550:

CHECK THIS THREAD, it's for 3rd brake light leak repair with instructions:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/issue-with-third-brake-light-water-leak.97131/

Also here's more S550 water leak threads that may help if it's not the 3rd brake light:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/trunk-water-leak-did-i-repair-or-cause-issue.148040/

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...ear-quarter-panels.143545/page-2#post-2940946

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/trunk-leaking.15806/#post-2695720

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/water-in-trunk.88100/#post-1959273

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Convertible water leaks:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/water-leaks-master-thread.123828/#post-3595023

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Check and make sure body seals or plugs are not missing as discussed in this thread, because it's another source of water getting into the cabin:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...flooded-with-water.101947/page-5#post-2885713

See this thread for A-pillar/windshield seam leaks:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...-s550s-a-pillar-water-intrusion-leaks.178242/
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Tip when parking car IF just having used HVAC:
Always turn off the A/C and/or defroster and disable the "recycle" air feature BEFORE turning off the car. This opens the vents and allows the HVAC system to breathe/dry and prevent condensation accumulation within itself. It also allows the HVAC cabin filter to breath. By doing so you will eliminate almost 90% of any normal "odors" caused by a non-breathing HVAC system. If there is still any musty smell if following the above advice, then there is water intrusion occurring somewhere in the cabin.

 

[rhexis]

i am using a gas powered 3600 psi pressure washer with the green car wash tip. i have never seen water in the cabin after washing and i dont get that close to the window seals. the only wet areas are the door sills that i wipe dry after washing.
i think cobra jet made a good point about debris. i have found these freaking pine needs everywhere: inside the engine bay, inside the trunk, especially that large cavern where the trunk prop rods attach. this summer the dew point has been over 70 about 90% of the time and when i take the car out for a spin the windows are down and i dont use ac. actually i think i have only used the ac one time just to see if it works. i dont use the cooled seats either. i just like hearing the engine.
compared to my other car and my wife's car the mustang just seems to be much less sealed from the outside environment.

 

[Decosse]

Tip when parking car IF just having used HVAC:

Always turn off the A/C and/or defroster and disable the "recycle" air feature BEFORE turning off the car. This opens the vents and allows the HVAC system to breathe/dry and prevent condensation accumulation within itself. It also allows the HVAC cabin filter to breath. By doing so you will eliminate almost 90% of any normal "odors" caused by a non-breathing HVAC system. If there is still any musty smell if following the above advice, then there is water intrusion occurring somewhere in the cabin.

Yes! This may not be OP's issue, but it bears repeating. I went a couple of years with my '16 smelling musty for 10 minutes after startup all the time except for winter ( I'm in the desert SW, and our humidity is very low) Seemed every service, I was replacing cabin filters. Once I started doing this, no more smell. When I park it in the carport, I do as you say. Just long enough for the air coming through the vents to warm slightly, barely a minute. It might be a bit longer if humidity is high.

 

[Ock]

i wash mine with the finest water and q-tips.

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