[tweed757]

Just picked up a cherry '12 6 banger for my 18-year-old, 9000 miles and it's like new. Has the musty A/C problem from condensate left to grow nasties. I found a youtube with a great procedure for filling the condenser box through the drain hose with disinfecting foam, but since there's no hose, just a drain, would be kind of tough. Especially without a lift. So looking at easier ways to introduce the foam. Anybody have ideas? Pulling the under hood cabin air filter, can't really see the path to the condenser.

Planning on doing my '14 GTCS too.

Thanks
Tweed

ps And no, not a flood car, just a garage queen!

 

[ONEZ ST]

I thought there was a spray that dealers and auto parts sold to handle the odor and disinfect the coils. Or just use lysol spray. Open the hood and spray it into the passenger side cabin air duct. I would remove the cabinn filter first. Spray half the can with the fan on and then let it sit off 30 minutes and then spray the other half of the can with the fan on and then let it sit 30 minutes and then run the fan to dry it out. I do that once a year when I replace my cabin filter and clean the drains.

I would also check there is no evidence of water leaks around the "A" pilar or musty damp carpet that could contribute to the odor when the fan pulls inside air on recirculation.

 

[kenv]

Yeah, I used Lysol on a Mercury that had that same problem.

 

[JBert]

make sure the filter has been changed -- could be the source of the stink and a very simple solution

 

[Dana W]

Look into Ozium. Recommended by cops around here. Believe me, they get the STANKY in them back seats.

Careful with it. It can damage the eye surface and it stays airborne for a bit. DO NOT INHALE IT.

A few years ago, I used it to clear out cigarette smell and engine degreaser residue smell sucsessfully. I still use it every few months to make my Mustang smell pleasant.

This stuff will permanently clear a six stall men's room of beer, poop and weed smell in seconds.:wink:

I set mine on MAX COOL and recirculate with the fan all the way up and windows closed, and spray it all in up near the heater box while running, all in the carpet front and back, then let it sit running for about 5 minutes. Get in and out fast to turn it off and wait overnight before opening the windows.

Application method, amount, and duration depend entirely on how long you can hold your breath and look 180 degrees in the opposite direction while spraying the stuff.

They only make six flavors. I have only used Original, and New Car. They are both really strong. Ozium is not a deodorizer. Supposedly it is a neutralizer that actually reacts with and changes several noxious gasses and chemicals.

The Original flavor smells like interstate rest stop urinal deodorizer for the first few hours but dies down to an acceptable 104 octane Lysol eventually.>

The New Car smells like the webbing of an old first baseman's mitt, fresh car paint, and outgassing plastic interior panels. it smells particularly like the mitt I had when I was eleven.

It smells exactly like a new car too, a brand new white/red/white 1959 Buick Electra convertible, driven by my 6th grade teacher, Miss Everhart.

Picture South Pacific, Mitzi Gaynor, (On a Bible). 60 years and I still remember seeing her drive that thing into the school parking lot just like it was a minute ago.

I really liked that mitt.

The stuff works awesome, and you can make up hyperbolic anecdotes about it without a guilty conscience because it really works.

 

[ONEZ ST]

Thumbs up on Ozium. I use it in the trunk when I forget to remove my gym gear.

But I describe the fragrance of Ozium as Evening In Burbank.

 

[columicious]

Sounds like Fabreze would be much safer for humans in cars. Perhaps it doesn't kill all the bacteria though.

 

[Clevor1]

Same problem here with my garage queen. The Fords really have this stinky A/C or fan problem bad. Never seen it so bad as on the Fords. Why don't they do something about this problem as it must be a design issue? We had a brand new Ford Focus at work and that thing stunk up bad within a year when you turned the fan or A/C on (I'm in Hawaii). Does anybody know if the problem is exacerbated by the recirculating vent - whether it's open or shut?

I notice that on my 2013 Mustang GT Premium, which has started to have this problem although it's mainly been in storage all these years, when I shut the engine down, I always leave the recirculating vent closed. But every time I start the car up, the light on the button is off so I presume the vent is open. The problem is it's an electronic switch on this car, not a mechanical vent where you move a lever open or shut. It's a button you press and there is a little red LED light in the middle that is on when it's closed (recirculating) and off when it lets outdoor air in. I am thinking if the door is left open when you shut the engine down, this lets humid air into the condenser coils and causes the problem or makes it worse.

I dunno, maybe it is shut when I shut the engine down but it automatically opens up when you start the car????

My 2013 has less than 700 miles and the interior still has that 'new car' smell, but turn on the A/C, and I start to smell that stink :angry The Ozium approach I consider a bit too radical on a mint car.

 

[my89foxbody]

Make sure the drain hole is clear so it drains the condensation

 

[tweed757]

Thanks for all the input. The problem is mold/mildew etc grows when condensate is left in the system, that's why it's recommended to shut off the condenser at the end of a drive, just blow air through to dry it. Of course, who does that every time. But I guess the longer it sits, the worse the growth.
The video on youtube (

) looks like a great idea, gets the foam right into the condenser box. But since my 2 mustangs don't have a drain hose, I need to get the spray hose up into a fixed hole. Might work, but a lift would help a lot.
I changed the cabin air filter, actually had the kid do it. And maybe spraying down into the intake from there would do the trick. Sure would be a lot easier.

'

 

[tweed757]

Can anybody tell me where the recirc inlet is inside the car? Having no luck finding it. Another target for grunge killer.

 

[Jeremy Weigel]

Try this. Just insert the tube in the evap drain under the car, dispense, run ac to flush out.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...it-foam-cleaner/96030/4410009?q=kool+it&pos=0



https://www.amazon.com/Lubegard-960...argid=aud-836408683912:pla-379472764453&psc=1

 

[Dana W]

Thumbs up on Ozium. I use it in the trunk when I forget to remove my gym gear.

But I describe the fragrance of Ozium as Evening In Burbank.

That must be uncomfortable.:grin: My wife chases me around the yard with febreze if I for get to take off my gym gear.

 

[Dana W]

Sounds like Fabreze would be much safer for humans in cars. Perhaps it doesn't kill all the bacteria though.

Yeah, and some green tea and Avocado toast.:grin:

 

[Dana W]

Look into Ozium. Recommended by cops around here. Believe me, they get the STANKY in them back seats.

Careful with it. It can damage the...

...without a guilty conscience because it really works.

Forgot to mention that during the paragraph about the '59 Buick and Miss Everhart, you should be hearing the beat and vocals of Freddie Mercury's "Fat Bottom Girls" getting louder and louder and loud...

 

[davidwli]

To avoid the damp conditions that promote mold growth , I always try to remember to turn off the AC compressor 2 to 3 minutes before I reach my destination and make sure I run the fan on a high speed setting in non-recirculate mode. That will dry out the AC evaporator core located in the dash by the time I turn off the car . This is particularly important in humid conditions and if the car is going to be sitting for more than a few hours for example if I am parking the car for more than 4 to 5 hours. I don't understand why automakers don't have a software code that automatically runs the HVAC for several minutes after the engine turns off to make sure the evaporator core is dry, as this problem affects every vehicle on the road.