Musty Odor Coming From Air/heat Ducts - Page 2

SageGForester · 11-09-2008, 06:24 PM

I think this problem comes from the moisture which accumulates on the cold evaporator coil during AC operation. Moisture supports growth of mold/mildew. So you want to get rid of the moisture by drying the evap coil before stopping the car after an air conditioned drive.

If you've used AC during a drive, switch the AC off a few minutes before you stop the car. Don't switch the fan off—just the AC compressor, and let the fan continue to blow air across the evaporator to dry it off. Thus when you park the car, the evap coil will be dry, or pretty dry, and there will be a lesser chance of growth on the coil.

I did this with my 96 OB and never had funky smells.

Blue Fox · 11-09-2008, 06:43 PM

^^ That's a good piece of info. Will have to give that a try too.

2.5x_sleeper · 11-09-2008, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SageGForester

I think this problem comes from the moisture which accumulates on the cold evaporator coil during AC operation. Moisture supports growth of mold/mildew. So you want to get rid of the moisture by drying the evap coil before stopping the car after an air conditioned drive.

If you've used AC during a drive, switch the AC off a few minutes before you stop the car. Don't switch the fan off—just the AC compressor, and let the fan continue to blow air across the evaporator to dry it off. Thus when you park the car, the evap coil will be dry, or pretty dry, and there will be a lesser chance of growth on the coil.

I did this with my 96 OB and never had funky smells.

I've always done this & I make sure the selector is set to outside air & not recirculate. I find this helps dry out the accumated moisture more quickly when switching off the A/C. I've never had an odor problem in my '03...:)

Bobby...

Blue Fox · 11-14-2008, 06:49 PM

It's been a week, and so far, the smell hasn't returned.

We'll see what happens in the coming weeks.

TexasForester · 11-15-2008, 06:15 AM

Musty smell can be caused by poorly draining evaporator (debris buildup) and spraying cleaner won't help. I had a blocked drain recenly on my 9$ Accord and was able to clear by elevating on jack stands and accessing the drain w/ a shop vac to pull all water (and hopefully debris) out. It's worked so far w/ good drainage. I did not have a noticeable smell thankfully.

good luck

IBHWRD2 · 11-15-2008, 09:20 AM

I bought a product from O'Reilly Auto Parts that is meant to deoderize the ventalation system. You spray it into the outside ventalation intake and in vents inside the vehicle. You run the blower while spraying it in and it deoderizes the vents. It has worked well for me. I get that same musty smell during the summer since my Forester sits outside and with the high humidity we have in Illinois in the summer.
PURE AIR A/C Duct Odor Purifier

11-09-2008, 06:24 PM	#16 (permalink)
SageGForester Join Date: May 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 180 Gallery: 0 iTrader: 0 / 0%	To help avoid/decrease this problem I think this problem comes from the moisture which accumulates on the cold evaporator coil during AC operation. Moisture supports growth of mold/mildew. So you want to get rid of the moisture by drying the evap coil before stopping the car after an air conditioned drive. If you've used AC during a drive, switch the AC off a few minutes before you stop the car. Don't switch the fan off—just the AC compressor, and let the fan continue to blow air across the evaporator to dry it off. Thus when you park the car, the evap coil will be dry, or pretty dry, and there will be a lesser chance of growth on the coil. I did this with my 96 OB and never had funky smells.

11-15-2008, 06:15 AM	#20 (permalink)
TexasForester Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Katy, TX 77493 Posts: 124 Gallery: 0 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Musty smell can be caused by poorly draining evaporator (debris buildup) and spraying cleaner won't help. I had a blocked drain recenly on my 9$ Accord and was able to clear by elevating on jack stands and accessing the drain w/ a shop vac to pull all water (and hopefully debris) out. It's worked so far w/ good drainage. I did not have a noticeable smell thankfully. good luck __________________ See you down the ROW! 1999 Subaru Forester

11-15-2008, 09:20 AM	#21 (permalink)
IBHWRD2 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 199 Gallery: 0 iTrader: 0 / 0%	I bought a product from O'Reilly Auto Parts that is meant to deoderize the ventalation system. You spray it into the outside ventalation intake and in vents inside the vehicle. You run the blower while spraying it in and it deoderizes the vents. It has worked well for me. I get that same musty smell during the summer since my Forester sits outside and with the high humidity we have in Illinois in the summer. PURE AIR A/C Duct Odor Purifier Last edited by IBHWRD2 : 11-16-2008 at 10:09 AM. Reason: Added link to product mentioned in post.

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11-09-2008, 06:43 PM	#17 (permalink)
Blue Fox Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: LC, New Mexico Posts: 136 Gallery: 0 iTrader: 0 / 0%	^^ That's a good piece of info. Will have to give that a try too.

11-14-2008, 06:49 PM	#19 (permalink)
Blue Fox Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: LC, New Mexico Posts: 136 Gallery: 0 iTrader: 0 / 0%	It's been a week, and so far, the smell hasn't returned. We'll see what happens in the coming weeks.