| fsrenduro |
I know most of the country isn't in this mode yet but here in SoCal we still do occasionally use our A/C in the winter. We've had our '06 since around Aug of '06 and I'm really starting to notice something and wanted to see if anyone has the same problem.
After the A/C has been used and the vehicle is shut off the next time it is started up their is a pretty distinct musty/moldy smell coming out of the vents. When the car has been restartted it doesn't matter if the A/C is on or off the smell still exists, but it is ONLY after the A/C was on the last time it was driven. If the A/C hadn't been used the previous time their is no smell. Obviously it is tied to the A/C somehow.
Anyone else notice this? |
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| fsrenduro |
| So I see that several people recommend putting things into the intake for the A/C. Does anyone know where the intake is? |
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| mriley |
I had the same mold smell for the past 6 months. I finally replaced the inside filter (per write-ups found in the forum) and when I pulled out the filter, I noticed a small pile of leaf parts in the box. I used the shop vac with a small attachment (the kind you need to clean the stuff between the seats and door sill) and the smell is gone.
It was similar to what you smell when a pile of leaves sits around for a while.
If the smell comes back, I will check the airbox again and maybe spray some Lysol or other disinfectant in there. Your are right in front of the a/c evaporator so any source of smell should be coming from the this box.
Good luck
Mark |
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| rocky |
Had this problem on an old Volvo we had.
Solution.
1: remove Air filter from HVAC system
2: turn ac on with fan at full blast.
3; Spray lysol into hvac air intake
4; Wait a few days repeat if necessary
5: When you're sure its ok, install new air filter |
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| bsmokler |
Check to be sure that your evaporator outlet tube is not blocked. This is the tube that drains the part of your AC system that cools the air in the car. There is a plastic/rubber tube that drains the case that encloses the evaporator. If this tube is obstructed, water remains in the evaporator case and allows mildew and other smelly organisms to grow. You can locate the tube by noting where the water drips from the car when the AC is running. The Pilot may have 2 evaporator units-one for the front under the dash and another under the passenger area for another evaporator located there. I offer this only because I've noticed 2 puddles under my Pilot-I may be totally off base on this. I had a 4Runner that used to get clogged and I'd take my shop vaccum to the tube to suck out the gunk.
You might want to check out the CarTalk site. I recall there was a disucssion about how to deal with this in the past. |
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| mshuffler |
| I did some research on this one because I have the same musty smell. If you spray some Frigifresh/Lysol/Clorox spray into the air intake at the base of the windshield, it will knock out the smell for a week or two. I think the only way to semi-permanently fix the problem is to inject a foam a/c cleaner into the evaporator box. The foam kills the mold and your smell. |
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| sjlee |
I haven't noticed this on our Pilot yet, but I have noticed this in some rental cars that I've had. From what I've read, the cause is because mold develops on the evaporator from using the A/C. Using the recirculation feature seems to cause the problem to happen quicker.
One way to prevent this is to run the A/C with the temperature turn to the warmest setting after using the A/C. This should help dry up any moisture before it turns to mold.
mshuffler's ideas seem to be a quick and cheap way to fix the problem. |
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