Stinky AC Dealer Fix

[edthefox5]

A few months after I bought my 07 new the AC started to stink. Bad. A bunch of posters suggested after driving for a while on re-circulate right before stopping switch to fresh air and that will allow the evap coil to dry out preventing fungus growth. I tried that but it did not help. They were all very right about that but what I didn't realize is nothing helps if there is mold to begin with. You must eradicate the mold and then follow a strict setting adjustment everytime you end your trip. Especially always make sure the switch is always in fresh air when you park.

I took jaymans recommendation a year ago and used a bug sprayer bottle and pumped in coil cleaner directly into the evap housing through a grommet in the firewall. That and the correct switch setting and I have been mold free ever since. Thanks Jay.

When I complained to the dealer a year ago they said they have a treatment for it and offer it free for the first 5000 miles but I was at 10,000 miles. They wanted to charge me $100. I asked if I could buy the "treatment" outright and they sold me a can of coil cleaner with a special hose and a can of freshener for $28.

Today I happened to have the car up on jacks for another reason so thought I would use the cans I bought like a year ago.

With the car jacked up you can reach the rubber e-coil weep hose from the pass side. This special hose attaches to that weep tube and you spray the entire contents of the can back up that hose flooding the e-case with foam cleaner. Worked great. Then you spray the freshener in the front cowl vents by the wibdshield wipers. Smells really nice but very very strong. Unable to drive the car for a while. But the ac smells really nice now. I do not smoke btw.

So if you are diligent about your AC switch settings you car does not need to stink. My car has been mold free for almost a year now. But once its stinking even a little you must get it cleaned. No switch setting can fix that. Plus the mold will continue to get worse.

[Frayadjacent]

I've never had a problem with the AC in any of my cars stinking, and never switched to fresh like you suggested.... but then, I live in a dryer climate, so it's probably not as much of an issue for me.


Good suggestions, tho. I'm sure lots of people can benefit from it!

[patsparks]

Great advice for people in or near tropical regions. I don't have a problem here but I know if the drain hose blocks up it can cause issues. Listen for sloshing water in AC box.

Thanks Ed for the cleaning tip.

[2009Prius]

Originally Posted by patsparks

... if the drain hose blocks up it can cause issues. ...

If someone has photos or diagrams showing the locations of various drain holes that will be great to have for periodic checking. Thanks!

[edthefox5]

Originally Posted by 2009Prius

If someone has photos or diagrams showing the locations of various drain holes that will be great to have for periodic checking. Thanks!

Hi,
Not sure about the rear vent system but I know there's are three vent tubes up front. 2 on the pass sisde. One of them is right behind the tire straight up and its a little black hose that vents any water that runs down the windshield into the front black plastic cowl. About a foot inboard on the pass side is the evap box vent tube. About 5 inches long. Both of these hoses can be seen laying down under the back of the front pass wheel.
The other side of the cowl has a hose that can be seen from the same angle on the other side. You can easily check the operation of both cowl vent hoses by using a garden hose with controled spray fill up the cowl vent with water and you should see a vent of water behind both front wheels. Keep the cowl area clean of all debris and you will not have a problem. Periodically run the air in fresh air mode and check to see if it smells funky at all. If so run some detergent through the cowl area.

[2009Prius]

Originally Posted by edthefox5

Hi,
Not sure about the rear vent system but I know there's are three vent tubes up front. 2 on the pass sisde. One of them is right behind the tire straight up and its a little black hose that vents any water that runs down the windshield into the front black plastic cowl. About a foot inboard on the pass side is the evap box vent tube. About 5 inches long. Both of these hoses can be seen laying down under the back of the front pass wheel.
The other side of the cowl has a hose that can be seen from the same angle on the other side. You can easily check the operation of both cowl vent hoses by using a garden hose with controled spray fill up the cowl vent with water and you should see a vent of water behind both front wheels. Keep the cowl area clean of all debris and you will not have a problem. Periodically run the air in fresh air mode and check to see if it smells funky at all. If so run some detergent through the cowl area.

Thank you for the useful info!