Wierd A/C Smell

[exces6]

Whenever I start my Prius after it has sat for a bit, the air coming out of the A/C vents smells funny. Once I go for a bit, it goes away, but it's not that pleasant of a smell and I'd like to get rid of it.

Any suggestions?

[DaveinOlyWA]

is it that kinda ozone type of smell??

dont think you can get rid of that. i know when my Prius is hot, it has a slight odor. but its been a while since i have been in hot weather so it may have faded by now. just turning the air conditioning on eliminated the odor so i never paid much atttention to it.

only other thing i can think of to do might be to clean the filter (if it can be cleaned, check your manual first) does the smell happen with fresh air setting and recirculation? might be something outside you are smelling too.

[hdrygas]

Change the cabin filter? I would try that first because I can do that. Sometimes mold gets on the evaporator there is a product that you can get that you spray in to clean that as well. It foams up and drains out through the drain vent for the A/C water that accumulates normally.

[DaveinOlyWA]

oh oh... i see someone like Glade marketing a spray that you spray over the filter once a week or so to give your car that "fresh spring mountain" air smell...

[Tideland Prius]

Hmm, I've been getting weird A/C smells from all the Toyota cars we've owned. I just learned to close all but one vent, point that vent out the window, wind the window down and turn the fan on HI for a few moments. It's probably due to some humidity and mould.

[Frank Hudon]

actually there is a product to kill mould and mildew in A/C systems, other than Lysol which advertised it's self as being usefull for that purpose. Maybe the product that I'm thinking of was just rebadged Lysol. Haven't seen it in a while but dont' go to the auto parts store very often owning a Prius. Will try and find out if it's still available.

[jayman]

That funk probably never happens in a hot dry climate, but in a very damp climate where you seem to always need the A/C, it can be a big problem.

There are spray products that can be used to disinfect the evaporator. It's also important to make sure the evaporator drain tube isn't plugged with nasty s***.

FWIW the local Toyota dealer should have this product to service your evaporator funk. But it would probably be much cheaper to do it yourself, if you feel comfortable doing that sort of thing.

How often you have to do this depends on the climate. Maybe as often as every 3-4 months, maybe only once every 2-3 years.

For the Bryant cased A/C evaporator at my hobby farm, it's very easy to open the access door and check everything over. Bryant was smart to have a drip pan that is sloped to the tube and also to make that drip pan out of polyethylene.

On a nice warm day I just put a little bleach in there and leave the windows open for 2-3 hours. Have only had to do that once, there was a tiny bit of buildup in the pan.

One way to minimize or prevent this problem is to manually turn off the A/C but leave the blower on for a couple of minutes before shutting down. This helps dry off the evaporator to prevent standing water in the drip pan and drain tube. Most folks would find that procedure a PITA.

[DanMan32]

I get that funk too. However the evaporator material is supposed to be impregnated with stuff to prevent microbial growth.

[canuckican]

I get that smell/funk as well. Just got the car last August - can't believe there is THAT much mold growing in there. Also, if it were mold, why would the smell go away after running the AC for a few minutes? One would presume that as long as the mold was there, the smell would be there?

So I can confirm that (1) there is a particular smell when you first run the AC (2) it seems to be related to having run the AC the last time the car was shut down (3) the smell quickly disappears after running the AC a few minutes.

I'm just doubting it is a rampant microbial/fungal infestation causing it.

I could be wrong.

[jayman]

With either a home system or a car A/C system, that funk isn't there all the time unless the evaporator drain tube is plugged.

If I remember to turn off the A/C compressor and just run the fan for a few minutes before shutting down, the next morning the smell is greatly diminished.

Even if the drain tube isn't plugged, when you shut down there will be condensation on the evaporator and the housing.