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Musty HVAC Smell

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by hyp3rmil3r, Jan 4, 2020.

  1. hyp3rmil3r

    hyp3rmil3r Member

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    Hey all. I’ve ozoned my car twice and cleaned the blower motor out, and replaced my cabin filter. I notice when I turn the heat on, the car defaults to pull from outside air. The air smells musty and pretty nasty. Recirc smells fine.

    I should mention there was a massive rat nest of some sort in the blower motor. That since has been well cleaned out. However I would have to guess the vent that leads outside still has junk or wet leaves in it. Can anyone tell me what I should go to clean next?

    Here’s some before pics for your entertainment. More on my “$875 prius” thread.

    IMG_6947.jpg IMG_6970.jpg
     
    #1 hyp3rmil3r, Jan 4, 2020
  2. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    There are sprays that can be used to clean the HVAC inlet, and you may be able to get in there with a duster (foxtail) of you can find the inlet. OBVIOUSLY mieces can.

    In the end, if you have a dark, musty pipe you may have to force some fresh air through the pipe, even if it means runnign the car for a while with the heater on and the windows open.

    Good Luck!
     
    #2 ETC(SS), Jan 4, 2020
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    wow!:eek:
     
    #3 bisco, Jan 4, 2020
  4. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    While I’ve honestly never used it, (for some reason I have a bad bias against the name), I heard/read on a forum someone very reputable mention this stuff:

    BG Frigi-Fresh® | BG Products, Inc.
     
    #4 jzchen, Jan 4, 2020
  5. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Could try an evaporator cleaner, like Lubegard Kool-it, or Nextzett Klima-Cleaner (might be the better choice).

    There are a bunch of options out there, let us know which one works best for your application.
     
    #5 SFO, Jan 4, 2020
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  6. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Kool it works good. Comes with inject hose. needs to be done yearly.

    if outside smells the water dam in front of the windshield is clogged with leaves. That's not good water will over flow the dam and dump right on top of the engine and it will foul the cops.

    Take the wiper arms off and remove the dam cover and check. Flush it out, The water vents for that dam dumps out behind each front wheel.
     

    Attached Files:

    #6 edthefox5, Jan 4, 2020
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  7. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    No, you need to go nuclear on this. :sneaky:

    Cleaners and sprays at this point are only band-aids covering up the cause (for a bit). Removal of the windshield cowl and any other associated parts that allow as deep of penetration into the ductwork as possible is advised to remove as much of the remaining organic material as possible. After all, the "crap" on top of the old cabin filter came down that same route.

    Also, look for any evidence of small critter intrusion and fix it too.

    GOOD LUCK!
     
    #7 fotomoto, Jan 4, 2020
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  8. hyp3rmil3r

    hyp3rmil3r Member

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    Thanks for the replies! Yes I agree spraying won’t help, I would bet the smell is lingering crud under the cowl or around the intake. I just wanted to see if anyone had any specific target areas or photos and the photos provided will help. I’ll tackle it this weekend!
     
    #8 hyp3rmil3r, Jan 6, 2020
  9. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    You can see the big trough open in my picture w that's with the plastic cover off. Mine is garaged but still had alot of leaves and gunk in there.

    Its easy to take the wiper arms off. There's a gasket that goes across the front lip of the tray so when the hood is closed it compresses that gasket to keep hard rain off the engine.. You may destroy it taking it off. They get fragile with old age. You must have that gasket though.
     
    #9 edthefox5, Jan 6, 2020
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