On occasion during the most humid months of the year, the air coming out of the vents of my nearly 8-year-old car would smell a little 'off.' Since the a/c condensation was draining just fine and the odor wasn't ever-present, it wasn't a major concern to me. However, surfing the web I found a variety of A/C refresh kits that seemed worth a try, if for no reason other than to experiment and see if it was any benefit. But, no good deed goes unpunished.
There are a variety of kits out there, some seem OE but most are aftermarket. I found them to have so much in common that I began to think they were made by only one or two manufacturers. The kits I was considering are two products: 1) a foaming spray that you inject into the evaporator housing through the condensation drain, and 2) a spray that you empty into the external air intake while changing the HVAC settings. The kits state or imply that they will clean the evaporator of crud that comes from dirt, mold, mildew, etc. and kill whatever causes odors in the venting.
As I mentioned, the kits seemed nearly identical to each other so I bought one based on convenience at a local parts supplier for about $18. For another point of reference, there is a Toyota kit, part number 00289-ACRKT, that you can find here for instance. The product I used was the following:
Note: This attempt to clean an HVAC system was for my particular 2003 986S. Other vehicles may be different and there are safety risks involved in doing mechanical or electrical work on a vehicle. What's presented here is a general overview of my DIY project, not a complete step-by-step set of instructions. Please obtain, understand, and follow the necessary repair and installation procedures in order to work safely, avoid damaging anything, and achieve a safe result.
Preparation steps: I raised the vehicle up onto four(4) jack stands. Then I loosened or removed numerous underbody panels to expose the area under the passenger side floor pan. The location of the condensation drain is identified by an arrow in the photo below:
First use the larger can of "evaporator foaming cleaner." You can read the instructions on the can in one of the photos above. I had to use another piece of tubing between the tapered nozzle and the condensation drain because the drain tube is not flexible and wouldn't hold the nozzle. That should have been the first indication to stop.
Notice the grommet around the drain tube in the photo above and how the tube is inconveniently situated between the hot water supply/return for the heater core. As I was trying to force the tubing onto the drain, I pushed the drain tube and grommet into the passenger compartment. I knew it was going to be a pain to put it back, and it was. I had to remove the umbrella trim along the passenger-side door threshold, loosen the floor carpeting, and shove my arm under the carpet to reinstall it.
Photos of the attachment and foam injection below:
The foam went in, it seemed to sit for a while, it liquefied a bit, and then it drained out. The photo below was taken at a moment just as it was starting to drain:
The liquid in the bucket was mostly clear, with a little particulate matter--nothing worth photographing. It didn't have much of a smell; it was slightly medicinal, like disinfectant.
Following the instructions on the can, the next step is to use the "a/c intake refresher." Take out the pollen filter and spray into the air intake.
You are supposed to change the vent settings between spraying intervals so that the mist runs through different duct work. Again, it has a slight disinfectant smell--pleasant but not flowery and not too strong.
Not too bad, right?... Well, I was too preoccupied with the camera to realize what was happening inside the car:
After all the effort for something that wasn't really necessary… I had to laugh.
I was doing this process as I was preparing the car for winter storage. It was about 40° F (4° C) in my garage. Obviously, a lot of the foam didn't liquefy and drain. If I were to do this again, I would warm up the HVAC system beforehand, or just do the whole process at a higher ambient temperature. I'd also let the evaporator core drain longer (a lot longer) before doing the 2nd can. The photos above are the worst of it; only a little came out of the other vents. I blasted the system for a long time after that and it cleaned up without a problem--no damage to any surfaces.
A few days ago I fired up the car for the season. No issues.
Live and learn and pass it on.
--Brian