Mildew Smell from AC

[geoffbaltz]

IT STINKS!!!!

I have done all the research and it looks like it is because of a small evaporator/dryer and is pretty common in cars of many makes these days. I have sprayed Lysol down the cabin intake and ran the AC with full hot/defrost. It still comes back after about a week. I know dealers use some other types of spray to get rid of the odor but I have also heard that the odor comes back even if they do it. Is the only real fix to replace the evaporator/dryer? If you do that, can you prevent it from happening in the first place, and what is the best prevention method?

The car is an '00 C2 with 47K on the clock.

Thanks.

[Loren]

what is the best prevention method?

IMHO two things.

One - always turn the air off a couple miles from home so that the moisture that has condensed on the coils can evaporate off.

Two- make sure that your drain tube from the evaporator is not plugged and the moisture flows to the ground.

[ivanuf]

Also do a internal A/C cleaning is a service available in any locations that uses Wynns maintenance services like quick lubes. Is a two step process and it works really good. I do it on my car every 4-6 months. In between services I spray the cabin filter with Ozium odor eliminator once a week. My car always smells clean, I do not like fragances. Just clean odor from the A/C.

[wwest]

First, go to airsept.com and read the material regarding their EED, Electronic Evaporator Dryer.

The best way to avoid this problem, and occassional fogging of the winshield the next morning after having used the A/C the previous day, is to lower the windows and open the skylight during the night in the garage.

Presonally I installed a switch in line with the A/C compressor clutch circuit so I could prevent the A/C from activating unless I actually needed cooling.

[wwest]

what is the best prevention method?

IMHO two things.

One - always turn the air off a couple miles from home so that the moisture that has condensed on the coils can evaporate off.

Two- make sure that your drain tube from the evaporator is not plugged and the moisture flows to the ground.

One...During A/C operation the evaporator surface temperature is kept as close to 32F as is possible, typically <35F. So it can take up to an hour, depending on climatic conditions, after the A/C is shut down before the evaporator surface area rises above the dewpoint of the "local" atmosphere. Additionally if some method is not provided for at least some level of convection airflow once the moisture begins to evaporate it will still remain within the A/C plenum.

Two...Agreed, absolutely! But a plugged drain tube usually results in a wet carpet on the US passenger side.