Mildew smell in HVAC vents...

I

imported_Luster

New member
My '06 GTP is having some pretty foul mildew odors coming out of the HVAC vents.

My logic was that mildew should be treated with a mildew disinfectant spray to kill the germs causing the odor.

My wife uses Lysol disinfectant spray in the bathrooms all the time so I thought I'd give it a try.

I turned the vent fan on high and sprayed the Lysol into the intake side of the vent (at the hood cowl) and let the vent fan run for about 10 minutes. Repeated.

30 minutes later the mildew smell was completely gone. Fresh air smell now. I did this a week ago without any return of the musty smell.

I'm sure someone else has a "better" method, but I like to keep it simple and use what works for me. (A bit of the rebel coming out?) .:wink:

This worked pretty well. Even if I have to do this every month or two... a couple squirts of Lysol and it's gone..:smile:
 
Not sure what car or how the system works, but if your system has some sort of Pollen filter, I'd suggest changing it.

Couple that with an airsept treatment and this should take care of the smell for a while. It's generally caused by condensation in the vents. The way you can help to prevent it is to never stop the car with the A/c on, but to turn the a/c off before you stop the car and allow non air conditioned air to flow through the system and dry it out. The smell is caused by bacteria that grow in the humid environment.

D!
 
1Z makes an A/C cleaner with a long tube connected to an aerosol can. Feed the tube through the dash vents to the condensation pan (? think that's what it's called) where the mildew and mold supposedly originate. Unload the can, partially in each vent. After the first application you can save half the can for next time.

Better yet if you can get something like Lysol into the intake, but I've never been able to do it.
 
Good advice from all. I'll be changing the cabin air filter this weekend. 10 bucks from Advance.

I've gotten in the habit of leaving the HVAC controls on "Auto", which automatically defaults to A/C when temps inside the car are above (X) degrees. Therefore the A/C is almost always on.

I guess it doesn't take too much effort to switch it to vent mode prior to turning off the ignition....

Thanks..................:D
 
Not sure if the GTP has a similar system, but this has been a reported problem on some C6 vettes (mine has it). Apparently some growth of mildew/mold occurs on the evap unit.

Many people on corvetteforum suggest letting the air run with the A/C off for the last few minutes of your trip to dry it out... but for me in the summer, that's not an option. 1 minute with no A/C on a 103 day and I'm sweating like I went swimming :D

There is a TSB on it for the vettes where they drill a hole in the airbox and spray some coating on the coils that kills the mildew and keeps it from returning, THEN they go into the computer with a Tech II scanner and turn on what is called the "afterblow" feature which will turn the fan on for a set amount of time a little while after the car has been turned off to dry out the coils. Not sure why it isn't on in the first place haha. Anyway, if you have anyone you know with a GM Tech II (or might be worth a trip to the dealer) you might check and see if the GTP has that feature available.

Rob
 
Robbo said:
Not sure if the GTP has a similar system, but this has been a reported problem on some C6 vettes (mine has it). Apparently some growth of mildew/mold occurs on the evap unit.

Many people on corvetteforum suggest letting the air run with the A/C off for the last few minutes of your trip to dry it out... but for me in the summer, that's not an option. 1 minute with no A/C on a 103 day and I'm sweating like I went swimming :D

There is a TSB on it for the vettes where they drill a hole in the airbox and spray some coating on the coils that kills the mildew and keeps it from returning, THEN they go into the computer with a Tech II scanner and turn on what is called the "afterblow" feature which will turn the fan on for a set amount of time a little while after the car has been turned off to dry out the coils. Not sure why it isn't on in the first place haha. Anyway, if you have anyone you know with a GM Tech II (or might be worth a trip to the dealer) you might check and see if the GTP has that feature available.

Rob
Click to expand...

That's interesting... There's a new Grand Prix Forum with some pretty experienced GM guys. I'm going to do some searches and ask some questions over there and see if this is a common problem on GTPs. Maybe there is a similar fix.:tongue:

Thanks for the info.:)
 
I didnt have mildew smell but the previous owner of my Altima, smoked heavily. The smell was so bad you had to ride with windows down to breath. I found a product called AtmosKlear. It worked extremely well, got rid of most of the smell with one application, all but the smell in the seats...sprayed inside the vents and the cabin filter. Works great.:o
 
Removing odour from the air conditioning unit

(1z Klima-Cleaner Air Conditioning Cleaner) is an effective means for removing odour-causing bacteria, fungi and other germs. Spray into the interior A/C vents and allow product to work for 30 minutes. It creates a healthier and fresh smelling environment for the interior of your car, change cabin air filter Tip- turn off the AC but leave the fan running for the last minute or two before turning off the ignition to help dry the condenser and surrounding area. Also check the cabin air filter, change as necessary - PAC

For stubborn odours - spray the evaporator core thoroughly with Lysol no-rinse sanitizer. Remove fan motor and thoroughly clean the fan blades and the fan housing. Replace the cabin micro air filter with an activated charcoal version. Ensure that the evaporator drain is not blocked.

A/C Evaporator Core Treatment ? Does not just deodorize, but really cleans the evaporator of dust, bacteria, fungus, and unpleasant odour, no special flushing required after cleaning treatment. Prevents odour recurrence for a prolonged period and improves the cooling effect of the A/C system -

Ozone Generators
[: Ozone (03) is Oxygen (02) with an extra molecule]

It is therefore a highly effective and powerful oxidation agent. When generated and applied to treat an area, the ozone releases its spare molecule to oxidize (destroy) micro-organisms in air or water, leaving pure oxygen as its only waste product. It is therefore eco-friendly; as it leaves only pure oxygen as a 'waste' product, and it leaves the air clean and fresh.

Used to eliminate foul odours that have accumulated in vehicles interiors, mildew, pet odours, urine, vomit and smoke odours simply and safely. Is highly also effective at eliminating bacteria, mould & fungi that often are the root cause of returning odours whilst sanitising surfaces that are difficult to reach. Benefits of ozone Cleaning- it doesn't have as strong or over?powering odour like Fluorine or Chlorine, yet it is so powerful, it actually eliminates those odours.

As a result the particle will no longer be toxic, nor will it be able to reproduce, if it is biological. In other words, the toxic particle becomes completely harmless once ozone air cleaners do their job. When the single oxygen molecule oxidizes the particle, it too is destroyed.

When running (usually 10-15 minutes, dependent upon machine output) an ozone machine, close all windows and doors and ensure that the AC controls are set to the recirculation setting, thus ensuring the AC unit will also be treated. Once the ozone treatment is completed thoroughly ventilate the vehicle interior, the smell will dissipate rapidly once doors and windows are opened.


An extract from one of a series of in-depth detailing articles ? TOGWT ? Ltd Copyright 2002-2008, all rights reserved. ​
 
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