2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission stinky A/C

[Cummins Cowboy]

Does anyone know what causes the air coming out of the A/C to stink after hard prolonged use?? when this has happened to me i usually have ran the A/C on normal instead of max for a while and it seems to correct the problem.

 

[Whitmore]

Mold

you have mold and mildew growing in there :{



cant tell ya how to get it out of there but to prevent it, turn your a/c to vent a few minutes before shut down of the rig, this will allow moisture to dry... ... ... ... ... Kevin

 

[JCockrell]

I second Whitmore.

 

[Rd.Runnr]

I agree that you have a mold problem. Two things to do: (1) run system on fresh mode as much as possible--always be in fresh mode when shutting down. (2) take a bar of bath soap-( not one that is heavily perfumed) , slice it into several pieces & put under seats. This will absorb the mildew odor without putting any unwanted odor in it's place.

 

[JCockrell]

Irish Spring ???

 

[mangle]

Stop stinky A/C

Had the same problem with the wife's car. Thought one of us had bad gas :-{} ... Anyway the fix is easy.



1. Get yourself a can of Lysol.

2. Open the windows.

3. Turn on the blower to high with outside air (no A/C).

4. Spray Lysol into the air intake, ensure you provide Lysol to all areas of the air intake. Your tasks is to coat all internal blower surfaces and kill the little bugs making all the stink.

5. Stop spraying when you think enough is enough.

6. Have a beer.

7. Turn off the blower.



Warning - leave your windows rolled down overnight. I've found I have to repeat this about once a year.

 

[dan_gilson]

I 2nd the Lysol solution. I have used it a couple of times and it always works.



To reduce this from happening in the 1st place try to turn off the A/C ~5 minutes from when you plan to stop and run at a faster fan speed. This gives the condenser a chance to dry out The little bugs need water to live. Take away their waters and they do not grow.

 

[Oxjockey]

Good timing on this thread, it smells like someone used my wife's A/C as a urinal or something.



Bryan

 

[EMDDIESEL]

Ford had a major problem with A/C mold in one of there vehicle lines (I think it was Taurus). They offered a kit that had a can of some type of dissenfectant and a hose and you would discharge the entire thing into your A/C coil (under the dash) and it supposedly killed eveything and was designed for this purpose specifically. I dont know a part number, but try any Ford dealer and they probably know all about it.

 

[emjay]

My $0. 02 of prevention: I turn the heat all the way up (when the AC is on) for a half mile or so before stopping (or when idling during turbo cooldown). As far as a cure, sounds like there's plenty here...

 

[rrausch]

When I'm out on the Left Coast, where there is a lot of moisture in the air, I have the same problem all the time. I got a big can of Lysol and do it about every 2 weeks. Somewhere I read of Dodge's solution to the problem... I think there is a way to shoot the stuff right into the (plenum?) or whatever it is called, without spraying though the intake ducts. As I recall the direct injection right into the plenum works better, but I can't find the link right now. Maybe somebody else here knows the link.

 

[Wiredawg]

I have the "solution"

Gents

Had this problem on my 2500. I installed 2 feet of heater hose on A/C drain outlet, made mixture of liquid Lysol (germacydal) and water, poured about a quart into hose and backflushed system. I almost never run mine in fresh mode, 'cause a lot of times, there's no fresh air in DC.



Only downside, smells like a hospital. AMWAY (no I'm not a dealer) makes a great product germacydal that really smells good. If I have problem on my new 3500, I will find this and try it.



Wiredawg

 

[RJ2]

Mine had the same problem . You will probaly find there is no hose on the condensate box, when running ,the air will not let it run out and it overflows inside. Take a 3 foot piece of hose,

run it down and back ,tie strap to frame rail under passenger

seat . This fixed mine .

 

[Dan_69GTX]

Exactly where is the fresh air intake on our beloved trucks??



Is it anywhere along the base of the windshield or is there a specific location.



Need to try the spraying of lysol trick!



Thanks!

Dan

 

[fest3er]

Another way to kill the M&M (mold and mildew) is to put a teaspoon of bleach and perhaps a cup of water in a spray bottle.

Then, pop the glove box cover off (my '98 comes off without tools), manually open the recirculate door, and spray a couple tablespoons of the mix into the intake with the fan running on high. Do *not* start the engine and run the A/C.

Then let the recirc door close, shut everything off and let it sit overnight. The bleach should kill all the M&M as it spreads around, and using so little, you should have little to no bleach smell; after a while all the bleach evaporates and disspates anyway.

I did mine this way one evening. I used only 10 spritzes or so, and it took care of most of it. I may need to go back in a hit it a second time. The bleach was barely detectable the next afternoon. Personally, I prefer a slight bleach smell to that of M&M.

Fest3er

 

[dan_gilson]

Bleach is the best for killing M&M *BUT* it tends to be very problematic. It evaporates into clorine gas which is not good for you or your vehicle. When clorine comes in contact with certain metals it becomes very corrosive. You have deliuted down (which is good!). There are just a lot more handling problems when using bleach.



Bleach is what I use when dealing with the M&M in the bath and kitchen. I also put on gloves and a full face mask. If you get any of the bleach mist in your eyes or up your nose you will wish you had not. Probably good for a trip to your local emergency room. I try and think safety. And I have been fortunate to live as long as I have with all the not so smart things that I have done in the past.



That is why I stick with Lysol for the truck. Also, with the A/C on and fan running at full you would tend to clean the system from one end to the other. I also keep all the windows down when performing this task. Not that Lysol is any better if you get it in you face. It is just that I am at the input end spraying it away from me with the truck sucking it in. I also let truck air out for several minutes with the fan running before getting near it.