2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Truck Smells Worse Than Me

[DIESELWRKS]

Okay now my truck has picked up this odor its really musky (gym locker) Im not using my A/C yet my windows I keep cracked at night and I dont live in a real humid area I have rubber floors but my truck seems to stink lately I did charge my A/C it was low. so I dont know if this is related or not. the cab filter has been cleaned. but it stinks just sitting over night and clears up when driving due to air coming into cab. any suggestions that I need to look at. kinda funny being a guy and complaining of the way my truck smells

thanks





2002 HO 6-SPD LB 4X4 QC HTT 62/14 SB-FE TST PM3 MACH 4'S, RINGED AND STUDS, AFE/2 " 4"EXHAUST D/PRICOL GAUGES, FASS 150, VULCAN 1/2 DRAW-STRAW, 3/8 FUEL LINE, DSS-TRAC-BAR STEER-BOX, AIR BAGS,17'' KMC BLACK HOSS, 315/70/17 MICKTHOM MTZ'S 6" RCD LONG ARM LIFT AND DE-BADGED FOR FUEL MILEAGE. :-laf... THANKS RIP Source Automotive Light Truck Diesel Performance - Home

 

[JDiehl]

Has it rained there recently? My third bake light was leaking and soaked the pad under the capet all the way to the firewall. All so have seen some threads about the evaporator drain tube being plugged up.

 

[DIESELWRKS]

I dont have carpet and headliner is dry as best I can tell. the evaporator drain plug is this easy to get to. I have really no hvac knowledge. thanks

 

[JDiehl]

If you search smell+air conditioning there a some posts that talk about mold growing in the a/c. Lysol sprayed into the outside air intake seams to help it.

 

[Beach]

I need to burn my carpet, since I spilled something a year ago, and my carpet is wet on the passenger floor. It smell's like a sweaty arm pit in my truck, and it suck's. I hate when people get in my truck. I have to appoligize for the odor. I'm gonna caulk all my cab light's and third brake light and then try to dry my floor and get the carpet cleaned. #@$%!

 

[The patriot]

This thread makes me thing of............

An episode of Seinfeld. :-laf

 

[JOdell]

Hey Beach if you have or have access to a de-humidifier try that. You will be amazed at the water you will get out of your truck. My daughter spilled her sippy cup down the back of my rear seat once without my knowledge. Full of Apple juice. All I can say is YUCK!!! Took me a while to get that smell out. -Jason

 

[SRath]

I agree with JDiehl about it sounding like mold growing on your evaporator. There were some heater/ac fresh air intake filters available at one time that might help after the lysol treatment. You should also look up the thread about removing your blower fan and cleaning the heater box out. It gets pretty bad in there, some say.



If your spring weather has been half as wet as ours, the combination of last fall's leaves and the rain water/evaporator water will soon compost the mess and give you a very musty "fresh-wet-earth" smell since the muck is probably plugging your drain hole, too.



I need to do the same thing to get more of the former windshield's glass out of my ventilation system. You have to close your eyes when you first turn the fan on in my truck due to fine slivers and glass dust from the windshield a deer exploded 19 months ago. I can't believe how hard it has proven to be to get all that out of every nook and cranny! Deer hair, too.



That corn-fed 250 to 300 pound Iowa buck tried to jump my entire truck while I was doing 70mph and came right through the windshield and into my face. I have never seen automotive glass explode and pulverize into such tiny sharp slivers and fine dust. No glass "crumbles" like most of them do. I had glass in my face, eyes, ears and butt crack! Was instantly blinded and in heavy traffic, too. Held firm to the steering wheel and slowly veered right while braking until I felt the ditch grass getting deep. Driving blind sucks!



I have my carpet completely out of my truck while I track down and eliminate a water leak and to get all the glass dust and slivers out of it and from under it. In a hard rain, water will run down the back wall of my cab on both sides of the window. It may still be the 3rd brake light, but I'm beginning to suspect the rear window. I have a used power-slider I am going to have the local auto glass shop install. If there is a window leak, those pros will stop it then.



I used my truck to take my family to my nephew's graduation a couple weeks ago. And it, too, had a new bad smell, but it was the stench of burning oil. It got bad enough I stopped and checked carefully for oil leaks twice, especially onto the exhaust manifold, but found nothing. I just changed valve cover gaskets a few months ago and thought one or more might have started leaking again. My oil level was fine. No leaks that I could find, either.



I am now suspecting the breather hose is allowing crankcase fumes to come up through my torn shifter boot. Don't know what else it might be.



Foul odors definitely make for unpleasant hours in the truck.

 

[Gene Arnold]

The PO of my Continental was an elderly woman who seldom drove it. There were a LOT of strange smells, even after I cleaned dog food, mice pee, and insect remains out of the cabin air passages and put in a new filter. I got rid of the smell as follows: 1) spray Lysol through the outside vents while the blower is running; 2) roll all the windows down; 3) run the AC with the temperature turned to the hottest setting.



It is kind of uncomfortable running around with the heat pouring out of all the vents, but eventually it dried up the mold and the smell went away. Whenever a hint of smell returns, I do it again although it doesn't take very long if I don't let it get ahead of me.



Although I can't prove it, I think winter use keeps the heater mechanism dried out but when warm weather comes and the air takes a different route, the moisture from the AC has created mold that needs to be dried out.



Gene

 

[The patriot]

SRath, sounds like a crazy experience. Glad you made it out OK. You were lucky.

I always run the vent for the last few minutes before I pull in the driveway. It sucks having warm/hot air ruining the A/C experience, but I've never had any odor problems. I also use Oust in my inlet every now & then.

I still gotta get the A/C fixed. It dont stink, but it hasnt run cold in well over a year. #@$%!

 

[wilsonsh]

SRath, sounds like a crazy experience. Glad you made it out OK. You were lucky.

I always run the vent for the last few minutes before I pull in the driveway. It sucks having warm/hot air ruining the A/C experience, but I've never had any odor problems. I also use Oust in my inlet every now & then.

I still gotta get the A/C fixed. It dont stink, but it hasnt run cold in well over a year. #@$%!

I found my fill ports were leaking. If you get a recharge kit, get some soapy water and put it over the ports after you fill it to check. Pretty common problem, the way I understand it.

 

[DIESELWRKS]

its nice to see that there are other trucks with the same smell. now I can actually get away with blaming it on my truck.

 

[The patriot]

I found my fill ports were leaking. If you get a recharge kit, get some soapy water and put it over the ports after you fill it to check. Pretty common problem, the way I understand it.

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

 

[wilsonsh]

its nice to see that there are other trucks with the same smell. now I can actually get away with blaming it on my truck.

Ozone air fresheners do a pretty good job of cleaning up the smell. Also, put your air freshener in the glovebox... the blower motor is behind it.



Pick a nice dry day, run the vent fan full tilt with the a/c on but not on MAX(that is cab recirc)... spray some lysol disinfectant in the cabin filter inlet(at the base of the windshield), and behind the glovebox at the suction side of the blower motor. Let that circulate for a bit with the windows down to kill off the mildew that has accumulated.



As far as the carpet and seats, I found that the stuff you buy at pet stores to get rid of the urine smell works great to shampoo the musk smell out of upholstry.



Leave dryer sheets under the seats.



Just ideas...

 

[Beach]

I'm gonna do all these suggestion's and destroy the smell. I'll win this battle with all those idea's. I had a new heater core and evaporator put in this past winter, so that's one step out of the way. Thank's for idea's fellow rotten truck owner's!:-laf

 

[RSimmons]

Fabreze (sp?) works very well also

 

[AKAMAC]

The AC runs in both the defrost and split settings. If you leave it there you may just have the stale AC smell that occurs as the air is run past the condenser.

 

[JRS]

BG products makes something called Frigi-Fresh. Follow the directions exactly and it will work extremely well. (just like all their products) It seemed to work better than lysol, at least for me.



If your carpet is wet from a leaking back window/third brake light, make sure you cut out any of the wet insulation pad below the carpet and throw it away. Some folks call it jute, but I don't know if they still use jute to make it. Anyway, you can pick up new "jute" at a auto upolostery shop. This stuff is dense and will grow mold/mildew in a heart beat, if it stays wet. It's cheap, so just replace it.

 

[PToombs]

I just happened to see this thread, my lucky day!

Can anybody give me some tips on cleaning the mouse nest out of my heater box on my '95? I don't know where it is, but I can sure smell it when I first turn on the heat or A/C.

I have looked briefly, and don't see much access.

TIA

 

[wilsonsh]

Can you get to it from behind the glovebox? How about by removing the fresh air inlet cowl on the out side at the base of the windshield? You should be able to stuff a vacuum hose in one of these to suck out the nest...