I replaced my filter in the A/C unit a couple of weeks ago when it went in for service. It was smelling. It's still smelling. Any ideas what it could be if it wasn't the filter? Maybe it's a cabin filter?
It's probably mold or mildew growing in/around the evaporator coils. Is it a musty, moldy smell? Several threads here discussing it. There's a product on Amazon that will clean it.
Several higher rated products sold on Amazon: Amazon.com: Lubegard 96030 Kool-It Evaporator and Heater Foam Cleaner: Automotive Nu-Calgon 417175 Evap Foam - Replacement Refrigerator Motors - Amazon.com Amazon.com: WEB WCOIL Coil Cleaner: Home Improvement
There are no aftermarket products that 100% clean the evaporator. Toyota dealers have a product (part# 00289-ACRKT) that has one type of spray, with a special hose, that gets shot up into the drain hose from the evaporator. the other product goes in through the cowl intakes, like the aftermarket products. It's also helpful to buy the (optional, more expensive) cabin filter that contains activated carbon (charcoal). The part number is 87139-50100. We usually perform the service with the AC Refresh kit, then install the charcoal cabin filter. We have had ZERO comebacks on the cars we've performed these two steps on. Hope that helps,
One suggestion to curtail buildup is to (somehow) remember to turn the a/c off a few minutes before ending your drive to remove moisture buildup on the evaporator. You shouldn't have a puddle of water underneath the car either.
As a first try before you spend more money...turn on the fan to high and bring in fresh air. Then spray some diluted bleach into the air intakes (up near the wipers). Repeat several times throughout the day and cycle the air flow destination while spraying. Mike
Bleachy smell or musty smell... hmm. I think I'd still follow up with some of that fresh smelling evaporator foaming cleaner. But then, you have to be careful mixing chemicals with bleach. Sometimes chlorine gases can be released.
Cabin air filter is BEFORE the evaporator, so if the moldy odor is from there, filtering ahead won't help.
You need the bleach to get rid of the mold in the system...which is typically the problem. Just covering up the musty/moldy smell with nice smelling stuff doesn't get rid of the problem. The bleach smell goes away by itself in a day or two...or you can cover it up with something nice smelling...but then you are hiding any residual moldy smell. Mike
I'm confused by the filters. This chart lists all the cabin air filters. (sorry can't post link as I'm just shy on posts, but you can google "toyota cabin air filters chart" and it should be at the top) The part you mention (87139-50100) is listed as the warranty part for the Rav4. The warranty part for the Prius Plug-in is 87139-07010. The 87139-50100 is listed for deodorant, pollen while the 07010 is listed as high efficiency pollen. Why the difference? Also, more importantly, I'm confused as to why the 87139-50100 is better than the 87139-YZZ10. The YZZ10 is charcoal and it says it "removes odors", so why is the 50100 better? The 50100 costs almost double what the YZZ10 costs. Thanks for any input.
Apparently, this is a common issue among Toyota/Lexus vehicles. To date, they have not been able to provide me with a solid fix for this problem. The last Toyota person told me to spray a disinfectant on the air intakes O_0
Any time you run AC for a while, then turn it off, you'll get a dump of humidity. While AC is on that moisture is inside the system, at the grill that cools the air. If you use AC near constantly, after shutting down you get lingering moisture, and mould/mildew. To avoid that, or prevent it from coming back once the system has been cleaned, you need to use AC less frequently, and attempt to shut the AC off a few blocks short of your destination, to give the moisture a chance to dissipate.
All good recommendations, especially the one about turning the A/C button off 10-15 minutes before parking and leaving the blower on to clear the evaporator somewhat. I do that every time and there are no foul odors I can detect. After I park and before I shut down, I open and close the driver door with all the windows closed a couple of times to assist in purging accumulated condensate. But if the funk has already built up in there you might be able to aggressively use the method above and get some relief. I like the misting with a bleach solution idea. If you do this, remove the A/C cabin filter temporarily and put the blower on high and not recirculating. It will probably take a while before the chlorine smell is gone, but the funky smell should go with it. If I were going to use this method I would wait until the weather was especially humid so that I could cycle the cooling and purging several (many) times to flush out the bleach. Probably not a good idea for bleach water to be in contact with the thin-walled aluminum evaporator core any longer than necessary. The foam cleaners that inject into the evaporator condensate drain, fill the evaporator box, do their magic, and then drain out work well from what I have read. And no chlorine smell or risk of aluminum oxidation.
