Evaporator cleaning/deodorizing DIY.

Great tip on foaming directly into the EVAP box as opposed to utilizing the entire drain hose.

I have found these professional foaming products to work, noting that annual foaming can still be necessary. Never found a use it once and its cured forever product. Besides OEM foam, BG products also makes a professional foaming product.

And synthetic lemon...made me laugh.

 

So I'm using this walkthrough in addition to the Genuine Toyota youtube walkthrough.

There seems to be a discrepancy between the OP (and nutsandboltz's video) and what Toyota recommends when it comes to the ConditionAire (step 2) process.

The back of the can seems to also align with the Toyota youtube video. Mainly having the A/C turned on to "Normal Mode" (written on can) during the 5 minute circulation of the product.

I also like the way they work their way through the upper, lower (foot) and defrost vents during the discharging of the ConditionAire.

Also - I assume you want to install the cabin air filter door back in place after you remove the cabin filter (just prior to circulating the ConditionAire through the system). If you leave the door off the ConditionAire won't reach all the duct work or won't circulate at all. It won't be a closed system and if there is any pressure the product will just disperse into the cab above the blower motor.

Toyota Youtube Video:

 

Just completed the process and test drive.

After driving around with the AC on, turning the car off for a bit, then starting it back up (with AC on or off) I still get that damp, dank, musty gym sock smell.

Does it take time for the evap box and ducts to rid itself of the nastiness?

 

Every car is different.
I would say typically that the evap fins/ condenser, even the box that houses it, is the root of the mold.
Sometimes the mold can go into the ducting.

If it is still musty you may have other issues...such as trapped water, ac component failure like the drier.

I make the assumption that the service you are referring to is using the two part Toyota products in post # 22.
I have seen the foam drain out with a green hue of color, which to me that green is the mold/ contaminants and the product is working.

To answer your question, IMO no, the musty smell should not be evident after this service.

So, it can be (yes can be) worth redoing the procedure a second time.
I write that because the mold may be thick in the box and condenser fins and the second application may breakdown the mold further.

Further, Napa auto parts stores, for example, sells other products very similar to the Toyota products...drain tube foam and grille spray...might cost less.

Then there is always BG Products available for purchase over the internet.

Lastly, with the cabin filter removed you can spray into the housing at that point and further, attach a long straw and spray into the dash vents. Try to get the product as deep as possible into the vent tubes.

Then don't forget to utilize the full dash board function to circulate the product...fresh air on, fresh air off, ac on, ac off, floor, dash, defogger selections, heat on full sections too. Contrary to the video this could be a 30 minute operation. The goal being to get the product into every section of the tubing/ housing/ deflector blades.

Purchase a new carbon based cabin filter....junk your current one.

Yes, I can commiserate with you as those musty AC are horrible.

Again, IMO this service can take a few applications to fix and then it may become a yearly maintenance ritual.

Other notes: Merc Benz will replace the ac condenser (dash removal/ big project), I'm my area most shops charge $150 for the AC foam spray service, GM has a similar foam product in which for some models you drill a hole into the vent tubes to access the condenser box directly.

Summary:
No, the smell should not remain after a service
Do a second service
Get the foam into the condenser box and get the fins fully covered.
May be a yearly maintenance.
Absolute cleaning requires dash disassembly.

Good luck.

 

Thank you.

Correct, I am referencing the steps in post #22.

Unfortunately the previous owner only changed the oil in the car as the maintenance. The car was filthy on the outside, inside, etc. Cabin filter was non-existent, and the fresh air cowl was coated in a thick mat of leaves and debris.

I can only imagine how nasty the evaporator box and its components are.

Fortunately the condition of the car let me steal it from him for $4900.

I will try a second application/service with the NAPA or BG stuff. I just paid Toyota $34 for these two cans, might as well try something different.

I sprayed the foam at the drain hose in the passenger side foot well, not the one coming through the firewall. And yes, I circulated the product through the system by changing the vent output from body/face, to foot, to defrost. The latter obviously turning the AC on.

Again, thank you for your input. I really appreciate it.

 

if the car has been driven without a cabin air filter all its life, most likely the whole dash board need a good tear down and clean out the whole vent system. It's probably contaminated with a whole bunch of nasty stuff that you don't know. I don't think the AC Refresher kit would work if its already that bad.

 

This is what worked on an old, no-cabin-filter, clogged evap coil for me.

-Chap

 

Thank you.

Mind elaborating on what "sealing the gozinta and gozouta" means?

Also, any walkthroughs or PDFs on how to remove the evaporator box? I have a feeling that the smell of some dude's dank gym sock is going to be more palatable than ripping apart the entire dash.

 

Thank you for chiming in. Also thank you for all the awesome videos. They are godsend.

 

No problem, glad to help our fellow Prius owners

 

Will this help with the mildew smell coming from using the recirculate function?


iPhone ?

 

try spraying some lysol in the intake by the windshield wipers, with the system running. then, in the future, shut the a/c off and turn the fan up a mile from your destination to prevent mildew and such.

 

I was lucky at the time to be driving an old Ford with a design where the HVAC casing was half in the cabin and half in the engine compartment. The evaporator could be removed without disturbing the dash! In fact, in that Ford, the whole A/C—evap, compressor, drier, condenser, and hoses—could be lifted right out, if you had a helper, without having to open any joints or evacuate it. Which is what I did in order to get the engine out for a rebuild.

But then I decided some of the A/C tubing was rustier than I'd like, so I got new hoses/tubes and O rings and that did mean having to evacuate and disassemble it. I made an appointment with a dealer to have the refrigerant reclaimed, and just showed up in their A/C bay in a friend's car with my whole A/C in the trunk and they sucked it out from there. They had never seen such a thing before.

So then once I had it back home and apart, that was when I soaked the evaporator. Because the hoses were then unhooked at the gozinta and gozouta, and I didn't want to fill the refrigerant passages with tepid enzyme water, I plugged them. I probably just used rubber stoppers from the hardware store in a size that fit; maybe I plasti-dipped around them too.

I waited until it was all reassembled in the vehicle before going back to the dealer to recharge it.

But yes, in a Prius, the dash needs disassembled, and Gen 3 dash disassembly is less palatable than at least some gym socks.

-Chap

 

So just for conesnsus, is there a general alternative to the Toyota AC Refresher Kit? I see the reference of Kool-It, not sure how good that product is, but it is significantly cheaper.

 

Preferably something with a non chemical or odorless smell.

 

Would you mind sharing suggestions to some products I can use? Not sure if Kool-It falls in your definition.

 

Im waiting for suggestions too.

 

I found some at WallyWorld for Around $6.50. I used what I had to get it into evaporator housing. Nothing fancy just pieced things together. I went under carpet too. The hose is right there. Just lifted carpet, pulled plug and inserted foam. Smell new again!
Now that I can rest easy about the rattling upon cold start not occurring ...(did the DANLATU too )...I can do the little things I was hesitant to do before for fear of wasting time and money on a car that may have had a failing engine... oh what a relief it is !

 

I did the passenger side interior method. Any reason why the evaporator line and drain line weren’t connected to begin with? My car is just one tube? Did I yank on the line too hard and the drain portion became disconnected? The dealer never reconnected when they did my AC clean last time?

 

The dealer injects it from the bottom there not going to unplug that hose in the cabin.

You really need to inject it from the bottom so not only does it clean the e-coil it also keeps the hose clean. If that hose gets clogged the condensate will backup in the ecoil box and leak out under the carpet. By the time you discover that it will be a stinky mess. Dont mess with that hose connection at that box.

Using this for years.

I use KOOL IT from amazon.com comes with the drip hose attachment. Works great on a G2 probably will fit a G3 just fine. I use 2 cans.

Do not use any fragrance injection in the air dam its horrible old lady perfume..