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stinky A/C

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by italyfilez, Nov 6, 2006.

  1. italyfilez

    italyfilez New Member

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    Has anyone else had a problem with the A/C stninking up their car?

    I had a bit less than 20,000 miles on my 2005 Seaside Pearl Package#2 wen I smelled really bad odor. It was so bad that I couldn't drive in it for more than half an hour. Just awful odor!

    I took it in to R&H Toyota (Owings Mills, MD) and they replaced the cabin air filter and ran foam through the tubing to freshen the air. They said the filter was dirty (I didn't think to ask to see it! :angry: ).

    I don't drive dirt/desert road, so I figured I was good until 30,000 miles as per manual.

    I drove for about two weeks and there was no smell. Then the smell was back...also, the air was blowing non-stop very strongly regardless of the setting (feet, head, feet/head), even when A/C was turned off.

    Brought it in to R&H and was told to keep it on circulate to prevent the fresh air from comin in the car and thus not to have the strong air flow. This made the car smell even worse.

    Took it in the third time. Shop foreman said that keeping it in circulate all the time was causing the smell. However, I didn't always keep it in circulate previously and it still smelled.

    Now that it's colder it's harder to pick up on the smells, but o far it seems not to smell bad if not in the circulate mode. But does that mean that I can never use the circulate mode again?

    How often do you use the circulate mode?
     
    #1 italyfilez, Nov 6, 2006
  2. Allannde

    Allannde Just a Senior

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(italyfilez @ Nov 6 2006, 10:24 AM) [snapback]344561[/snapback]</div>
    This is common.

    The air conditioner condenses moisture from the air. The constant dampness in the airconditioning coils creates just the right conditions for molds to grow. They cause the smell. Once you have the problem, it is hard to be rid of it because the mold spores are there and will grow again as soon as there is moisture present.

    The way I deal with it is to be sure that the coils are dry when I park the car by turning off the air conditioner and turning on the fan full blast for a few minutes. Now that I make a habit of doing this, I don't have the problem. I heard of one car which has an automatic feature which does this for the owner after he leaves the car.
     
    #2 Allannde, Nov 6, 2006
  3. silentak1

    silentak1 Since 2005

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    Allannde is right. You should also always use non-recirculating (fresh) air.

    From my experience, it also helps when you don't use the A/C on either extremes (max cold, max hot) as this tends to leave some smell even after following the procedures from above.
     
    #3 silentak1, Nov 6, 2006
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(italyfilez @ Nov 6 2006, 10:24 AM) [snapback]344561[/snapback]</div>
    Unfortunately, all the Toyotas we've owned were plagued with this. Back then, we'd just take it to the dealer and let them spray some chemical that would remove the mildew that forms (this was before Toyota added a cabin air filter).

    Now, whenever I smell that funky smell, I just close the inner vents, point the driver's vent towards the window, wind the window down, and put the fan on HI for a minute (in fresh air mode). That'll get rid of the smell.
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Nov 6, 2006
  5. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    You don't need to replace the AC filter each time. It is very easy to get at (just behind the lower glove box) and you can wash it with soap and water. Just let it dry off good before you put it back in.

    http://john1701a.com/prius/prius-airconditioner-filter.htm

    Some people here, Bill Merchant for one, make their own filters and they may be better than the ones the dealer overcharges for. You could PM Bill and ask him where he buys the hepa filter material. Also try a search of this site for cabin air filter or air conditioning filter.

    EDIT: Just a thought but some people have had trouble with mice, could be one got in there somewhere and died. Check post 25 of this topic:

    http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=1...ilters&st=0
     
    #5 tumbleweed, Nov 6, 2006
  6. Dr Ed

    Dr Ed New Member

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    Next time you need a car wash go to a hand-held power car wash bay. Spray high pressure soapy water directly into outside air intake vents below windshield for several minutes. As you leave the car wash switch the air intake setting to outside air, turn off AC, crank up temp setting all the way, set directional to windshield mode, and run fan on high for at least 5 minutes. Mold on the condenser will be incinerated. If you get hot while driving with the heater on full blast just roll down the windows.
     
    #6 Dr Ed, Nov 11, 2006
  7. DaveG

    DaveG Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dr Ed @ Nov 10 2006, 10:05 PM) [snapback]347341[/snapback]</div>
    I don't think spraying high-pressure water directly into the vents is a very good idea - there are drain holes there, but there's no way they can cope with a lot of high-pressure water.

    But turning the AC off and cranking the temp up to max for a few minutes does seem to help. I did that in the summer and it seemed to fix the problem for a while.
     
    #7 DaveG, Nov 11, 2006
  8. Dr Ed

    Dr Ed New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveG @ Nov 11 2006, 01:23 AM) [snapback]347359[/snapback]</div>
    It's designed to tolerate torrential rain. Any excess from the soapy spray is runoff.
     
    #8 Dr Ed, Nov 12, 2006
  9. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    The dealer did confirm that the drain holes were not plugged, right? One blast of compressed air usually clears them. (If you never see water dripping from the engine compartment on a humid day when the A/C is cooling, then the drains are plugged.)
     
    #9 richard schumacher, Nov 14, 2006
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