How do I get rid of foul odor in vehicle air conditioning?
Kelly R asked:
I have a 2005 dodge and I recently noticed a foul (sour dish cloth smell) when I turn on the air conditioning. HELP!
Fransisca
I have a 2005 dodge and I recently noticed a foul (sour dish cloth smell) when I turn on the air conditioning. HELP!
Fransisca
January 28th, 2010 at 1:29 am
Leilani
get the leak fixed
January 29th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Betsy
air freshiinger
January 31st, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Randa
the hose that extends out of the evaporator underneath the car is clogged…normally it would allow water to drip out. That water is getting “stale” which is what you smell. Clean out the hose or take it back to the dealer…likely still covered under warranty
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:37 am
Deann
They sell a spray at autozone/ advance etc. that you spray on your condensor and cabin filter that will surely help…but like the first guy implied, you may have a leak somewhere.
February 4th, 2010 at 12:04 am
Earlene
dont turn on the air conditioner
February 6th, 2010 at 10:26 am
Fred
Simple.. get one of those air fresheners that clip to the vents… I have those and they work like a charm.
That smell is normal if you haven’t used the A/C for a long time for some reason… like if the car’s been sitting on a lot for months waiting to be sold… use the air fresheners and the smell will be gone before the fresheners lose their fragrance.
February 7th, 2010 at 11:32 am
Edmund
turn the ac off and open the window
February 10th, 2010 at 2:03 am
Ebonie
This is usually caused by the condensate drip line being clogged up. This causes water to back up, get stale and stink. Finding and cleaning out the line could prove to be a challenge, better take it to a reputable a/c mechanic.
One way to check is run the a/c on a humid day and see if water drips from underneath the car.
February 11th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Alden
if you’ve found the source and removed and the spell still there use a onizer to remove the odor
February 13th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Kristyn
One way temporarily is to take it to your dealership so they can flush out the airconditioner system, it may cost you but not over $30. A quick fix is to take out the little covers on top of the airconditioner vents on your dash and spray it with Febreeze or a fabric freshener. That always works for me.
February 16th, 2010 at 12:35 am
Wendi
Get it checked out at a garage. If the smell can’t be removed, by an air freshener for your car. There is a make of Air freshener that I use called “The Bug.” It’s small and handy.
See it on amazon $2.73. Copy and paste it:
February 18th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Many years ago I had a car that started smelling funny when I put the a/c on. I brought it to a friend who took apart my dashboard and a/c vents and when he turned the a/c back on without the dashboard on about 6 dead baby mice came out – it was nasty!! Hope you don’t have anything dead in there.
February 20th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
Lesha
buy new car
February 21st, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Aleida
Auto manufactuerers have been battling this issue for years and to my knowledge there still is not a 100% permanent repair.
This odor is caused by fungi growing inside the evaporator core and when your ac is on the blower will distibute this smell through the ac system. It’s much worse in high humidity states, and may not even be noticable in other climates.
Dealerships do have a flush type chemical that can be used to at at least minimize the smell, this chemical will dry out the evap core and stop the smell, at least temporaily.
One important tip to minimize is to make sure you run your ac on fresh air mode as much as possible, this fresh air will help dry out the evap core and reduce the fungi from forming.
Jerry Christopher