AC odour

Hi....My 04 Sonata has a mouldy rotty type of smell when I first start
it,.....after the AC has been on for a short time, the smell goes away....Is
it maybe mildew or something in the air system? What can be done besides
just masking it with an air-freshener?

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Krazy Kanuck wrote:

Hi....My 04 Sonata has a mouldy rotty type of smell when I first start it,.....after the AC has been on for a short time, the smell goes away....Is it maybe mildew or something in the air system? What can be done besides just masking it with an air-freshener?

Replace the cabin filter, it was due 2 years ago (see maint schedule on your manual).

 

Some dealers and other facilities offer a service where they'll clean the
evaporator case. It's pretty simple. They spray a foam cleaner into the
evaporator through the drain hose.

 

I just took my car to me dealer for the eact same thing and they sprayed
Frgi-Fresh in the vents. It helped for a day or two bu the smell has come
back. Hynudaitech, is the thing you mentioned something different that may
help more??

 

'Hi....My 04 Sonata has a mouldy rotty type of smell when I first start
it,.....after the AC has been on for a short time, the smell goes
away....Is it maybe mildew or something in the air system? What can be
done besides just masking it with an air-freshener?'

REPLY: I am in the HVAC Trade, but not automotive .. Im in residential
and commercial. However, the problem is prevalent in both sectors.
Heres some food for thought on ridding/greatly reducing what we call
'the smelly socks' syndrome associated with A/C's :

1. When you are using your cars A/C and getting near to your
destination, shut off the A/C but allow the blower to continue to run .
This will evaporate the condensate that has condensed on the surface of
the evaporator and reduce the smell buildup. Shut off your A/C at least
3 minutes before youre reading to shutoff your engine.

2. If you remove your cabin air filter, you will have direct access to
the incoming-air side of the evaporator ; it will be a shiny grey metal
object approx. 6" square to the left of the air filter slot. You will
only have access to the one side, but, that is better than nothing.
Spray some non diluted vinegar on the fins / tubes of the evaporator
surface in addition to the plastic condensate pan directly under the
evaporator... and allow it to sit there for at least 20 minutes before
using the A/C again. Vinegar does a good job of eliminating this
particular smell and will not harm the Evaporator or affect its
operation. There is no need to rinse the vinegar off as the next time
you use the A/C, the condensate will wash off any residue. Initially,
you will have a strong odor of vinegar, but it will dissipate in no
time. You should be able to go a fairly long time after a treatment.

3. At hardware stores, they sell a small stick-on fragranced 'thing'
(cardboard) in various scents that you can apply to your cabin air
filter ; this will dilute the evaporator smell and make the cars
interior smell nice also. Its not very big so it wont restrict airflow
thru the air filter . It lasts a fairly long time before you can now
longer smell it. Again initially, it is a bit strong but does dilute
soon.

4. There is a product called Febreze available at Grocery Stores which
is pretty good ; you can spray that down the supply air outlets of your
car with the Blower off and/or , into the return air cavity of the
Blower Assembly located behind your glove box while the Blower is
running. Spraying it in the general vicinity behind the glove box is
all thats required as it will get immediately sucked into the blower
then thru the evaporator and ducting system. It comes in various
fragrances and lasts awhile.

Dave

 

The frigi-fresh (or any other air-freshener application) is installed
through the fresh air intake at the base of the windshield. Because it's
aerosol, it typically only lasts a short period of time.

The foam actually gets into the evaporator fairly well and helps clean it
out better. Disclaimer: I've never actually performed this service, so I
cannot be sure of results.

 

Hi....My 04 Sonata has a mouldy rotty type of smell when I first start

Hi,

I had that smell when I turned on my A/C the past 2 summers. It was
like a fart or rotten eggs and urine? Anyway, what cleared it up for
me was replacing the cabin air filter. Now, I turn on my A/C and it is
gone, gone, gone. I have an '02 Sonata.

- Thee Chicago Wolf

 

Yeah, it is strange, sometimes that helps other times it does not. In my
case I replaced the filter and had the dealer spry frdgi-fresh and I still
have the smell.

 

'I had that smell when I turned on my A/C the past 2 summers. It was
like a fart or rotten eggs and urine? '

REPLY: Yep...dont go out on a date with it like that.

 

You are assuming that the smell didn't begin after a date Dave...

 

Nice.

- Thee Chicago Wolf

 

Hi
I just use a commercial spray that is used to kill germs such as Glen
20 not just a deoderiser - I turn on the air conditioner and spray it
throught the intake vents and leave it over night

 

'I had that smell when I turned on my A/C the past 2 summers. It was
like a fart or rotten eggs and urine? '

ME: : Yep...dont go out on a date with it like that.

MIKE: You are assuming that the smell didn't begin after a date Dave...