Hey Hyundaitech, A/C Question

I ahev seen people post on other forums and now I have an issue with
everytime I turn on my A/C it smells FOUL!!! Very musty smell comes from
the vents. Do you know if this is something that has been reported to
Hyundai and is something they might be fixing? I saw a suggestion to
spray a anti-mold chemical into the vents, what do you think about that?

All I know is the smell is really bad.

 

That smell is common this time of year if you have gone several days or
weeks without running the A/C. I had it yesterday after we hit 82 degrees
and I turned on the A/C after a few nights in the 40's (even hit 39 one
night).

This is my understanding of it: When you run the heat, or nothing at all,
a certain bacteria grows in the duct system. When you turn on the A/C,
that bacteria doesn't like it and dies off and heads out the ducts. The
bacteria is what actually makes the awful smell.

There are other issues that may have caused this for you, so you definitely
should check it out, but if the above is the cause, there is very little
you can do about it.

Eric

 

The real issue is that the a/c acts as a dehumidifier, introducing moisture
into the system that allows bacteria to grow. Since this is simply a
byproduct of humidity and the amount of moisture cold air can hold,
there's little that can be done about the mosture in the system.

Spraying air freshener in is the best idea I know, but don't spray it into
the vents. Turn the fan to full speed, the temperature to full hot, the
a/c on, and the fresh/recirc selector to fresh air. Then, outside the
vehicle, at the bottom of the windshield on the passenger side, spray the
air freshener into the small holes in the plastic cowling. This will
introduce the air freshener into the air intake and will disperse it
through the system.

 

If you want a more long lasting solution, remove the cabin air filter
(behind the glove compartment) , which will expose the front side of the
A/C's evaporator coil immediately to your left. Spray some vinegar on
the entire surface and let it sit for a few hours . Reinstall everything
you took out and run the a/c . The smell will be strong for awhile but
will subside. In addition, turn off the A/C about 5 minutes before
youre ready to stop the car allowing the blower to continue running ;
this way the condensate from the evaporator will drain out of the pan
and/or it will be vaporized into the air so you dont have any remaining
standing water on the evaporator suface or in the bottom of its pan. .

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This will not cause any damage to the vehicle? THis smell is once again
horrible and turning it off prior to stopping is not doing anything.

 

No, it may affect your sinuses, but it's not hurting the car.