Quick Fix to Get Rid of a Smell Coming From the Air Conditioning Vents in Your Car or Truck

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Is there a mildewy, musty smell coming from the vents in your car or truck when you turn on the air conditioning? In this video, Sue shows you how leaves, pine needles, and debris collect in the AC evaporator, creating those damp smells. You may have tried covering it with air fresheners, or cleaning the vent system with special sprays, but those are only temporary fixes. The best solution is to replace the AC evaporator.
0:00 Quick Fix to Get Rid of a Smell Coming From the Air Conditioning Vents in Your Car or Truck
0:37 Dirt, leaves, and debris buid up inside the evaporator causing musty mildewy smells
1:45 Air fresheners and sprays are just quick fixes
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While 1A Auto strives to make the information provided in this video as accurate as possible, it makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or applicability of the content. No information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. All do-it-yourself projects entail some risk. It is the sole responsibility of the viewer to assume this risk. 1A Auto is not responsible or liable for any loss damage (including, but not limited to, actual, consequential, or punitive), liability, claim, or any other injury or cause related to or resulting from any information posted in this video.

[@WilChu]

Replacing the evaporator is the 'quick fix'?!? Are we not able to take out the evaporator and clean out the crud?

[@UberAdventure]

There's a reason most people will use a Band-Aid for this particular issue because replacing an evaporator core is a nightmare job and if a shop does it it cost a small fortune because you have to remove the interior dash and a ton of other parts

[@ryans413]

Yes I agree

[@samuellacosta4025]

I missed the quick tip part haha. Im a tech. Keep up on your filter changes and cleaning the cowl is good preventitive maintanance. The foam cleaners work if you let the cleaner sit for about 15. And run the ac for about 10. Try the brand kool it. The most important part is spraying the cleaner into hvac box so it hits the evap. Dont just spray it in the blower motor assembly or inlet hose that does nothing. Find an easy access point or spray the cleaner up throught drain tube thats under the car.

[@tollhouseyum]

Do you know if the A/C Pro Vent and Duct Cleaner from AutoZone works as well as Kool it? Thank you! I know it's a bandaid probably, but until I can get the evaporator replaced I'm thinking about it.

[@mikejerrett7354]

Good tip ,I never really knew the debris could get in there.

[@snakeryanmaster]

Good video, but how do you get down in the ac core or access it and clean it out?

[@tedjohnson64]

Very interesting mulch decay smell vector! It always seemed like a good idea to keep that area clean, but I never realized that it could fill up the evaporator housing with decaying vegetation.

[@glen4326]

So I have sprayed Kool It in the drain line and it only worked a few days and the smell came back. How to eliminate for good? Also the smell intensifies if I turn the AC off but leave the fan on to dry it out. What is that area and how do I clean it? Would it be the ducts?

[@willsrestorations]

Yes you need to clean the debris out of your cow and your cabin filter area and change a cabin filter once a year, but this video was pretty stupid suggesting you've had to replace or remove your evaporator, which could cost thousands of dollars when you can just use a very good product on the market that sprays a foam through the heating duct without passing through the blower motor unit and works perfectly. I think it's called dwd2 or d2dw.

[@ryans413]

Blower fans the start of the system then the heater core and evaporator then the vents that go to the locations on the dash so the fresh air inlet goes right too the blower fan first. So any dirt would be stuck in the fan side of the evaporator so you wanna clean from the fan side. Best too remove glove box spray the cleaner right into the fan that’ll blow the cleaner right into the evaporator

[@malayalammovies6653]

Cleaning/replacing air filter regularly helps to get good air in car.

[@edwardlee9163]

Thank you for sharing.

[@bearing_aficionado]

The video I need!!! Thanks 1A Auto!!!

[@shouldihangmyself]

Best video on this subject Thank you

[@waleyefish9026]

You need to show a video on how to replace it.👍

[@ryans413]

Whole dash comes out it’s the only way and it’s not cheap

[@sheerwillsurvival2064]

Her and Lenny are my favorite great technicians

[@azarahwagner2749]

Great tips 😊 I had a horrible smell I had a hard time figuring it out. Turns out it was a dead mouse that got stuck in the windshield cowling. I have a 2015 Mazda 6 so it is super easy ( 5 plastic clips ) to remove the cowling . RIP mouse 🐭

[@luisnavarro293]

How did u not see a dead mouse in ur window 😂

[@azarahwagner2749]

@@luisnavarro293 It was inside the cowling below the windshield wipers . It’s the area that lets air inside the cabin before the filter and fan .

[@sheerwillsurvival2064]

@@luisnavarro293 🙄 really be nice

[@afterhours7557]

That’s amazing I’m going to try that. Thank you …I want to do it before the winter cold comes

[@user-ti3ht7qr1t]

Thanks for your video Because of video I buy most part 1a auto. Thanks

[@slim617]

Best video about this topic.

[@officialvickyp]

This would help me a long way

[@WritingBuf]

Thank you for the video~! Since the vents are open to the elements, is there a drainage system under or around the evaporator core~? Can the vent cover be removed to allow a vacuum to remove any debris that may have fallen inside~? Thank you~!

[@joeforest8633]

Another sure method is to drive into a lake and leave your vehicle submerged for about a week to soak the condenser enough for the crud to loosen up and then have the vehicle extracted from the lake and let dry thoroughly... might be easier than replacing your condenser

[@smokinwithskruggs]

How does the debris get past the cabin filter to the evaporator. Thought that's what the filter was for?

[@ryans413]

Filter can only stop so much before it stop working plus the dash vents also let in dirt overtime

[@josephbarrerareyes]

Good. Thanks.

[@alexmoore5454]

Well im definitely not ripping the dash out of my truck to replace the evaporator. Guess ill just have to clean it best i can and live with it.

[@GCGomez]

Clean out any debris from those air intake vents she was talking about, turn on your AC system and make sure it's set with the fresh air input and not the recirculating cabin air. Crank up the heater on to high, spray some Lysol into the air intake vents(a good dose into all the intake vents) let it run for a while and repeat. Switch over to the cold setting on high and spray again. Leave your windows down to allow the excess spray to air out. The Lysol will kill the mold and bacteria that causes the musty sour smell. Water can get into those vents too and it causes mildew to grow in the dust and debris. Changing the cabin air filter helps, but not as well as spraying Lysol into the air intake vents. Good luck!

[@leeka40]

@@GCGomez there is a drain tube at the bottom of the box that lets the condensate run out. It should let rain also run out. if this gets plugged then water can sit in the for periods of time creating odor problems.

[@ryans413]

Pull out your glove box the blower fans usually there. With the glove box out of the way turn the fan on max and spray evaporator cleaner into the blower fan the fan will suck the cleaner in and coat the evaporator. Once cans empty turn of the fan let everything set for a bit check under the vehicle and see if any of the cleaner is dripping out the bottom that’s the ac evaporator drain if it is that’s good it’s cleaning. Once letting it sit turn fan back on check vents for good air flow turn on ac if it gets cold you cleaned it good enough. I’d also recommend sticking a temperature gauge in the vents so you can see the reading.

[@gailloveland4533]

Yup, thank you

[@1AAuto]

+Gail Loveland Thanks for checking us out! 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c

[@silverriot20]

Still waiting on the quick fix part? My bandaid solution works just fine and every 6 months, thank you

[@marksd5650]

Good tip. I have to park under pine 🌲. Best Regards

[@ryans413]

When I had no choice but to park by a tree I took a cardboard template I made and tucked it under my wipers to cover the vents there.

[@freecycling6687]

But is there any way to clean the evaporator itself?

[@ryans413]

Yes there’s evaporator cleaner it dose involve a little work but this is the best way. If you are little handy figure out how your glove box can be removed and remove it next you should see the fan pull out the filter now take your cleaner they usually come with a long spray tube stick the tube into the fan area be careful not too touch the fan but just stick it in there. Now turn the fan on max but don’t turn the ac on yet just turn the fan on and spray the cleaner the fan will suck the cleaner into the vent right on the evaporator. Also make sure the temperature on full cold. Spray until can empty and check under the vehicle you should see the cleaner dripping out that’s good. Let it sit for 15 minutes so it cleans and drys up then turn fan back on max start the vehicle and turn on ac if the temp gets cold and smell fine you cleaned it enough. You could spray the cleaner down you dash vents but that method dosnt always work

[@HotRod-wv4vm]

Thanks for the tip.

[@billyray6913]

Can a clogged filter lead to coolant leak? Or is that heater core?

[@ryans413]

Heater core has the hot engine coolant run through it the evaporator has hot gas run through it that gets cooled by the blower fan. All the filter dose is stop any dirt that my been blown in acts just like an engine air filter

[@kkovler1]

clean the evaporator with BG Frigi-Fresh

[@gradypoole5366]

Yeah you can replace your evaporator but the spray works just fine in some cases if you failed on your preventative maintenance. Why would you spend long hours and insane money when their is a simple fix. Like on my car I would be wasting a valuable 15 hours taking out and putting together my dash,then spend 150 just for the core or 800 for an oem then labor would be 1700 dollars if I had a shop do it.

[@imakedookie]

a step between the canned stuff and a full jobbie, is to run an ozonator for a couple hours... but ozonators can be a whole new can of worms for the average joe

[@conejo1562]

U don't really have to replace it. Just spry lysol I did it 3 year ago bad smell never came back

[@RenBobbins]

If you do end up clogging up your evaporator, just do like she said and head on over to 1A Auto for all your cah pots.

[@DashCamSerbia]

I'm pretty sure the cabin filter goes in front of the evaporator to stop all of that dirt from clogging it up...

[@ryans413]

Cabin filter before the blower fan it just stop dirt coming in from the fresh air inlet

[@jcaleca60]

I spray lysol from outside the vent

[@glen4326]

Lysol and the smell is back - never really goes away just covers the smell with lysol smell. Would like any ideas on how to clean it for good without replacing. I've tried Kool It foaming spray sprayed in the drain line using the whole can. It was good for about 2 days then the smell was back.

[@marcior.2153]

Noice

[@wonderwalls3565]

Why the fuck the car makers cant cover those with some automatic covers?

[@terrymcguirk2196]

Remove those band-aids now

[@wonderwalls3565]

Did anyone here the fix? I did not.

[@webguy943]

But but but Scotty said all u need is lysol spray! 😄😄😄

[@scottm9966]

Scotty doesn't know

[@DannyGoncalves]

Quick fix: Become mechanic...

[@gdjiselberg]

well i have a quicker fix for you: BUY A NEW CAR! why bother to disinfect the bacteria inside the evap right? or your house ac makes that smell too ? BUY A NEW HOUSE! MOVE TO A COLDER STATE WHICH IS COLD ENOUGH NOT TO USE AC IN SUMMER! or there is a better and greater solution: STOP CLIMATE CHANGE! or perhaps MOVE THE EARTH A LITTLE MORE AWAY FROM THE SUN! why not right ? great solution though.

[@cinnamongmc5430]

Quick fix? Removing an evaporator is not quick.

[@changehearts2447]

Why would you walk us out in real life , ? I mean do your example in live action not saying this and that