pi5tolpete

Rom the day I bought my 89 c4, I have been aware of a smell when the fan is turned on in the cabin. Doesn't matter if hot or cold is selected, just a smell. I have "bombed" the cabin with one of those press-and-walk cans designed to rid cars of smoke or pet smells. Mine is still there. I have found that if I spray a bit of auto febreeze into the the recirculating vents below the dash at the center, it'll help for that trip.
I then got down on my knees and looked through the louvers to see what was behind, and it looks like a finned rad that is completely covered with dust, and now wet febreeze.
Is there any way to. Get it out to clean it outside of the car?
Anyone know what part that is?

pi5tolpete

Could it be the evaporator I'm seeing?

pi5tolpete

I believe it is the fins of the evaporator. And the fact that there is a pile of wet gunk on it could be a leak or could be my febreeze. Guess I'm into this in the fall.

J richard

The condensate drains on these cars have a tendency to get plugged with gunk and start to get swampy. Important to make sure it is clear and not holding moisture as it will corrode the coil and cause leaks....

Vandit

Yea, that's the evaporator. Those vents are basically the air intake for the HVAC system when the fresh air flap (cowl vent) is closed. Our cars don't have a cabin filter, so the evap is pretty nasty after 20-25 yrs of service.

I'm not sure what method is best for cleaning it up.

DobermanDad

Where is this located? It defy reel time I check and clean this?

pi5tolpete

Where can I locate the drain to check?

Vandit

They exit behind the front undertray through a rubber opening in the fuel pump cover. That's the only access point other than removing the gas tank and the firewall that sits between the gas tank and the HVAC unit.

DobermanDad

Excellent. Thank you bro

J richard

Just to add to vandits post, there are four tubes two from the cowl and two from the bottom of the AC cassette, they y together and two come out the bottom. The one you want to check is the one with the rubber nipple under the car. It's a rudimentary check valve to keep crap out of the drain but it does get clogged.

Vandit

There's two drains for the cowl and two for the evaporator, both pairs drain through the HVAC unit, but they are separate all the way down till the rubber piece at the fuel pump cover. The Y-fittings that are upstream of the final drain piece are unions for the left/right drains for each pair (cowl and evaporator).

Pair that is outermost and more foreground is cowl. Inner pair that is behind is evaporator.

pi5tolpete

Vandit, to access part no 16, can I get at it from under the car with the cover removed or only with the fuel tank removed?

Vandit

You should be able to get some access from underneath. Maybe blow a bit of compressed air up the drain? See if a clog will become dislodged?

martyb1

Hi, I think I have the same issue as you, looking at the fins on the evaporator and it looks like a plastic wall and you cant see the fins its that blocked! Did you ever find a solution to fix this? I have a smell like old stockings, not that I smell old stocking :-)

0luke1

I get that smell after my second bowl of menudo.