jimbo3

I'm about to start chasing down a funky interior odor which seems to be coming from the vents. Did a few searches, ordered the Einszatts duct and evaporator disinfecting deodorizer and should be ready to tackle it next weekend.

Figured that I'd pull the pollen filters and spray the deodorizer down on to the evaporator. But, seeing that no condensate seems to be dripping on to the ground, I suspect that the drain may be plugged.

QUESTION: Can I safely pour some water on to the evaporator through the pollen filter holders to clean and rinse the area as well as check that the drain is running clear? Is it wise to do so?

Also, if I run a wire hanger up the drain pipes, how far up should I be pushing it to clear the pipes and avoid damage?

TIA-
Jim

jhummel68

Jim,
When I replaced my evaporator I used the DIY from pcarworkshop http://www.pcarworkshop.com/index.ph...orator_Replace. There are some pictures of the tank and fire wall removed. The drain line is in white hard plastic with rubber connecters. If you tried cleaning out from the drain tube underneath, you could go up as far as the "T" in the drain line. If you try pouring something through the A/C filter area into the evaporator it may work. The thing you might want to take in consideration is if the drain line is plugged how will you get that solution out from the evaporator drain area if the plug isn't removed. The only way I know how to completely clean the drain would be to pull the tank out and remove the drain lines. I know it is a lot of work. Someone else here will probably have a better solution. GL
John

jimbo3

Thanks, John. Those are helpful pictures. Looks like it's not practical to remove the tank to reveal the drain pipes. I thought that it might be a relatively easy matter to snake something up the pipe, but it looks like all the kinks would preclude that.

I just tried poking a wire hangar up from the bottom (looped the end first so as not to puncture something) and dragged a bit of dirt out. One side of the slot (aft end) seemed mostly dirt free. The forward end of the slot had kind of a rubbery feel to it and, after probing around, it seemed like I loosened it up a bit. The wire only went in about 4". Couldn't get under the slot to see what I was doing.

Maybe I'll carefully pour a couple ounces of water down from each of the pollen filter cavities and see if it runs through.

Cliff Brown

How about a light shot of low pressure compressed air up the drain to check if it's open?

VNTGSPD

jimbo -

I had the same issue as you. I need to get back to this project one day but thankfully I seldom use the A/C. When I do, I do the trick mentioned by others of turning it off about a mile from home and keep the blower running in hopes of dissipating any moisture into the cabin instead of letting it pool in the evaporator, causing the funky odor you mention.

I think I am going to rig up a small cable with a soft flexible tip that I can rotate to try to get around the elbows. I suspect my blockage may be way up near the finned coil in which case the process of clearing it from below probably won't work.

My other plan is to research household "detergents" that I could put in there to loosen any debri and then used light compressed air through the tubes below to break it loose. It has to be something like a vinegar mix that won't damage the plastic/rubber/aluminum components or kill you when it comes through the vents!

jimbo3

Can't get any kind of seal around it to pressurize it, Cliff.

After pulling the pollen filters and looking into the box toward the evaporator, I couldn't see anything that looked like a drain hole. Worked a length of hose down toward the evap, said a little prayer, put in a few ounces of water, and it all drained out quickly from the right place, so I should be good on the draining part.

After sniffing around both filter cavities and it seems like the odor is more on the driver's side. Opening up the area and having the filters out should make it easy to be thorough with the evap/duct disinfectant.

Curious, though- when looking inside either filter cavity, there is a duct that goes down, out and aft. It appears to head toward the upper ouside portion of the footwell. Is that the return duct for the recirculation mode?

jimbo3

VNTGSPD- I chose this product to spray in and around the evap and ducts-
http://www.detailersdomain.com/index...PROD&ProdID=41

There is a thread entitled "Funky Smell" that was useful. Plug in a search for "smell" and select "Titles Only" on the advanced search function for other threads on the topic.

pcarhombre

Jimbo: ditto here with the same problem. I also purchased the same product. It certainly improved the problem, but did not totally eradicate it. I replaced the pollen filters as well beforehand. I'm trying to decide if I need to go for more than one can, or use/do something else. The instructions from others said to target the central vent; I did some in all three - but more heavily in the central vent. Must be the car's reaction to that funky Florida air. The sweet breezes here in N.E. Philly would never do that to a car

jimbo3

^^^Yes, I think it was your earlier thread that I was mainly using to get a handle on this. Now that I know that water will drain from the evap area, I have some NASA approved deodorant/disinfectant to mix in with water and pour a pint of it in there. I don't really think that's really where the odor is coming from, though. In sniffing around the pollen filter area, I'm thinking that it's somewhere up on the driver's side.

Have you tried spraying that stuff with the air direction vents set different ways to get it in all areas? Have you tried spraying it up the footwell vents? It just doesn't seem like there are a whole lot of areas that the spray can't get to.

I ordered two cans, although one poster said he used about 1/3 of a can. I might be glad to have some extra!

jimbo3

Just a quick update on this for anyone searching in the future-

The Einzett product worked pretty well. I removed the pollen filters to make it easier to fully access the ductwork down to the evaporator. Poured a commercial-grade fungicide/deodorizer into the evaporator "while I was in there". These helped tremendously from the outset but, what ultimately killed the last vestage of odor was opening both windows about an inch (more when the car was covered) and letting fresh air circulate into the car while it sat in the garage. Five months of leaving the windows open whenever it sits in the garage has really helped.

I think the causes of the odor were 1)the car being closed up a lot and getting stale and, 2)doesn't see much sunshine in the garage, and the sun's rays are very effective at killing odor.

ABCar

Jimbo
This is a timely thread for me as I am dealing with a very strong moldy/musty odor that burns my nose. It comes out through the heater and vents without the AC on. You had mentioned a commercial grade fungicide into the evap...is there a certain brand you can recommend?
Also, what does the drain look like underneath the car? I should probably check it for patency before putting anything down there.

Andy