After driving for a while with the a/c on. I park the car. 15-20 minutes later, when I take off again. An awful odor emits from the vents. The air kind of smells like urine! What can be done to eliminate this odor? Why does it smell?

 

I think this has been answered before...do a seach.

Erik
tifosiv122@hotmail.com

 

mildew/mold in the intake vent area or something... i think they also have something about it on www.maximadriver.com .

-V

 

when you use your ac let it dry out a little (run it w/o ac for a few min on hot)

to get rid of the existing smell...try using some windex (anything with ammonia really but i personally find that the least offensive smell)

squirt it into the a/c intake while it is on full blast and HOT....with the most mist on the windex.

 

Foul odors emitted by the air conditioner vents are typically caused by mold and mildew growing on the evaporator core. The evaporator core is the heat exchanger which is located under the dashboard, inside the climate control housing.

I've heard that DWD2 works well.
http://www.texasdistribution.com/
Click on Do It Yourself to see how DWD2 accesses the evaporator fins.

AIR REPAIR A/C Evaporator Treatment is a similar product.
http://www.keep-it-kool.com/treat/treatment.html

I've never had the odor problem, and have never used these products. Therefore this is offered as a point of information, not a personal recommendation.

If the problem is mold and mildew on the evaporator you will get best results by applying a chemical treatment directly at the site of the problem. The Haynes repair manual suggests removing the blower motor resistor assembly and spraying an aerosol product through that opening. See Haynes, page 3-14.

 

Check out this thread. It may help you identify your problem and save $ too.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....ght=evaporator

If not, search on "evaporator" and I think you'll find your answer.

 

It happens in pretty much every car. It's mold growing on the AC evaporator core. You can get rid of the smell by either running the fan on full (4) without the AC on for about five minutes (leave the windows wide open, or else you will sufficate from the stench). Or, you can turn on the AC. That usually gets rid of the smell almost immediately.


You can buy a kit to clean the evaporator core, but it's somewhat labor intensive (you gotta take the glove compartment off to access the evaporator core through the blower assembly). The Nissan dealer can do the job for $100, but you can do it yourself for $20-50.

 

spray lots of lysol disinfectant into the a/c intake near the hood. Run the heater for 15 minutes. Turn the car off. Repeat in an hour.
Done.

Anton

 

Thanks for all the great tips.