My AC smells like Urine when I first turn it on! Any ideas on the cause and the fix for this smelly and annoying problem?

 

i used to get a weird smell out of my AC too. it lasted for a few weeks, then it went away, then it came back for a short while and now its gone again. i tried air fresheners, leaving the windows open (the smell lingered in the car), and running the AC on non-recycled air but nothing got rid of the smell. it just kind of went away on its own. i have also left my windows down in the rain on more than 1 occasion and the smell of the 3-day-old wetness of the interior was very similar to the AC smell. that makes me think it was some kind of mold or milldew in the vent. thats a very unprofessional opinion because i have no idea if thats possible but thats what i came up with. this story probably wasted your time more than it helped but everyone could use some reading exersizes once and a while.

 

Mold and mildew is growing on your evaporator core. A way to clean that out is either to open up the blower unit and spray a fungicide on the evaporator (they make special AC cleaners that smell like oranges or something like that), or just take some unscented lysol and spray it into your intake vent (below the windshield and above the hood) as you blast your AC on high (using outside air).


It's not guaranteed that the smell will go away, but it's a start. I find the more I use my AC the less I smell the nasty smell. But if I use the AC and then turn it off...phew!!!

 

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.

The HVAC system has a fresh air intake at the base of the windshield. If your odor is not musty/mildewy and really is urine, that suggests some miscreant has peed on your windshield and it drained downward into the intake. Do you have any enemies?

 

Haha!

 

That's a beautiful picture of your max. Painting those breaks behind your wheels add a real nice touch. 'Props.

 

Thanks, it took me a long time to finally get the right shot : And thanks for all the help guys. I looked at the links that you sent me Daniel, and I'll give one of them a try. I'll post the results and let you guys know.

 

Stop peing in the car. Just get out and go into McDonalds or something. Some people have no time left for the important things anymore

SuDZ

 

Here's what's always worked for me (aside from the obvious already mentioned remedy of not peeing in the car...). Whenever you're getting ready to leave the car off for a while (after running the a/c), before turning off the engine, switch off the a/c (hit the "econ" button) and let the fan blow until you can tell the evaporator has warmed back up. By doing this, you're keeping it from forming the mold/mildew because you're removing the moisture from the situation. (Think of what happens to a cold glass on a hot day. That same moisture forms in/on your a/c unit and whenever there's moisture left lying around there's a greater risk for mildew.)

Hint: this is why the "recirculate" door will relax when the ignition is turned off as well. It's trying to allow some extra air circulation for the system to dry out and not get all stanky. I had a friend with an older Acura that didn't do this (cars with manual fresh/recirculate controls are susceptable) and he left it in recirculate all the time. After about 6 months, it smelled so bad you could hardly stand to ride in it. Now that stinks!

-kevin