Has anyone noticed a musty smell coming from the vents when you turn the air conditioner on after the car has sat for a day or two? Mine does for some reason and I know it is not from the interior as you can definitely smell it from the vents.

 

I haven't had this. I guess I would suggest changing the cabin air filter?? I really don't know.

 

It's really important that you allow the A/C to not ALWAYS run in recirculation mode, fact is if you can run it in AUTO it will automatically switch between circulation and recirculation.

It you run in recirculation all the time the evaporator will be sweating (especially in high humid areas) and never dry thus mold and mildew will accumulate.

A lot of products in the market yo can use to remove the mold here is one of many: http://www.dwd2.com/

GM also makes one you can spray into the intake by the hood I forget the name but I have it in my garage, I had a Honda S2000 and they are notorious for this problem.

 

I am experiencing the same thing in my G35. Replacing the in-cabin filter does not help. Try spraying Lysol into the ac air intakes (most likely under your wiper blades). This has helped me temporarily, but smell still comes back due to mold in evaporator...good luck! At least the smell subsides after the ac has been on for a few minutes, but always stinks w/ just running fan.

 

As MaxLoverAz said, this has no connection to the cabin microfilter. He correctly pointed to the AC dryer as the source, and running continuously in the recirculating mode as the cause.

I never use the recirculating mode unless I see I am about to run over the dead body of an animal, or am behind a vehicle that is emitting vile fumes.

If the outside air is unusually hot, I use the 'auto' mode, which switches between recirculating and outside air.

 

I'm sure most have heard the advice I'm about to pass on but for those that haven't, here are some tips to keep the "musty smell" to a minimum.

#1. Keep the drains open! This is one of the biggest contributors to the smell; if water can't drain, it will stagnate.
#2. Keep an eye on your AC Charge. Another big contributor to that musty smell is a leak in the AC system. This normally manifests itself as "ice" on the evaporator (you may notice it as not as much air coming out of the vents during a long trip.)
#3. Get in the habit of turning off the AC compressor about 1 min before getting out of the car (but leaving the fan running.) This allows the evap to come to "room temperature" and get rid of the corresponding condensation.
#4. Do keep an eye on your cabin air filter...if it ever gets wet (either from an incindent above or other) it will continue to fester and serve as a source of mold.
#5. Whenever possible, try to park on level ground. As a born and bred Hillbilly from the Ozarks, I can attest to the effect parking on hills has on drainage!
#6. Don't park under trees. You'd be very suprised on how the effects of leaves (and the accompanying detrius) decomposing in the vents of your car has on the senses until you get a good whiff inside the cabin. And your paint will thank you as well.

I'm sure others will add to the list as well but these are the biggest sources (and preventers) of that musty smell I've come across and have used pretty successfully.

Lt

 

I am hoping I am not the only one here but....the only time my AC is on is when my Recirculation is on. I can not turn either off without turning the other off. For example, AC is on and going and I want to let some fresh air in so I turn off Recirc and the AC turns off. I can Recirc and turn off Recirc without the AC on. I didn't really think anything of it but this seems like an issue now?

 

If it is hot and I first turn on the AC it will automatically switch to recirculate but I just press the outside air flow button and it switches without turning the AC off. What you described does not sound right to me.

 

Just press the button to the left of the Recirculating button...your Nav display will flash..Fresh Air with an Icon depiciting fresh air. Note, that your AC may not be off but when you press the fresh air button or the Mode button, you may be turning off the Auto setting and your fan may be defaulting to the lowest speed. To adjust, just set the **** to the left of the temperature control to your favorite fan speed.

Lt.

 

I don't have the Nav. So it is pretty clear whether or not the AC is on or off. Also, I don't use auto.

 

Hmmm...I didn't recognize there was that much difference in the way the climate control worked between the models! Regardless, I have to agree with you that it does sound a bit odd that yours shuts down when toggeling the fresh air. Every other Nissan/Datsun..well lets be honest, every other car with AC I've driven over the years seemed to work properly (or rather would allow you to select recirculate or fresh air with the AC still running.)

 

I will have to give these things a try. Yes, I always run the AC in Recirc mode because I figured using cold air (in the cabin) will keep the AC from working as hard at cooling the air down. I will be going back to the dealership to have them fix my seat problems next week and I will mentioned to them about the smell and see what they say.

Thanks for everyone's help.

 

Not complaing but has anyone notice that when the fan is set on low. it seems to blow higher then low and this is with the back vents on. Sometimes it actually gets to cold but i realize its the lowest fan speed. Does this happen to anyone else?

 

MaxLover, the DWD2 seems to be a system I have to have someone install. How does the other method work that you use?

 

I can't find the GM brand however many are on the market most just deodorize and then the smell comes back after a week or less, here is my favorite it use to be almost impossible to get if you weren't a dealer but this company will sell to anyone:

http://www.ac-evaporator-cleaner.com...ean-single.htm (cleaner)

http://www.ac-evaporator-cleaner.com...esh-single.htm (maintenance)

Do it with the engine running, AC on full blast, and the windows open. Spray it in the vents located outside the car just under the wiper blades. Note I haven't done this with my Maxima yet so make sure that the intake for the A/C is on the cowling under the wiper blades.

 

Here is another alternative and is a little less $$$:

http://www.autobarn.net/lubegard-hea...m-cleaner.html

Directions For Professional Use: Locate the evaporator/heater unit, and access holes, drain plugs and/or drain tube. Access can often be made through blower motor, fan speed control, or other location depending upon vehicle make. Insert application wand through opening. SHAKE CAN WELL. Attach applicator wand to can, then depress cap firmly to lock and activate the full contents of the can into the assembly. Allow KOOL-IT's super foam fighting to work, approximately 15 minutes, then switch fan on lowest setting for 5 minutes. Foam will condense and remove contaminants as it flows through the drain hole. The air conditioning and heating system is now fully operational.

 

I took off the cowling this morning to see if i could happen to see the coils or not. Unfortunately I couldn't but I could see the cylinder type fan. So it looks like you could spray a little closer than through the coils. I will have to purchase one of those cleaners but I figured since I had the cowl off I just sprayed some Lysol in to see if it helps. Don't know???

 

I've read several people doing that, I would probably make a Lysol solution mixed with water and spray it in the cowling.

 

After you do it, you should do a write-up in this thread.

 

Ironically I don't have the issue with any of my Nissan's I finally learned that "AUTO" means auto and to stop over riding the system with the recirculation setting.

I wonder if I had done that with my Honda's I would have avoided that issue back then?... Oh well we learn as we age....

 

Noticed it right away. Have tried running car in recirculation mode, but the smell is still there. L.A. heat wins over musty smell and it goes away after having it on for a while. Nissan mechanic recommended the lysol thing. Haven't tried it.

 

I used the aerosol kind of Lysol and sprayed it directly into the cylinder fan. When I got in the car this afternoon I didn't have the musty smell just a light smell of Lysol. We'll see how long it last but I know now not to run in recirc mode all the time like I did.

 

You want to run it in the NON RECIRCULATION mode so the Evaporator is dry...

 

Absolutely correct. The REcirculation mode most likely CAUSED the problem.

 

Ive gotten the musty smell sometimes whenever I decided to step on the gas and go pass 100mph + then suddenly the air will get humid and a little musty.

 

Can you tell us, how you took it off, Or give us a write-up on how to do it.

 

May be normal, I am not sure about the Max but a lot of vehicles have the compressor cut off under wide open throttle conditions.

 

This is how I removed the cowling (from memory)

1) Pull black plastic pieces off that are located at each lower corner of the window. There are no screws, bolts or clips that hold them on, they just snap in to place.

2) Remove the plastic pieces that cover the top of the strut towers. The passenger side is held in by one push pin clip and you will then slide the whole piece forward to unclip from inside of the fender. The driver side is held on by two push pin clips. Remove them and the piece pulls off.

3) Remove the wiper arms. Pull off the plastic cover on the section that connects to the motor. Then use a 9/16 socket to unscrew bolt. You will have to wiggle the arm to remove it from the motor but it just pushes back into place.

4) On the cowling, remove the push pin clip from each side. In the middle, facing straight out towards the front or the car, there are three plastic clips to remove. A pair of pliers will do the trick, just pinch down on the part sticking out and pull straight out.

5) Last, remove the cowling. The bottom of the window slides into the cowling so you will need to pull it towards the front of the car. I left the window washer hose connect, so I recommend not pulling too far once the cowling is removed.

I believe that should be it. I will have to look under the hood tomorrow in the daylight but besides maybe the wrong number of clips that should work. It was pretty simple and nothing too tricky to worry about.

 

The reason I'm running it in re-circ right now is because Nissan suggested it after I told them about the smell. It had been running direct since I got it at the dealership. The smell has gotten better in re-circ, but not completely gone. Nissan said to mostly use re-circ and once in a while bring new fresh air in from the outside....also said to use lysol and make sure that you have the a/c on in direct and full blast when you spray it in.

 

I noticed that on my 2010 sv. After i changed the cabin filter it went away.