I have 2004 MO which I bought in January. Now that the weather is getting hot I find myself using the AC alot. While turning on the system I iniatlly get this funky smell coming of the AC unit but disappers after a few seconds. I don't get when I turn on the heater, just when using the AC. Is there anything I can do to get rid of that intial funkified smell?
Funky Smell!
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Whats that SMELL??
"The origin of the smell is caused by fungus, bacteria and other microbes growing inside the evaporator core. The moisture-laden environment is very conducive to the growth of these organisms."
Hope this helps
"The origin of the smell is caused by fungus, bacteria and other microbes growing inside the evaporator core. The moisture-laden environment is very conducive to the growth of these organisms."
Hope this helps
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1,382 Posts
Mine smells similar...
This is quite common for cars in 4 season area.
To my previous car, what i do was:
- buy a can of lysol desinfectant spray (not for odor, but the 'disinfectnant, around $5 at wallmart).
- find the interior filter housing, and remove the filter. Spray it with lysol thoroughly. Then dry it using hair dryer or such.
- Open the windows halfway and run the heater on high in circulation mode. This is to dry out the air. Fungus and bacteria hates dry air.
- keeping the heater running, spray the lysol into the filter housing, the air circulation will bring the lysol into the evaporator core. This will kill the bacteria/funfus in the evaporator core and air ducts.
- repeat several times... until smell is gone.
I guarantee this will get rit of the funky smell.
I am planning to do it this weekend....
Will try to post picture
Oh yeah one more thing, buy odorless lysol.
Your air ducts will be 'full' of lysol for several days and
you dont want jasmine/after-rain smell for several days right?
This is quite common for cars in 4 season area.
To my previous car, what i do was:
- buy a can of lysol desinfectant spray (not for odor, but the 'disinfectnant, around $5 at wallmart).
- find the interior filter housing, and remove the filter. Spray it with lysol thoroughly. Then dry it using hair dryer or such.
- Open the windows halfway and run the heater on high in circulation mode. This is to dry out the air. Fungus and bacteria hates dry air.
- keeping the heater running, spray the lysol into the filter housing, the air circulation will bring the lysol into the evaporator core. This will kill the bacteria/funfus in the evaporator core and air ducts.
- repeat several times... until smell is gone.
I guarantee this will get rit of the funky smell.
I am planning to do it this weekend....
Will try to post picture
Oh yeah one more thing, buy odorless lysol.
Your air ducts will be 'full' of lysol for several days and
you dont want jasmine/after-rain smell for several days right?
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1,382 Posts
CopperKat...
yes you are right.... but be gladful that you are not the kind of person who is alergic to spores (from the fungus).
I remember when my dad's friend own an e class mercedezand he literaly have to send the car once a year for a complete air duct/ evaporator tear down and complete drying/flusing of the entire ventilation system to clean out the fungus. His wife is alergic to spores. There is no way the wife will ride in the benz. That's sux because it is an 8 hours labor, at $70 per hour, it is around $500 bucks And this is every year...
The lysol treatment that i suggested above is crude but sufficient to eliminate the odor and kill most of the fungus/bacteria. You must repeat this evey year. Off course this will not on par with dealer's complete tear down.
A quick tip to slow down those fungus growth:
--
Every time before you re going out of the car, turn on the heaeter on high and in circulation mode, for let say 2 - 3 minutes. This will dry out the system and hence slow the fungus/bacteria to grow.
yes you are right.... but be gladful that you are not the kind of person who is alergic to spores (from the fungus).
I remember when my dad's friend own an e class mercedezand he literaly have to send the car once a year for a complete air duct/ evaporator tear down and complete drying/flusing of the entire ventilation system to clean out the fungus. His wife is alergic to spores. There is no way the wife will ride in the benz. That's sux because it is an 8 hours labor, at $70 per hour, it is around $500 bucks
And this is every year...The lysol treatment that i suggested above is crude but sufficient to eliminate the odor and kill most of the fungus/bacteria. You must repeat this evey year. Off course this will not on par with dealer's complete tear down.
A quick tip to slow down those fungus growth:
--
Every time before you re going out of the car, turn on the heaeter on high and in circulation mode, for let say 2 - 3 minutes. This will dry out the system and hence slow the fungus/bacteria to grow.
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1,382 Posts
Jiggerss...
I am looking it up at the marano service manual now (while working ).
If JAAK or other moderators know where it is, please kindly point me in the right direction (page) in the manual.
I am looking it up at the marano service manual now (while working
). If JAAK or other moderators know where it is, please kindly point me in the right direction (page) in the manual.
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4,077 Posts
Hope this helps.....
REPLACEMENT PROCEDURES
1. Remove the instrument passenger lower panel:
a. Remove screws and glove box striker, disconnect connectors,
and remove instrument passenger lower panel assembly.
b. Detach the damper from glove box right side.
c. Remove glove box pins, and remove glove box.
2. Remove the filter cover, then remove the in-cabin microfilter.
3. Take out the in-cabin microfilter from blower unit.
4. Replace with new one and reinstall on blower unit.
5. Reinstall the glove box.
REPLACEMENT PROCEDURES
1. Remove the instrument passenger lower panel:
a. Remove screws and glove box striker, disconnect connectors,
and remove instrument passenger lower panel assembly.
b. Detach the damper from glove box right side.
c. Remove glove box pins, and remove glove box.
2. Remove the filter cover, then remove the in-cabin microfilter.
3. Take out the in-cabin microfilter from blower unit.
4. Replace with new one and reinstall on blower unit.
5. Reinstall the glove box.
Attachments
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1,382 Posts
Gonzo, thank you...
looks like i am going to have a fun weekend :1:
looks like i am going to have a fun weekend :1:
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14 Posts
Gonzo, Thanks a lot for the detail instruction on replacement the filter. I been looking for this info for a while. Looks like I have a job for this weekend.
SuperBlk MO
2003 SL AWD Loaded
SuperBlk MO
2003 SL AWD Loaded
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1,382 Posts
JIGGERS... you are welcome...
nice to know that the murano does not smell anymore...
I did this same treatment on all my cars, even my GF's and my dad's friends cars (long time ago).
Anyway, this is a trick that a mechanic told me long time ago.
Always work.
Remember, if it smells again next season, repeat what you have done.
nice to know that the murano does not smell anymore...
I did this same treatment on all my cars, even my GF's and my dad's friends cars (long time ago).
Anyway, this is a trick that a mechanic told me long time ago.
Always work.
Remember, if it smells again next season, repeat what you have done.
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1,382 Posts
Cryogenic...exactly that smell as you described...
Do what i sugested (scroll up) under this same thread. Guarantee will work. This has been my trick in getting rid of this kind of smell years after years on all my cars... It was taught by a really good mechanic that i used to know
Do what i sugested (scroll up) under this same thread. Guarantee will work. This has been my trick in getting rid of this kind of smell years after years on all my cars..
. It was taught by a really good mechanic that i used to know
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1,382 Posts
Cryogenic...
Turning on the heater will kill the smell because bacteria/fungus hates dry air and they died.
However, it will last even longer if you do 'lysol treatment' too
All of this effort will last one year, next year you have to repeat it again. It is a problem for cars in 4 season climate will have (funbky ac smell), especially if the winter and the summer have 50+ degrees gradient.
For those in canada, this will less likely too happen.
Turning on the heater will kill the smell because bacteria/fungus hates dry air and they died.
However, it will last even longer if you do 'lysol treatment' too
All of this effort will last one year, next year you have to repeat it again. It is a problem for cars in 4 season climate will have (funbky ac smell), especially if the winter and the summer have 50+ degrees gradient.
For those in canada, this will less likely too happen.
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8,367 Posts
There are special foam cleaners you can spray on your evaporator core (behind the glove compartment) to clean out the fungus. I recall a few of them: Frigi-Fresh, and another one is Orange-Foam or something like that.
The real problem is that the water on the evaporator core is not being drained out the bottom due to a clogged or kinked AC drain tube. Thats the tube that drips water to the ground after you've parked your car and have been using the AC. You can try to blow out the tube with compressed air if you can get to it under the car (or behind the glovebox).
The real problem is that the water on the evaporator core is not being drained out the bottom due to a clogged or kinked AC drain tube. Thats the tube that drips water to the ground after you've parked your car and have been using the AC. You can try to blow out the tube with compressed air if you can get to it under the car (or behind the glovebox).
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1,382 Posts
Kris, I think most car rental companies are too lazy to ..
do this lysol, evaporator fungus-cleaning process. All they care is "money mone money.....<money>" -- sing it along like Donald Trump's apprentice soundtrack
do this lysol, evaporator fungus-cleaning process. All they care is "money mone money.....<money>" -- sing it along like Donald Trump's apprentice soundtrack
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