AC stinks when turned on!

Mold growing in the ducts? (It's dark and damp in there -- the two
conditions needed.)


Ron

 

HEllo, i have a 92 honda accord. It was retrofitted to r
-134 ac. Everytime i first turn on the a/c, it stinks up
the car. It last around one minute and then it will stop
stinking. What could this be?

 

Yep, it's mold. Either open it up and clean or spray some anti-fungal
solution into the intake.

Pete

 

Possibly. It'll only smell when it's moist (i.e. first turned
on) and goes away as it dries up.

You might try turning off the A/C (while leaving the fan on) a few
minutes before reaching your destination. Shutting off the fan
and A/C at the same time usually leads to condensation in the
ducts, as it's cold and there isn't any air flowing. Mold can
grow when it's moist.

 

I ran the blower on high while spraying Lysol into the intakes at the base
of the windshield, just below the wipers. I did that two or three times
and the smell went away.

 

wrote in

If you want to take a cheaper route, get a cat to piss in the intakes.
Cat urine has a chemical in it which neutralizes any mold which may be
growing in the system.

 

Make sure the drain tube is open. If blocked it backs the water up in the
evaporator and causes the mold. Check with some auto parts stores. There is
a solution to put in the kill the mold....

 

Hm, and it smells so much nicer than mold..

 

Also, when you turn your car off, it is best to make sure that the system is
in fresh air mode not re-circ...

 

Somehow, that doesn't sound "cheaper" than 10 cents worth of Lysol
spray ;-)

Ron

 

True, but it will be a much more memorable experience.