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  #1  
Old 07-28-2006, 11:34 AM
subiedo subiedo is offline
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Musty aroma from heat /ac vents?

Wondering if anyone has encountered this. I'm getting a musty aroma from the A/C vents when I turn on the fan. Also have some humidity forming on the windshield glass right above the defroster vents on many mornings. It disappears after 30 seconds of Def. air but looks like a telltale sign of water getting inside the heating / a.c. system. Is there a drain hole somewhere that might be clogged? Anyone else have this issue? Thnx!
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  #2  
Old 07-28-2006, 11:42 AM
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dannmarr dannmarr is offline
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You probably have microbes growing on the evaporator. various chemicals can be sprayed on the evaporator directly or through the blower ducts or air intake. The drainage tubes that carry condensation away from the evaporator should also be cleaned. I don't know where it is, but I'm sure someone else can help you find it.
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Old 07-28-2006, 12:42 PM
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I've a had a similar problem with mine lately. Mine seems to get foggy windows on the inside alot lately and after running the defrost for so long it will beginning fogging right above the vents and the only way to stop it is to turn up the temp a little. I also recently found my passenger side floor to be soaked. I figured it to be the A/C drain was clogged, But I checked under the car and it's dripping water from the drain. I'm kinda mystified by it but all is well right now and the floor is dry, So I'll just keep my eye on it for now and see if it happens again. What would cause this?? just don't tell me a bunch of microbes pee'd on my floor.
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Old 07-28-2006, 12:51 PM
dcarrb dcarrb is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subiedo
Also have some humidity forming on the windshield glass right above the defroster vents on many mornings.
I've seen this on my car and many others when it's cool and damp. It's normal.

The AC condensation drain is at the base of the firewall on the pasenger side. It's a stubby length of what looks like heater hose. I doubt it's clogged.

Do you use the AC frequently? Mine smelled pretty rank when I got the car but it had been steaming on a Deep South dealer's lot for months, and the problem abated with regular use. I still occasionally notice an inoffensive mustiness when the CIRC mode times-out.

dcb
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Old 07-28-2006, 04:01 PM
rbalach rbalach is offline
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Regarding the funky smell when you first turn on the fan this is what i do:
I'm driving along with the AC on. About a minute before reaching my destination and turning the car off i press the "Vent" button followed by "High" button for the fan. This turns the AC off and blows fresh outside air over the AC coils. The next time i start the car and turn on the fan/AC there is very little / no funky smell. Hope it works for you.

To find the AC drain pipe: Pop the hood and look at the firewall just behind the left side of the engine. You should see a black rubber/plastic hose with one end coming out of the firewall and the other end just hanging down. Thats the one.
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  #6  
Old 07-28-2006, 07:09 PM
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demonsvx demonsvx is offline
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My Legacy and SVX had similar problems with water and I checked the drain tube and it was dripping. Look under the dash on the passenger side and you will see the tube from the ac/heater box and pull the tube from the box. When I did this the tube was almost completely clogged with mold,leaves,etc. and had almost a quart of water just pour out from the box. I ran the heater to dry it out while I cleaned the tube out and around where it goes into the box. I dug a lot of crap out of the box. Since I done this I dont have the musty smell anymore. I hope this helps
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  #7  
Old 07-29-2006, 01:03 AM
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Landshark Landshark is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rbalach
Regarding the funky smell when you first turn on the fan this is what i do:
I'm driving along with the AC on. About a minute before reaching my destination and turning the car off i press the "Vent" button followed by "High" button for the fan. This turns the AC off and blows fresh outside air over the AC coils. The next time i start the car and turn on the fan/AC there is very little / no funky smell. Hope it works for you.

To find the AC drain pipe: Pop the hood and look at the firewall just behind the left side of the engine. You should see a black rubber/plastic hose with one end coming out of the firewall and the other end just hanging down. Thats the one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by demonsvx
My Legacy and SVX had similar problems with water and I checked the drain tube and it was dripping. Look under the dash on the passenger side and you will see the tube from the ac/heater box and pull the tube from the box. When I did this the tube was almost completely clogged with mold,leaves,etc. and had almost a quart of water just pour out from the box. I ran the heater to dry it out while I cleaned the tube out and around where it goes into the box. I dug a lot of crap out of the box. Since I done this I dont have the musty smell anymore. I hope this helps
what rbalach said ^

i got into the habit of turning off the AC and running the fan on high shortly before i reach my destination to dry everything out and prevent the "musty smell".

haven't needed to do what demonsvx described, but it certainly sounds like a good fix for extreme cases of "vent stink".
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  #8  
Old 07-29-2006, 01:34 AM
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Will sell something to take care of that.....

http://svx-motorsport-accessories.st.../actuneup.html

stuff works great and easy to use.
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  #9  
Old 07-29-2006, 08:03 AM
nipper nipper is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subiedo
Wondering if anyone has encountered this. I'm getting a musty aroma from the A/C vents when I turn on the fan. Also have some humidity forming on the windshield glass right above the defroster vents on many mornings. It disappears after 30 seconds of Def. air but looks like a telltale sign of water getting inside the heating / a.c. system. Is there a drain hole somewhere that might be clogged? Anyone else have this issue? Thnx!

Moisture is in the hvac system, and the excess drains out. Make sure the drain line is clear, but you will stil have some moisture there even with a good drain.
What i do every season is spray a can of lysol in the fresh air intake under the hood, and run the car through all the settings except recirculate. The lysol smell dispates qucikly, but with an SVX i would do it with the doors open.
This is the tried and true method of over 30 years, and much cheaper then any autoparts store cleaner.

nipper
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