Stinky AC

[zbouncer]

I know I cant be the only one with a stinky AC! :mad:
Whenever the air is recirculating the AC smells...it isn't as bad when its pulling air from the outside but still has a nasty smell. I already replaced the cabin filter and no dice...did a search but no direct answers and info...any help would be greatly appreciated :thumbsup:

PS: I live in San Antonio where it will soon get to 105*-110* during the summer :evil: and not using the AC isn't an option.

[1stToyota]

Try placing a Renuzit Gel Refill on top of the cabin air filter and see if that does the trick. It's the only lasting cure that I've found for mine. One refill lasted all summer long...3-Pack $1.97...took 3 minutes tops.

[severous01]

check your drain tube. just stick a little fuzzy cleaner stick in there or be gentle with a pick or something. also, you can get an AC system cleaner from autozone or dealer. you drill a hole in the ac box near the fan, insert a gromet, put the tube in the gromet and squirt this foamy weird cleaner stuff in there. turn it on for a few to circulate foam...turn off, let sit for 5 min or so and then turn it back on...

it'll clean the whole system out, including vents. but, i'd remove the filter first so you get the foam everywhere. also, have a few rags ready for the vents. i've never had a car spit foam out the vents (i'm a mechanic at a dealer) but that dont mean it wont happen.

or, there's another option. i'ts a bomb, like a fogger for the car. put it on passenger floorboard, turn recirc on, set bomb, turn on ac/max ac, max blower. roll up windows and let sit for specified amount of time...10 min i think. then roll windows down or open doors to evac fog. it's easy and will clean the entire car...gets rid of smoke smell too. i think that's wynn's though

[zbouncer]

This is great info severous01...does anybody have a write-up with pics on how to do this?

[bronsin]

If you run the AC for long periods on recirc you will have a stinker. The trick is to switch to outside air for a while after the car cools down. Whenever you can run it on outside air. I doubt very much you will find a clogged drain hose.

[CTScott]

There are a bunch of threads on this. There are two issues - One is a part issue on some 07-08 Yaris and there is a TSB on the issue:

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17099


The second is the airbox becoming backed up due to outside "stuff" making its way in (primarily due to not having a cabin air filter installed in its spot behind the passenger glove box). If you hear water sloshing when you turn corners, then your condensate drain hose is plugged. You can get at it by pulling the left top corner of the passenger footwell carpet. The rubber hose goes through the floor there.

[severous01]

http://www.mocproducts.com/mm/e_ac.htm for the moc stuff i use here at the dealership...

http://wynnsforyourcar.com/ac_service.html for wynn's. they upgraded to an ultrasonic humidifier since i've used their products...may be expensive.

[ctrj]

BG Products Fridgi-Fresh. Use it.

[1stToyota]

Napa sells the Uview Mist Cleaning System; probably not nearly as messy as foam. I might buy one of these later on at the new location for the customers that feel like spending more than $1 :smile:

http://www.uview.com/ProductDetail.php?PartNumber=590150

[UTVitz]

I had the TSB done and the evaporator core was replaced-smell completely gone. It's in the metal it's made out of and if you're out of 3/36 warranty you're out of luck. While the part is a few hundred dollars it takes four hours to do the job. So that makes it a six to seven hundred dollar job.

If you've been using the a/c on a somewhat humid day it's easy to check the operation of your drain tube-open the hood and with a flash light look down the firewall coming down from where the passenger side wiper arm bolts down to just about the bottom of the firewall. You'll see a 1 inch black tube sticking out of the metal and it should be dripping water. Otherwise, the connection is under the top edge of the carpet in the passenger foot well up on the left.

[Cosmonaut]

what i have been doing is leaving the fan speed on max for a few minutes to blow all the odor out and spraying some air freshener at the blower. That works for me.

[Yaris Hilton]

Routinely I switch off the AC and to outside air for just a bit before I reach my stopping place and shut down. Lets the evaporator dry off.

[bladesmith6]

You probably need the Evaporator and and/or A/C amplifier replaced, checked the threads above and get in there as soon as you can. No warranty= no help from Toyota without a big bill.

[bst82551]

Try spraying lysol antibacterial spray into your duct system while the A/C is on full blast. Spray it into the A/C intake, which should be right between your wipers and the top of your hood. This killed the nasty mildew/mold for me and left behind a pleasant orange scent. After that, I ran the heater at the hottest setting with the fan at full blast for about for the last minute or two of my daily drive every time I ran the A/C. This should remove any excess moisture.

I repeated this technique two times over the period of about a week and have not had a problem since (it has been three months).

[Yarisduder]

What is an A/C amplifier anyway? Is it something one could replace themselves?

[bladesmith6]

Depends on how mechanically competent you are, you practically have to remove the entire dashboard to get to it. Since my arguements with toyota are getting nowhere and I ain't paying the dealership 800-1000 buck I guess I'll find out soon enough how tough it is...

[CTScott]

What is an A/C amplifier anyway? Is it something one could replace themselves?

The AC Amplifier is the ECU for the AC. It is a small black module mounted to the left side of the air box. The difficult part of the TSB is replacing the evaporator, which is within the airbox. To get at it you need to take the entire dash off and remove the dash support (which is the piece of pipe across the center of the picture below). The large white plastic area is the airbox (left side) and blower stack (right side).

34470

[suprajoey]

so how can i check if the dealer will cover this for me??
is their a website i can enter my vin number??
I bought my Yaris used, its an 08 Hatch:iono:
Only has 19k miles on it???:cry:
Mines smells upon initial start, just a little:confused:

[CTScott]

so how can i check if the dealer will cover this for me??
is their a website i can enter my vin number??
I bought my Yaris used, its an 08 Hatch:iono:
Only has 19k miles on it???:cry:
Mines smells upon initial start, just a little:confused:

Here's the applicability for the two HVAC TSBs. Besides falling into the list of included vehicles, I believe that you will have to prove to them that your car is exhibiting the symptoms of the TSB.

T-SB-0103-09 - HVAC Odor (This is the one which involves replacing evaporator {procedure A} and on some cars, the AC Amplifier as well {procedure B}):
34480

T-SB-0027-08 - HVAC Evaporator Drain Blockage (This is the one for replacing the cowl on cars experiencing blockage of the condensate drain):
34481

[suprajoey]

Thanks so much, i bet when i take it to toyota they might reject my warranty, bcuz its not a bad stenge at all, it just bothers me, bcuz i know that later in the year it will only get worst, and no more warranty then...!!

Thanks for the info.