moldy smell from the vents

Doc308 · 22 May 2006

My car , a '92, has just developed a stong moldy smell which comes through the vents--even if fresh air is coming through w/o the ac on. I sprayed some of that mold killer you can get at auto parts stores into the condensers and into all of the interior vents, but the smell is still apparent. ( I've used this product with another of my cars and it worked very well).

My Q --is there another opening w/i which to spray this stuff? Is there a vent located under the black plastic cover under the hood in front of the windshield? Any other ideas?

D'Ecosse · 22 May 2006

One way to prevent the mold build-up is to turn off the AC 5 mins before turning off the engine.

Spraying in the condensors will do nothing.

The air intake is indeed under the plastic grille in front of the window but not directly under the grille openings, in the middle - spray with heater running on fresh as opposed to recirc & A/C

To access the intake directly, pull back the rubber seal slightly to expose the button clips; push in the centre pins to release the clips & remove the buttons. Then you can pull up on the front of the apron to spray directly into the intake with AC system on HEAT (AC OFF) and fresh intake, blower set to high to pull it in.

When reinserting the clips, the rubber seal goes between the body & the apron; pull the centre pin out slight above the button to insert then lock by pushing the pin flush with the button surface.

Doc308 · 22 May 2006

Thank you again, d'Ecosse!

Larry Bastanza · 23 May 2006

Well a very informative 5000+ thread Ken

. Funny I just did this today and went through the manual to find the vent. I popped off the plastic as you describe and the main intake is sitting about center.

I smells fine now, but really will know when I try it after a week

.

Congrats on your entry into the 5000+ club.

Regards,
LarryB

D'Ecosse · 23 May 2006

I went out & did my own as a reminder from this thread - I had a bottle of that stuff lurking in my garage cabinet. Takes about 5 mins to pop off the buttons, spray & button it back up.

Other important key is to be on "fresh" not "recirc"!

You know what they say though Larry - quality wins over quantity and you were the big winner there when we had the 'guru' ratings active.

I am but a pleb in your shadow! :tongue:

Larry Bastanza said:
I smells fine now, but really will know when I try it after a week.

p.s. I'm glad you smell better for it too!

lithiumus · 2 June 2006

What is the actual spray called? I'm going to get some as well.

T Bolen · 2 June 2006

This is great info - I have been experiencing the same problem with my '95 and was wondering how to correct this.
Thanks D'Ecosse!

Daedalus · 2 June 2006

lithiumus said:
What is the actual spray called? I'm going to get some as well.

I've heard good things about Frigifresh.

D'Ecosse · 2 June 2006

Even Lysol will work but you should be able to find some products at your local auto-parts store. It's important to get something that will actually kill the mold and not merely attempt to mask the smell. But a combination spore killer/deoderizer/air freshener may be a good idea.

If the problem is quite bad, it may need several applications to kill the mold completely & prevent or limit the regeneration. It's important to recognize that mold can make you really sick - it's more than just a bad smell! For those of you with small children it's important to understand this & not expose them to the potential health issues associated with mold.

Thre are a couple of products by a company called BG products - FrigiClean is actually a foaming cleaner that actually engulfs the whole core & is intended as an annual type prhibitive. FrigiFresh is a more traditional spore killer/deoderizer/air freshener.

It is generally thought that once mold begins, it will always be there & regenerate & the ultimate solution is removal of the evaporator - pretty drastic, especially in the NSX where it is not a trivial exercise! So keeping it in control may be the best option.

Mold grows on the evaporator coil in the damp environment caused by the condensation on it - that is why it is a good plan to switch off the A/C (or even to heat for a few mins) to help to dry it off prior to parking, at least if for extended period.
i.e. if you are a Sunday-only NSX driver, when you complete your day's fun leave it sitting with motor running on heat to dry it out throughly before pulling into garage & storing for another week.

The other thing to be sure is that the drain tube from the evaporator is clear of blockage & will allow proper drainage. I've seen quite a few reports of this being an issue on the NSX. The drain hose exits the evaporator on the right side and through the floor on the left side of the passenger footwell. Inspect it to be sure that you have adequate drainage. You should be seeing a nice water stream under your car when it is parked if your A/C has been running for a while.

Doc308 · 3 June 2006

Another product is "Clean Air", sold by NAPA. It's about $10 per can. I got great results from this in my family car, a Mazda, but only so-so with the NSX. I'm about to do a second can tomorrow.

D'Ecosse--on the instructions with this stuff, in addition to spraying into the outer fresh air vent, it says to also spray into the recirculation vent in the interior of the car. Where is that located in the NSX?

Mirroredshades · 3 June 2006

D'Ecosse said:
One way to prevent the mold build-up is to turn off the AC 5 mins before turning off the engine.

Spraying in the condensors will do nothing.

The air intake is indeed under the plastic grille in front of the window but not directly under the grille openings, in the middle - spray with heater running on fresh as opposed to recirc & A/C

To access the intake directly, pull back the rubber seal slightly to expose the button clips; push in the centre pins to release the clips & remove the buttons. Then you can pull up on the front of the apron to spray directly into the intake with AC system on HEAT (AC OFF) and fresh intake, blower set to high to pull it in.

When reinserting the clips, the rubber seal goes between the body & the apron; pull the centre pin out slight above the button to insert then lock by pushing the pin flush with the button surface.

Or just open the windows for the first 30 seconds until the AC clears......

:biggrin:

Mirroredshades · 3 June 2006

Doc308 said:
Another product is "Clean Air", sold by NAPA. It's about $10 per can. I got great results from this in my family car, a Mazda, but only so-so with the NSX. I'm about to do a second can tomorrow.

D'Ecosse--on the instructions with this stuff, in addition to spraying into the outer fresh air vent, it says to also spray into the recirculation vent in the interior of the car. Where is that located in the NSX?

I think the main cause of the funky smell is just that weird smell that Acura impregnated the leather with.

Hugh · 3 June 2006

D'Ecosse said:
You should be seeing a nice water stream under your car when it is parked if your A/C has been running for a while.

I get a nice scaled down version of Lake Superior every time I pull into the garage. I don't think my A/C is ever off! My NYC blood still hasn't gotten used to this Florida heat even after 9 years.

eternaldj · 5 June 2006

Is there any inner cabin filters? I have a 92 did they start putting inner cabin filters in these car that early?

If so those can be the cause too.

Greg

mackash · 6 June 2006

Does one can last for several applications or only one? Did the BG cleaner add any kind of smell to "mask" or did it eliminate the musty odor?
Thanks

ChopsJazz · 13 June 2006

The best advice given in this thread was to turn off your AC about 5 minutes before shutting off the car, but you must leave the fan running! That will dry the moisture off the evaporator to ensure no mold will form when you let the car sit.

To shut off the AC and leave the fan on simply push the AC button on the lower right of the climate control panel.

repin jerz · 30 September 2010

cough-cough...

sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I just followed the directions from this thread and my mildew smell went away completely. I wanted to share my results with others who may be experiencing the same problem. I purchased a can of BG frigi-fresh (aerosol), not frigi-clean (foam).

Instead of removing the clips to access fresh air intake directly, I sprayed approx 1/2 can directly through the vented screen towards the direction of the air intake. I had the climate control set at full fan speed fresh air. After about 10 mins of letting the fresh air intake run, I set the temp to full high and let it run for another 10 mins.

Mildew smell completely gone. I tried to remove clips initially to completely remove cover, but they were so fragile that I worried about being able to put them back intact.

I wonder why Acura didn't design climate control system with filters?

ChopsJazz · 30 September 2010

It's funny to see this thread again after all these years. I just went through this method last weekend just to clean the system again. Be sure when you do this to use an AC mildew killer such as the type that Honda sells. Do not use a simple air freshener as it will have no effect on the mildew!

Also, be sure to always hit the AC button to turn the AC off (but leave the fan running) for the last 5 minutes before you park the car.

ftuhy · 30 September 2010

A related item might be the drain tube. If condensate is not draining out of the car, it helps the yucky mold grow even better.

See http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109203&highlight=ac+water+leak and http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/testvb/showth...ht=damp+carpet

cosplayerkyo · 21 June 2013

*bump* for a good reminder. My can of Frigi-Fresh comes in and I'll be doing this this evening.
Is it best to run fresh air cold at full blast first, and then the fresh air heater full blast?

DRIFTER · 21 June 2013

I have used a $3 can of Lysol disinfectant spray for years without issues. I don't even take the covers off. Put the fan on full blast and spray away until you smell it on the interior. Works just as good as any brand made specific for killing mold in the A/C blower unit. I have used this method on all kinds of cars. I use it as part of my detailing process for cars at the dealership. Cars with filters I spray the filters as well. Works every time.

BATMANs · 21 June 2013

I've had a friend mist his vents from the intake with Chlorox cleaner and run the vents for an hour while his car was idling. Windows rolled down.

It apparently killed the mold. This was in an RX7.

ofdlt10 · 21 June 2013

my remedy is more time consuming but a longer term solution. it worked on mine. remove the blower motor from the firewall. when you look inside with a flashlight, you'll be surprised at the amount of leaves and debris you'll find. use your shop-vac with the small nozzle attachment and you can get all the wet junk out. some of it can't be reached. i used a coat hanger to pull the rest up to the opening. the leaves that came out of mine were damp and did indeed have the mildew smell. spray the interior of the housing with lysol and let it sit for about an hour until it's dry inside. this kills the mold/mildew and allows the smell to dissipate.
reassemble and run the fan on high for a few minutes and the car smells fresh inside again. takes 1-2 hours.
hope this helps. as i said, it worked on mine. now i just have to fabricate the cabin filter and cover the intake for the a/c to keep the junk out of the housing.

Caroline-NSX · 22 June 2013

ofdlt10 said:
my remedy is more time consuming but a longer term solution. it worked on mine. remove the blower motor from the firewall. when you look inside with a flashlight, you'll be surprised at the amount of leaves and debris you'll find. use your shop-vac with the small nozzle attachment and you can get all the wet junk out. some of it can't be reached. i used a coat hanger to pull the rest up to the opening. the leaves that came out of mine were damp and did indeed have the mildew smell. spray the interior of the housing with lysol and let it sit for about an hour until it's dry inside. this kills the mold/mildew and allows the smell to dissipate.
reassemble and run the fan on high for a few minutes and the car smells fresh inside again. takes 1-2 hours.
hope this helps. as i said, it worked on mine. now i just have to fabricate the cabin filter and cover the intake for the a/c to keep the junk out of the housing.

Leaves and debris? Ima have to take mines out and see what's back there. Might find me a pot of GOLD. Lol! Great info here. I don't notice any smell in my car when turn AC on but I will go ahead and take the blower off just to check and see if anything is back there.

VE7NSX · 11 August 2014

Old threads are the best!
I made it to 2014 without this issue but the detailers decided to do an unsolicited "engine shampoo" (in the front of my car lol) and I am left with this smell. I don't suppose anyone would have a video about this for those of us who are mentally challenged for one reason or another.

moldy smell from the vents

Similar threads