bigcars
Active Member
Inside or outside? Ventilation system on or off (heat or AC won't matter at start)?
I'm guessing a moldy evaporator. Virtually every AC evaporator will produce that smell over time, and in cars its usually around late summer/early fall when people notice it the most. Sometimes the cure is as simple as letting the engine warm up and then blasting the heater at full for 10-15 minutes to kill the mold/mildew on the coils.
My first Expedition, a 2015 with 90K on it, starting putting a nasty smell out of the vents a few weeks ago. Dealer tried telling me the smell was from the evaporator core leaking refrigerant. They’d be glad to rip out the dash and replace the evaporator core. They evacuated all the refrigerant and the smell is still there so I’m not buying that it is refrigerant. I tried running the heat on high for hours. That seemed to dissipate it, but it keeps coming back. The smell is foul and sickening – I can buy into the idea that it is some sort of mold/mildew. But then again, I ran Town Cars and Crown Victorias for years and never had any smell coming from the vents. Any thoughts what to do about it?