I have a 22' w/ 14k miles. We have recently noticed a musty smell when first turning vehicle & A/C on. Vehicle is garage kept. I have seen other threads reference water on passenger floor board. The passenger floor board is bone dry. Anyone experiencing similar issue or have ideas what could cause this? Thanks!
Musty A/C Smell
- Thread starter Expedish4
- Start date
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
2020FordRaptor
Full Access Members
AC system guaranteed has some mildew buildup. Turn off the AC 1-2 miles away from where you’ll park it at night, it will prevent the AC condenser from building up water, getting that musty smell. Also check your cabin air filter, that could’ve gone bad also.
BSarchet
Full Access Members
My ‘22 also does this and doesn’t leak water. The tip above will help. I also find that periodically if you turn the heater all the way up and blast it for a while it can help clear it out.
z71kris
Member
It happens with my 21 as well. I had it in for service recently and they said change cabin air filter and that would solve it. It doesn’t do it as often now, but still does. I do park in my drive nose out down slope, I don’t know if that hurts it or not.
Pretty much happens on all vehicles. As mentioned in a thread above, turn the AC off, but leave the vent fan running for a few minutes before you park the vehicle overnight. That will help. Or, with the system running on full, spray some Lysol in the outside air intake to kill the mildew. Wherever that is, heh. Probably in the exterior hood cowling right in front of the windshield.
Left Coast Geek
Full Access Members
not unique to newer cars, if you live in a humid environment its been a problem as long as there has been factory A/C. #2's suggestion is how to prevent it, but once mold/mildew has gotten started on the evaporator, its too late.
the way to get rid of the smell is an Ozone Generator. you can rent these from a good tool rental business, or find a detailer who has one. If your favorite detailer doesn't have one, I bet they know who does. this will completely eliminate any organic odors, such as the molds and mildews in your A/C, things like pet smells, baby smells, etc.
basic process is to empty out the car of all your stuff, put the ozone generator on the passenger floor, run an extension cord to the O3 gen, close all the windows and doors, and run it for like 12 hours, unplug it and let car sit until the next day, then open all doors and let it completely air out for 24 hours. O3 is very irritating to your eyes and mucus membranes, so avoid breathing or other exposure.
the way to get rid of the smell is an Ozone Generator. you can rent these from a good tool rental business, or find a detailer who has one. If your favorite detailer doesn't have one, I bet they know who does. this will completely eliminate any organic odors, such as the molds and mildews in your A/C, things like pet smells, baby smells, etc.
basic process is to empty out the car of all your stuff, put the ozone generator on the passenger floor, run an extension cord to the O3 gen, close all the windows and doors, and run it for like 12 hours, unplug it and let car sit until the next day, then open all doors and let it completely air out for 24 hours. O3 is very irritating to your eyes and mucus membranes, so avoid breathing or other exposure.
CDNRabbit
Full Access Members
Well for what it's worth this is the first vehicle that has suffered from mildew in the AC system. I was hoping running the system hot in the winter/fall would kill it but a quick Google search says I'd have to exceed 60°C. I'll have to see if I can find someone with an Ozone generator like @Left Coast Geek suggested.
For what it's worth, I was also having the musty smell issue on my 2023 Limited SPP. Even though the passenger carpet was bone dry, I decided to try the same fix used for the wet carpet issue. After getting the TSB fix done myself and using a can of this stuff, the smell hasn't been an issue anymore. I've been using the crap out of the a/c this summer too.
Here's a link to the TSB . This issue is all over the F-Series forums. If you Google for "Ford evaporator drain fix" you should come up with a bunch of threads from Ford truck forums with lots of details, pictures and stories about it.
I hope this helps!
Here's a link to the TSB . This issue is all over the F-Series forums. If you Google for "Ford evaporator drain fix" you should come up with a bunch of threads from Ford truck forums with lots of details, pictures and stories about it.
I hope this helps!
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We bought this 4 years ago, works great. Use it every so often in all of our vehicles.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
