Evaporator/Heater core cleaning - Anyone done it?

[bjohnston115]

I bought a CPO truck and the dealer but so many chemicals in it that it masked the smell of smoke in the truck. The previous owner was clearly a HEAVY smoker. I have a burnt ash smell coming from the vents only when the heat is on high blast that i am trying to get rid of. I have seen these foaming cleaners that you spray in the evaporator drain and let it sit for a bit. Anyone have experience with these? Anyone know where the evaporator drain is on these trucks off the top of their head? (to save me from getting underneath and searching)

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Large Saints Fan]

Check with any shop that does BG services and see if they have the ac condenser kit. it is a cleaner and a treatment. works well to remove the tar and then see if they can put an Ozone machine in the vehicle for a day. It works extremely well with our used cars to get rid of smoke and mildew smells.

 

[Ike64]

Ozone machine all the way, it'll kill all of the smells in the vehicle!

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

Yep, BG Product's Frigi-Clean worked extremely well to get rid of the smell in mine. Had the wet socks smell when first running the a/c during summer, cleaned it all out with BG's system and haven't smelled anything bad since. Its now been about 6 months without the stink!

Be forewarned, that shit is EXPENSIVE! I like BG Products and have used this in the past with my '87 truck about 20 years ago, so that's why I went with it again. You may wanna try this one, looks to be identical to the BG can:

http://www.amazon.com/Lubegard-96030-Evaporator-Heater-Cleaner/dp/B0007PHD0S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448984304&sr=8-1&keywords=bg+frigi+clean

The kit I used came with a connector that needs to be installed by drilling into the hvac's case, but I decided to do it the old skool way! Pulled the drain hose on the passenger's side footwell, used a tube to connect the can to the drain port, sprayed until foam came out of the vents, did the clean twice and let it all drain into a cake pan.

Surprised how much grey matter came out of there on the first clean, and how clean it was on the second clean! Took a couple of days for the a/c system to clear the cleaner smell out, but it's a pleasant smell anyways, so it didn't bother me.

 

[bjohnston115]

Thanks all for your help... I saw the Kool-It product and was going to buy one, definitely will now. Does anyone know if the heater core and the evaporator are in the same compartment? If i spray up the drain tube will i also contact the heater core (this is what i really want to clean) or will i just engulf the evaporator in foam?

 

[m85476585]

Amazon has cheap ozone generators. Ozone will deteriorate plastics and rubber, but a short treatment (or a few) isn't much worse than normal ageing. I used it on mine because of a heavy old-person-smell, and I haven't noticed any negative effects.

I have this one:
Amazon.com - Bare Bones Ozone Generator - Foreverozone
I put it on top of the center console with a box fan pointed at it to keep it cool and circulate air, and ran an extension cord through the window to power everything. I wouldn't recommend running it on the build in inverter because it might not like that noisy power. I left the ignition on (but engine off) so the fan would run. And you should switch between heat and cold during treatment to make sure to get air flowing past the heater core and evaporator.

Smokers used to live in the place I rent. The landlord somehow did a good job of getting rid of the smell, except in one closet. That's why I bought the ozone generator. Some of the metal blinds also had sticky smoke residue, and I found that spraying them with degreaser (simple green) then rinsing did a good job of cleaning them. I imagine something similar would work for the heater core/ evaporator as long as everything can drain out.

I'd clean everything first before you ozone so you don't have to use as much. And don't breathe the ozone. The dealer might have already used ozone if they are smart.

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

Ozone air purifiers are good for cleaning the air, but if there's a substance in the vehicle causing the odor, the smell will just return.

In the case of a stinky hvac system, the stink is caused by all the crap that's growing inside the evaporator, such as this stuff:

That stuff needs to be cleaned out as best as one can without ripping the whole dashboard apart to get the evaporator out. And no amount of ozone filtration will remove the smell of the bacteria floating around in the cabin.

I worked with a shop that did ozone smell removal, and while the system worked okay, it was completely ineffective if the source was not eliminated. Thi meant carpet shampooing vomit, animal urine, spilled foods/drinks, etc. And, even with good amounts of carpet cleaning, I think animal urine was the worst and the stench would only return when the vehicle got hot and humid.

The OP is trying to remove the smell of cigarette smoke, which is literally in every nook and cranny of the a/c system, including every vent tube. The foaming action cleaners will "wash" the tubes out and remove the tar that's coated all the tubes and fins, and a few days later with the heater running (or fan if its warm where he's at) the smell will be almost completely gone. The ozone filter will be a good followup after cleaning the system out.

 

[bjohnston115]

Ozone air purifiers are good for cleaning the air, but if there's a substance in the vehicle causing the odor, the smell will just return.

In the case of a stinky hvac system, the stink is caused by all the crap that's growing inside the evaporator, such as this stuff:

That stuff needs to be cleaned out as best as one can without ripping the whole dashboard apart to get the evaporator out. And no amount of ozone filtration will remove the smell of the bacteria floating around in the cabin.

I worked with a shop that did ozone smell removal, and while the system worked okay, it was completely ineffective if the source was not eliminated. Thi meant carpet shampooing vomit, animal urine, spilled foods/drinks, etc. And, even with good amounts of carpet cleaning, I think animal urine was the worst and the stench would only return when the vehicle got hot and humid.

The OP is trying to remove the smell of cigarette smoke, which is literally in every nook and cranny of the a/c system, including every vent tube. The foaming action cleaners will "wash" the tubes out and remove the tar that's coated all the tubes and fins, and a few days later with the heater running (or fan if its warm where he's at) the smell will be almost completely gone. The ozone filter will be a good followup after cleaning the system out.

Thanks for the help.. I purchased the Kool-It cleaner and will give it a try this weekend. I am in the northeast and the smell get worse when i have the heat running and everything starts burning up.

 

[Ike64]

Ozone air purifiers are good for cleaning the air, but if there's a substance in the vehicle causing the odor, the smell will just return.



In the case of a stinky hvac system, the stink is caused by all the crap that's growing inside the evaporator, such as this stuff:

That stuff needs to be cleaned out as best as one can without ripping the whole dashboard apart to get the evaporator out. And no amount of ozone filtration will remove the smell of the bacteria floating around in the cabin.



I worked with a shop that did ozone smell removal, and while the system worked okay, it was completely ineffective if the source was not eliminated. Thi meant carpet shampooing vomit, animal urine, spilled foods/drinks, etc. And, even with good amounts of carpet cleaning, I think animal urine was the worst and the stench would only return when the vehicle got hot and humid.



The OP is trying to remove the smell of cigarette smoke, which is literally in every nook and cranny of the a/c system, including every vent tube. The foaming action cleaners will "wash" the tubes out and remove the tar that's coated all the tubes and fins, and a few days later with the heater running (or fan if its warm where he's at) the smell will be almost completely gone. The ozone filter will be a good followup after cleaning the system out.

Was the vehicle left running with the A/C and the using the interior air recirculation? Because if it wasn't that would be your problem. Leaving a ozone machine running while the vehicle set up this way should
Kill any organic substance in the Hvac system, just takes time. It'll waste some gas but it should be a pretty beneficial for killing the odor causing substance.

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

Not trying to be an ass, but...

No matter whether the previous owner ran the a/c in recirc mode or not while he/she was smoking, cigarette smoke will permeate the interior and all the vents over time! I smoked in my truck when I was younger, and I NEVER, EVER, smoked with the windows completely closed, and definitely NEVER smoked with the system on recirc! Over the years, the smell just gets into everything no matter what you do. I also never used the ashtray, always had the window cracked and blew smoke out the window, but it still got through the whole truck over time.

Again, an ozone machine is great for removing smells, similar to what Febreeze or Lysol does, but it does not remove the source when the source is mold growing in the vents and evaporator. And ozone will not ever remove the oily residue from the vents caused by tar and nicotine! It must be removed with a chemical cleaner in those areas to "wash away" the source.

An Ozone machine will definitely remove the remnant odors, and is a good followup, but it is only going to be effective when used in conjunction with the spray foam!

 

[bjohnston115]

So i sprayed the Kool-it foam in the drain tube this weekend and let it sit are per the directions. It was easier to do than i expected... The drain tube comes out right at the front passengers feet and i just pulled the tube into the truck and did it all from inside. I got some liquid to drain out that looked like severely dehydrated urine. Only about 2 or 3 tablespoons of liquid came back out the drain that i saw but it is possible that more came out after putting the tube back and driving around. I am going to do the treatment again to see if i can get it to run clear(er). Thanks for the heads up and help from everyone here, the smell seems to have dissipated a bit.

 

[Ike64]

Not trying to be an ass, but...



No matter whether the previous owner ran the a/c in recirc mode or not while he/she was smoking, cigarette smoke will permeate the interior and all the vents over time! I smoked in my truck when I was younger, and I NEVER, EVER, smoked with the windows completely closed, and definitely NEVER smoked with the system on recirc! Over the years, the smell just gets into everything no matter what you do. I also never used the ashtray, always had the window cracked and blew smoke out the window, but it still got through the whole truck over time.



Again, an ozone machine is great for removing smells, similar to what Febreeze or Lysol does, but it does not remove the source when the source is mold growing in the vents and evaporator. And ozone will not ever remove the oily residue from the vents caused by tar and nicotine! It must be removed with a chemical cleaner in those areas to "wash away" the source.



An Ozone machine will definitely remove the remnant odors, and is a good followup, but it is only going to be effective when used in conjunction with the spray foam!

Actually ozone will kill any smell caused by natural process I.e. Smoking. Ozone actually attaches itself to the smell causing particle and oxidizes it. A family member of mine cleans everything from crime scenes to dirty carpets and the go to is an ozone machine to kill odor causing substances. It will destroys mold, once an ozone machine is placed in a car everything living in that car will die.

"Ozone, (O3), sometimes called "activated oxygen", contains three atoms of oxygen rather than the two atoms we normally breathe. Ozone is the second most powerful sterilant in the world and can be used to destroy bacteria, viruses and odors. Interestingly ozone occurs quite readily in nature, most often as a result of lightning strikes that occur during thunderstorms. In fact the "fresh, clean, spring rain" smell that we notice after a storm most often results from nature’s creation of ozone. However, we are probably most familiar with ozone from reading about the "ozone layer" that circles the planet above the earth’s atmosphere. Here ozone is created by the sun's ultra-violet rays. This serves to protect us from the ultra-violet radiation.



HOW DOES OZONE WORK?

While ozone is very powerful, it has a very short life-cycle. When contaminants such as odors, bacteria or viruses make contact with ozone, they are destroyed completely by oxidation. In so doing, that extra atom of oxygen is consumed and there is nothing left...no odor...no bacteria...no extra atom, only oxygen. Ozone reverts back to oxygen after it is used."

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Frigi-Fresh is what we use at work when replacing cabin air filters and such. It's strong stuff and I have a bunch of cans in my toolbox. I'll spray the crap out of the cabin air filter with a can, then use a second to just spray the entire interior up. Leave it sit 10 minutes with the windows up and recirc on the AC, another 10 to air out (because you don't want to breathe it... it's like fragrant ozoney smell when it's concentrated). Does a damn good job. Toyota has their own Evap cleaner kit that a dealership should stock, it comes with a hose and rubber plug so you shoot this foaming crap into the evaporator box and let it sit a while before draining out and so on. It works pretty well.

 

[Jhalko]

So i sprayed the Kool-it foam in the drain tube this weekend and let it sit are per the directions. It was easier to do than i expected... The drain tube comes out right at the front passengers feet and i just pulled the tube into the truck and did it all from inside. I got some liquid to drain out that looked like severely dehydrated urine. Only about 2 or 3 tablespoons of liquid came back out the drain that i saw but it is possible that more came out after putting the tube back and driving around. I am going to do the treatment again to see if i can get it to run clear(er). Thanks for the heads up and help from everyone here, the smell seems to have dissipated a bit.

Frigi-Fresh is what we use at work when replacing cabin air filters and such. It's strong stuff and I have a bunch of cans in my toolbox. I'll spray the crap out of the cabin air filter with a can, then use a second to just spray the entire interior up. Leave it sit 10 minutes with the windows up and recirc on the AC, another 10 to air out (because you don't want to breathe it... it's like fragrant ozoney smell when it's concentrated). Does a damn good job. Toyota has their own Evap cleaner kit that a dealership should stock, it comes with a hose and rubber plug so you shoot this foaming crap into the evaporator box and let it sit a while before draining out and so on. It works pretty well.

This thread would be wayyy more helpful if someone could take some idiot proof pictures of where to spray the stuff. (I have the Toyota kit sitting in my garage).
opcorn:

 

[BlackWorksInc]

This thread would be wayyy more helpful if someone could take some idiot proof pictures of where to spray the stuff. (I have the Toyota kit sitting in my garage).
opcorn:

This is for a 3rd Gen Prius, but honestly it's not at all model specific. As long as you can find the Evaporator Core Drainage Hose (I believe on the 5th gens it's roughly the same place as the 4th Gens, just above the frame rail on the passenger side via the wheel well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFfhlQvBp1o

Also aren't there instructions on the cans themselves! Come on man, I know most of us went through American Public Schools; so reading is difficult for us; but give it a shot.

 

[Jhalko]

This is for a 3rd Gen Prius, but honestly it's not at all model specific. As long as you can find the Evaporator Core Drainage Hose (I believe on the 5th gens it's roughly the same place as the 4th Gens, just above the frame rail on the passenger side via the wheel well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFfhlQvBp1o

Also aren't there instructions on the cans themselves! Come on man, I know most of us went through American Public Schools; so reading is difficult for us; but give it a shot.

I did use the term "idiot proof". For reference the cans don't have pics either, given my mechanical ineptitude I don't try anything without pics usually. Honestly I bought them a few months ago and just keep forgetting to do it, clearly it's urgent.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I did use the term "idiot proof". For reference the cans don't have pics either, given my mechanical ineptitude I don't try anything without pics usually. Honestly I bought them a few months ago and just keep forgetting to do it, clearly it's urgent.

I'm just givin' ya a hard time. The video is basically how you do it, I did it on my 4Runner before the same way.

 

[bjohnston115]

I am going to do it again this week or weekend so I'll make a write up with pics or a video

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

When you put the spray in, did you get any foam to come out of the actual vents in the dash? With the instructions for the BG product, you literally have to get it to foam all the way up through the vents, then quickly shut it down and let it sit so the foam can clean the vents and drop back down to the drain tube.

I think I probably got about 4 or 5 ounces of brownish/greyish stuff out of mine when I did it, and only did the clean once. It did take 3 or so days for all the smell to really disappear, and it was summer when I did it, so the air was much warmer and dryer than now, which may have helped to dry out the whole system.

 

[bjohnston115]

When you put the spray in, did you get any foam to come out of the actual vents in the dash? With the instructions for the BG product, you literally have to get it to foam all the way up through the vents, then quickly shut it down and let it sit so the foam can clean the vents and drop back down to the drain tube.

No sign of foam in the vents for me when i used Kool-It. Per the instructions you are supposed to apply it with the blower off, wait 15 minutes, then put the fan on low for 5 minutes to push the liquid out the drain.

I have seen videos on youtube where the foam comes out the vents, we will see what happens the second time around.