Horrible Musky Smell

[_ExpeditionMan]

Horrible Musty Smell

Hello everyone,

So my 4Runner usually sits for a couple days at a time due to me riding public transit during the week. I went out to the truck the other day and upon opening the door was met with an awful smell. It smells like mildew. I have searched around and pulled floor mats looking for any leaks but could not find anything. All the window and door seals seem to be in decent shape as well. It's important to note that recently we have been getting a lot of rain.

I have done a bit of searching online and (besides leaks) it seems these smells can be caused by bacterial build up in the A/C system and related ducting. Has anyone had a similar experience and effectively dealt with it?

Finally, are there common areas for leaks on 2nd gens that I may have missed?

Thanks again guys, really enjoying the community here.

 

[BigRyan1986]

Hello everyone,

So my 4Runner usually sits for a couple days at a time due to me riding public transit during the week. I went out to the truck the other day and upon opening the door was met with an awful smell. It smells like mildew. I have searched around and pulled floor mats looking for any leaks but could not find anything. All the window and door seals seem to be in decent shape as well. It's important to note that recently we have been getting a lot of rain.

I have done a bit of searching online and (besides leaks) it seems these smells can be caused by bacterial build up in the A/C system and related ducting. Has anyone had a similar experience and effectively dealt with it?

Finally, are there common areas for leaks on 2nd gens that I may have missed?

Thanks again guys, really enjoying the community here.

My first guess would be the rear window and tail gate to start. I just say this because i think mine seeps a little. I think there is stuff that you can buy to spray into the air vent to clean and kill all that crap that can build up in there. Also if you are parked under a tree that will cause moisture build up. Dont know why but it does. Im in WA so the rain moisture and trees are a everyday struggle lol. I have my 2nd gen parked under a tree now and couldn't believe how much moisture would build up. I just put a box of silica gel packets i stored up at work in there.

 

[_ExpeditionMan]

My first guess would be the rear window and tail gate to start. I just say this because i think mine seeps a little. I think there is stuff that you can buy to spray into the air vent to clean and kill all that crap that can build up in there. Also if you are parked under a tree that will cause moisture build up. Dont know why but it does. Im in WA so the rain moisture and trees are a everyday struggle lol. I have my 2nd gen parked under a tree now and couldn't believe how much moisture would build up. I just put a box of silica gel packets i stored up at work in there.

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking about spraying some lysol in both the intakes and the vents, but I have my doubts whether that will make it all the way to the source. I do remember seeing a few drops of water on the passenger side rear of the trunk area. Going down from where the rear sound bar is. But I had the trunk open in a light rain for a few moments so I assumed it was related.

 

[RAD4Runner]

You mean musTy smell?
Have you localized source of smell? Body panels have drainage openings on pinch welds along the bottom. Make sure those are not clogged and free of debris, of course.
Critters like to make nests in blower fan housing. Inspect that.
Cowl grill is also a flawed design. It lets leaves and other debris in. Under cowl cover, there are 4 openings. 2 of 4 do not have a screen so debris gets in there and get trapped because the drain is too small.

 

[_ExpeditionMan]

You mean musTy smell?
Have you localized source of smell? Body panels have drainage openings on pinch welds along the bottom. Make sure those are not clogged and free of debris, of course.
Critters like to make nests in blower fan housing. Inspect that.
Cowl grill is also a flawed design. It lets leaves and other debris in. Under cowl cover, there are 4 openings. 2 of 4 do not have a screen so debris gets in there and get trapped because the drain is too small.

Oh I hadn't thought to check the drainage openings. Good idea! Also I will check the cowl grill soon. Blower fan housing? I will consult the Haynes manual for the location of that one.

Also yes I did misspell that... If only I could edit the title! haha

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

I think I am the EXPERT when it comes to wet interiors! :scared:


When I lived in Oregon, you know, that state where everything turns green from moss, I had a tiny leak at the front windshield. Well, I didn't drive the truck much (and still don't), and it lived outside back then. I came outside one cold, dry morning, and to my amazement, the windshield looked like it had just rained, but it was on the INSIDE of the window! I opened the door and found a complete ecosystem in there, including mold growing on every inch of the vehicle!!!

Cleaned it all up, replaced the carpet, scrubbed it all down, took 3 full days to get it disinfected! Not one month later, it was all back again!!! I also found standing water on the rubber floormats! I ended up finally finding the spot where the water came in, it was here:

That tiny, little spot of rust was enough to flood the damned truck and cause all that damage! Its also the reason why I ended up getting the truck repainted!

Check under your floor mats up front, see if the carpet is wet. If it is, see if you can spot any rust near the bottom corners of the windshield.

As for smell removal, yeah, been there, done that, just talked about this in the 5th gen section! Lysol will kill the bacteria growing in your vents, but I've found its only a temporary thing. The smell comes back with a vengeance only a few months later! If you really want to clean the a/c condenser out properly, depending on just how nasty it is in there, you can buy a foaming cleaner sold online and at home depot/lowe's.

I can't speak of the ones they carry at the stores, but BG Product's Frigi Clean worked for my truck as well as my 4 runner (and the wife's honduh too). Its expensive stuff, that's why I suggest maybe some of the other brands will do the trick too.

You can read up on what the 5th gen guys are doing for smells here:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/210683-evaporator-heater-core-cleaning-anyone-done.html

As you'll see, I'm not a big fan of using an ozone machine to remove the smell. It works, and in fact, I actually have a large ozone purifier in my house, running right now as I type, but I just don't believe that it will eliminate the bacteria, but will just kill it for a little while, only to return again. The foaming action sprays will literally wash the condenser as well as the vents (the foam really does come out of the vents when you use the cleaner properly!), then allow the foam to carry all that crap down to the drain tube of the condenser and out of the vehicle!

One other trick I've found with the older gen a/c systems, is that you can take your water hose and literally force water through the drain tube located in the passenger's firewall (the one that drips water when the a/c has been running). Do it for just short bursts, then let the water run back out of the tube! See how much dirt and crap comes out of it, and keep an eye out on the floorboard inside the vehicle to make sure it doesn't leak out! If it does, you put too much water in! All you want to do is put enough water in there to barely flood about a quarter inch of the condenser! You are NOT trying to fill the whole box up with water!!!! This process just flushes the bottom of the condenser where most of the crap ends up.

Be forewarned, if you have never done this before, that first drain will produce a TON of dirt and moldy-grey gunk! Keep doing it until the water returning is clear.

 

[RAD4Runner]

...
... If only I could edit the title! haha

LOL Actually, you can. After you click edit, click "Go Advanced...". Title Field will become accessible

... had a tiny leak at the front windshield. ...
That tiny, little spot of rust was enough to flood the damned truck and cause all that damage ......
...you can take your water hose and literally force water through the drain tube located in the passenger's firewall...

Re: Windshield, I decided to get rid of the trim that traps debris and water (worse is saltwater) in the gap. Gap on my windshield is now exposed for easy rinsing and quick drying.

I also plan to cut a small resealable port in the the plastic housing that holds the evaporator / heater core so I can use a vacuum cleaner to clean it on a regular basis.

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

Heh, I know all about salt water! I bought my truck in Hawaii and used to wheel it at the beach all the time!

Take pics of the condenser before you clean it, I'd like to see how dirty it was at the bottom!

Oh yeah, I too have fixed the rust issue on my truck! I just never drive it when it rains or snows! Damned garage queen...

 

[Ahlem]

Maybe your best friend was watching the movie "Grumpy Old Men" and got an idea. If you have a dog, put it in the truck and see where it sniffs most. If it's cow pasture or some other non-leak issue the dog will find it.

 

[Excalseras]

You mean musTy smell?
Have you localized source of smell? Body panels have drainage openings on pinch welds along the bottom. Make sure those are not clogged and free of debris, of course.
Critters like to make nests in blower fan housing. Inspect that.
Cowl grill is also a flawed design. It lets leaves and other debris in. Under cowl cover, there are 4 openings. 2 of 4 do not have a screen so debris gets in there and get trapped because the drain is too small.

Sorry for a noob question, but how exactly does the cover come off? It looks like there are little holes so does it just pop off? Or do I need to go under the hood and unscrew stuff? Mine has a BUNCH of nice earthy compost in there.

(and is that some vent window I see?!?!!)

 

[RAD4Runner]

Sorry for a noob question, but how exactly does the cover come off? It looks like there are little holes so does it just pop off? Or do I need to go under the hood and unscrew stuff? Mine has a BUNCH of nice earthy compost in there.

(and is that some vent window I see?!?!!)

Yes, it mine's got vent window

Under the rear edge of the hood are some screws holding the cowl down.

I use an offset screw driver to remove them:

You would also need to remove the wiper arms in order to remove the cowl cover.

IIRC, the chrome trim and/or the clips hold the rear edge of the cowl down.

 

[_ExpeditionMan]

Thanks for the information everyone. I will update this when I get a chance to do some investigation next week.

 

[Excalseras]

Yes, it mine's got vent window

Under the rear edge of the hood are some screws holding the cowl down.

You would also need to remove the wiper arms in order to remove the cowl cover.

IIRC, the chrome trim and/or the clips hold the rear edge of the cowl down.

Mad, thanks a bunch. I really appreciate the info, I'll clean that out asap.

 

[JoseGringo]

Wonderful info

Thanks for the information everyone. I will update this when I get a chance to do some investigation next week.

You are not alone, I'll be looking into this myself. Great info, thanks for the tips everyone.

 

[_ExpeditionMan]

Well I took a look at the vents below the cowl and I have screens on each one of them. I also took the truck through a big car wash and had myself and another person look for leaks of any sort around the various seals. No dice. It rained a few times last week and I have not gotten the smell again. The changes I made is turning off the A/C a few minutes before I reach my destination and run the air in vent mode without the A/C on for that time. My guess is by doing this I get rid of some of the moisture that would be trapped in the system causing the mildew smell if I had run the A/C hard and then parked it immediately. I could be completely wrong and it could be a coincidence, but if there is no smell I am content with blissful ignorance! :lalala:

Thanks again for all the suggestions everyone.

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

I'd do just one other thing at this point. Open your glove box, put the system on recirc, no a/c, then grab a can of lysol in whateve scent you can handle for a few days.

Turn the fan on high, then spray directly into the intake behind the glove box. At least this will disinfect the fins and kill any remaining bacteria that's there.

Continue to turn the a/c off a few minutes before you arrive at your destination, that will keep the smell away for now. I suspect it will be back in spring/summer when you start using the a/c again after a few months of cold weather (that is, if you guys in TX ever get any!). The mildew/mold will grow in that time, then as soon as it gets wet from the first use of a/c, it will spring back to life and smell nasty again. The lysol may actually kill it and keep it away during winter/spring. Won't cost you anything but about 2 minutes of your time and some lysol in a spray can!

 

[_ExpeditionMan]

I'd do just one other thing at this point. Open your glove box, put the system on recirc, no a/c, then grab a can of lysol in whateve scent you can handle for a few days.

Turn the fan on high, then spray directly into the intake behind the glove box. At least this will disinfect the fins and kill any remaining bacteria that's there.

Continue to turn the a/c off a few minutes before you arrive at your destination, that will keep the smell away for now. I suspect it will be back in spring/summer when you start using the a/c again after a few months of cold weather (that is, if you guys in TX ever get any!). The mildew/mold will grow in that time, then as soon as it gets wet from the first use of a/c, it will spring back to life and smell nasty again. The lysol may actually kill it and keep it away during winter/spring. Won't cost you anything but about 2 minutes of your time and some lysol in a spray can!

That is an excellent suggestion and I will definitely take you up on it. Thanks a lot flyinhawaiian01!