Moisture smell when fan is on. 2001 sr5

[danielzak1990]

Hello
So recently i noticed moisture almost mold smell in my 2001 4runner sr5 its most noticeable after rainy day and lasts roughly for 2-3 days, issue happens in all fan options and speeds and with open air circulation or closed, it goes away after 2-3 days or only if i turn on the ac but will return when i turn the ac off. Did anyone have the same issue ? How did you resolve this ?

 

[SilverRidgeRunner1]

Hello
So recently i noticed moisture almost mold smell in my 2001 4runner sr5 its most noticeable after rainy day and lasts roughly for 2-3 days, issue happens in all fan options and speeds and with open air circulation or closed, it goes away after 2-3 days or only if i turn on the ac but will return when i turn the ac off. Did anyone have the same issue ? How did you resolve this ?

This issue is common to Rigs that been in floods which is considered the worst case. More than likely u just need to flush and deodorize your Evaporative core.

 

[danielzak1990]

This issue is common to Rigs that been in floods which is considered the worst case. More than likely u just need to flush and deodorize your Evaporative core.

How is that done ?

 

[Paperjam]

Try shutting the a/c off several blocks from home. You get condensation on the heater core which is what causes that stale or wet dog kind of smell.

You can scent bomb the system if you want to deodorize it, but what really needs to happen is that ac core needs to dry out before you park it.

It doesent smell kind of sweet or fishy like coolant does it?

 

[SilverRidgeRunner1]

There is a random plastic tube under the vehicle were the ac drips water, run the ac look for the drip shut everything off. There is this can of high pressure cleaner and deodorizer looks like fix a flat can .. You run the tube up that hole into the Evap system and pull the trigger until the pressure in the can is gone and then you're on the way.

 

[SilverRidgeRunner1]

How is that done ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi22mdXj3wM

 

[SilverRidgeRunner1]

Some dealers do this as a routine maintenance every 30,000 I've seen a vehicle with a mold smell and regular cigar smoker and a can of this make the inside of the car smell like a field of flowers.

 

[StreetCreeper]

Some dealers do this as a routine maintenance every 30,000 I've seen a vehicle with a mold smell and regular cigar smoker and a can of this make the inside of the car smell like a field of flowers.

Cool, I'm adding this to my "maintenance bonanza" list for the first of the month. I'm already planing on pulling the blower fan and cleaning it out. I think after 18 years with no cabin air filter and constant A/C use, my HVAC could use a deep cleaning.

 

[danielzak1990]

Try shutting the a/c off several blocks from home. You get condensation on the heater core which is what causes that stale or wet dog kind of smell.



You can scent bomb the system if you want to deodorize it, but what really needs to happen is that ac core needs to dry out before you park it.



It doesent smell kind of sweet or fishy like coolant does it?

No it doesnt smell fishy or coolant at all, this only happens when driving in the rain.
Ive owned the for 2 months and never had the issue , the last week or so we have had quite a bit of rain and thats when i started noticing this smell

 

[danielzak1990]

There is a random plastic tube under the vehicle were the ac drips water, run the ac look for the drip shut everything off. There is this can of high pressure cleaner and deodorizer looks like fix a flat can .. You run the tube up that hole into the Evap system and pull the trigger until the pressure in the can is gone and then you're on the way.

Thanks for all the info, i will definetky give it a try, and i am pretty sure the truck has never been in the flood, i am the third owner and i know the previous owner very well. Have you done this procedure yourself ?

 

[bay_area4runner]

Thanks for all the info, i will definetky give it a try, and i am pretty sure the truck has never been in the flood, i am the third owner and i know the previous owner very well. Have you done this procedure yourself ?

Where was the plastic drip? I can't find it on mine

 

[pluton]

It's on the firewall, down low, opposite the bottom of the A/C box that's inside the cab.. You can see the output tube if you look under and to the left of the glove box...it's the lowest hanging part of the A/C unit. On the firewall side, sometimes the the down tube part is missing..it was missing on mine when I got it in 2013..., so all there is is a hole in the firewall made of rubber material. If you run the A/C, you'll see where it drips from. I added a plastic hose right-angle union piece, and ran a hose down to the frame nearby.
I'd wait until the A/C warms back up to room temp before spraying the stuff in.
I did the spray thing on mine about a month ago. It worked, and I'm prepared to do it again if the smell comes back.