Seriously nasty A/C smell

A

AKmoney

New member
Hi all,

The A/C in my 4Runner has the most awful, noxious smell I've ever encountered. The air smells perfectly fine if you're running the vent but the moment you push the A/C button to engage the compressor, it's as if you've walked into a gas chamber. It doesn't seem to be as much of a problem if it's really hot and/or dry out (think Arizona) but if it's cooler and more humid the smell is worse. I've already tried spraying Lysol into the intakes by the windshield but it didn't seem to help much, if at all. I've never encountered this problem with any previous vehicle I've owned. Any ideas before I visit a mechanic and break out the credit card?
 
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check the in cabin air filter behind the glovebox. Mine had dead mice babies in in.They built nests inside my ducts and I ended up taking it to the dealer to get them removed ,cleaned, reinstalled. twas around 300 bucks if i remember correctly. So when you check the filter if you see some real nasty shit, try feeling around in the plastic air duct for debris.
 
I already replaced the cabin filter. No issues there. In fact, I removed the cabin filter when I sprayed the Lysol because I didn't want the Lysol mist collecting in it.
 
Have it pull air from the outside and turn it on full blast. Take some clorox bleach and spray all the inlets with it generously. Be sure to cycle through all the positions. I've never had to do it to mine but its killed all the oder on every car I've done it to.
 
The bleach kills the mold and mildew caused by condensation left in the ducts. In the future run the air with the ac off for a few minutes to evaporate some of the moisture after driving
 
BlackWorksInc said:
Can you describe the smell? Also how cold is the A/C? I wonder if the evaporator is leaking?
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It's hard to describe the smell but it does seem more chemical rather than biological in nature, if that makes sense... if you breathe it for a while you'll start to get a headache... To be honest, the A/C isn't what I'd call "ice cold". I've also considered the possibility that the evaporator is leaking but I didn't think this was something all that common. It might make sense though because like I said, the smell isn't there until you engage the compressor.
 
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donuts4 said:
I agree, do this and smell will stop..
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I had a relative who had the stink with his GM truck A/C. The dealer installed a time delay device which kept the blower running for several minutes after shutdown/park. Did not help. That was a design especially prone to this problem and this fix was a factory mod.

Really needed a bleach distribution system that would blast all the internals.
 
AKmoney said:
It's hard to describe the smell but it does seem more chemical rather than biological in nature, if that makes sense... if you breathe it for a while you'll start to get a headache... To be honest, the A/C isn't what I'd call "ice cold". I've also considered the possibility that the evaporator is leaking but I didn't think this was something all that common. It might make sense though because like I said, the smell isn't there until you engage the compressor.
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I haven't heard of one failing in a Toyota and I rarely if ever see it, but that doesn't mean you're not the lucky one in the bunch!

Have the A/C checked for leaks and pressure, if your sight glass (in front of the radiator) shows a greenish color inside you might be able to use a black light to see evidence of refrigerant in the vents.
 
BlackWorksInc said:
I haven't heard of one failing in a Toyota and I rarely if ever see it, but that doesn't mean you're not the lucky one in the bunch!

Have the A/C checked for leaks and pressure, if your sight glass (in front of the radiator) shows a greenish color inside you might be able to use a black light to see evidence of refrigerant in the vents.
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Blackworks, what does the green sight glass mean ? I just noticed mine when doing my bumper and I'm not sure of what color it was but I assume green is a bad thing ?
 
wait so they brought back the sight glass from the r12 systems or is it something else I'm not aware of?

I would also verify that your HVAC case drain is NOT plugged. it is supposed to appear flattened at the end as not to allow larger bugs to find their way in, but it shouldn't be clogged.
 
I had that problem before and I just cleaned my cabin air filter, all good.
My girlfriend would smell it and she'd blame me for farting. And sometimes i'd fart and blame the A/C.
 
Gatafly said:
Just means there is dye in the system for leak checking.
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I'm sorry I should have been more clear, Gatafly is correct.

When we do leak checks on A/C systems we inject a fluorescent dye in the oil used to lubricate the system, this also dyes the refrigerant a sort of yellowish-green. You then use a black light to find leaks much like you would oil leaks, the dye lights up under black light.
 
Guys, don't beat me too hard - I've just joined the community and I have more to learn than share, but I know some stuff about bmw e39 and e46 cars.

I've heard of the same problem on e39. The culprit was the design of the ducts that the A/C condensation was running through. At the bottom of the car the ducts had a 90 degree elbow in the shape of "L".
If the car was parked uphill (driveway) after the A/C was used, the condensation would not drip onto the ground but accumulate in that elbow.
If the car was left parked like that for a long time, a strong smell would develop in the duct. And you could smell it when running the A/C.

This may not directly apply to T4R, but the ducts is the second thing I would check after the air cabin filter.

Max
 
The issue is that we aren't there to actually identify the smell. Going by what the OP is saying it smells more chemical than rotten/biological; which is why I am wondering about a possible refrigerant leak.
 
BlackWorksInc said:
The issue is that we aren't there to actually identify the smell. Going by what the OP is saying it smells more chemical than rotten/biological; which is why I am wondering about a possible refrigerant leak.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I wonder if the possible leak was in the engine compartment, would removing the cabin air filter make the smell even more nasty in the car?
Also, what would happen if the A/C was running with an open hood? Would the refrigerant evaporate before getting into the air ducts?

just another 0.02$..
 
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