futuregs

I have a (( GS 400 and when I turn on my AC for the first few mins it smells horrible, like some nasty mildew. ANyway to get rid of this smell?

Hameed

I am having the exact same problem. Ideas anyone on how to get rid of this?

Guitarman

Buy a can of Lysol, preferably in a scent that you like, because you'll be smelling it slightly for a bit.

1). With car off, disconnect the electrical connector to the a/c compressor (you don't want it dehumidifying for this procedure, since we're treating the moisture and corresponding mold/mildew ).

2).Start car, and put fan/blower on HIGH and climate control on OUTSIDE/VENT , so it draws air from the cowl, outside of the car. SPRAY SOME LYSOL INTO THE COWL- BELOW THE FRONT WINDSHIELD by the wipers.

3). Now, turn climate control to RECIRCULATE. Spray the rest of the can of LYSOL (most of it anyway) into the driver and passenger footwells where the recirc air is drawn back into the system.

4).Turn car off, and be sure to REATTATCH THE A/C COMPRESSOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR.

5) Wait a few hours (or overnight) before you use the car and a/c again. Give it time to work.

Pro shops buy a product called "FRIGI-FRESH" that does the same thing, but it's not available to the general public as far as I know. I have some an ASE tech friend gave me, and he says they charge $90 for the service. Ouch!

I have heard you can substitute LEMON SCENT CLOROX AND WATER spray for the lysol, but personally, I'd be concerned with the atomized bleach and water recirculating onto my leather and nice carpet. Lysol is safe, and kills the mildew/mold and microbial growth when dosed this way.
\Best of luck.

Daddy-O

If you go with the spray, remove the A/C cabin filter before applying it.

You can also take a look at:

Air Repair
http://www.acsource.com/product.asp?0=213&1=255&3=136
http://www.keep-it-kool.com/treat/treatment.html

DWD2 (These pics are something)
http://www.dwd2.com/DWD2_Home.htm

These are foaming products that you can use by inserting the hose up through the drin tube and inserting the hose down through the vents. These products dispense a foam that's a bactericide, fungicide and a deodorant.

Good luck

Daddy-O

My A/C isn't stinking yet, but I figure that if it starts stinking, I may have waited too long to service it. SO...

...while I was having my oil changed at my local Toyota dealer ($9 for labor...I bring my own oil & filter), I browsed the shelves at the part/service counter. I noticed a couple of aerosol cans on the shelf and one said "A/C POWER FOAM EVAPORATOR CLEANER & REFRESHER PROFESSIONAL STRENGTH". It turned out to be a genuine Toyoguard product. I inquired about it and found out that this was the product that they used for their $39.95 A/C service. I asked if it came with the dispenser tube, and the parts man said, "Yup". This also came with a smaller can that is used to spray into the system like Guitarman mentioned in the post above. The cost for this kit (Part# 00050-00008) with the applicator hose was $18 USD.

Here's the instructions from the back of the large can:
1. Using a suitable lift, raise the vehicle to access the evaporator drain tube.
2. Snugly fit the wedge adapter the end of the dispensing apparatus into the evaporator drain tube.
3. Open cover cap and dispense entire contents of can.
4. Place appropriate catch pan under vehicle and allow approximately 10 minutes for foam to liquefy and drain out.

Here's a pic...Large can of foam (18oz), small can of vent spray (4oz), and the dispenser hose with adapters.

As I said, my A/C isn't stinky, but I'm going to try this stuff any way.
An ounce of prevention...or in this case 18 ounces.

Hameed

Thanks very much for the valuable info everybody!! That is why I love this website!!!

I will try out one of the suggestions mentioned here and report back with my experience!!

woodyaht

Don't these cars have a Charcol air filter? My Acura's did and when they got stinky I would change it, problem fixed.

Daddy-O

BTW, I used that Toyoguard product.

The foam has a faint bleachy-ammonia smell. It's typical of a disinfectant. Fortunately, the odor goes away in 48 hours. Then you use the small can of vent spray. It has a clean-new car type of smell. Just pump it through the system and in another 48 hours, the system is clean and refreshed.

Again, my system wasn't stinking yet, but I tried this as a preventative, and as an experiment.

The cost for this kit (Part# 00050-00008) with the applicator hose was $18 USD...Can't beat it.

bravo261

iTrader: (1)

wow, that's a lot of work. i'm lucky changing my air filter cleared things up

one day, i'll do something similar to all this for the preventative aspect though

Mrood18

I just called our local Toyota Dealership and spoke with the parts rep. They do carry it and charge $23.50 for the same can(s) shown above. Plus, get this, I asked if this could be done by an individual or does Toyota have to do it. Guess what the parts rep said...We have special tools and we here at the Dealership must provide that service for you. Can't just sell you the cleaning foam and have you (avg Joe) do it. Has anyone else faced this type of obstacle with the dealership, and how did you solve it? I did see in some earlier posts that had a couple of links, whick I did click on, for some after market cleaners. Thanks!!!

siniquezu

Do not use scented lysol or the smell stays in the system and begins to reek! It took me about a month to get rid of the smell.

Guitarman

I've used it on my other cars without having that problem at all (haven't had to on my GS yet) but perhaps the Lexus system is more sensitive to it. Thanks for the info.

golffnutt

Thanks everyone for such great response and detailed info. Can someone tell me specifically where I would attach the hose to the evaporator on my '96 ES300? I took the carpet off on drivers side console next to gas pedal, then took white plastic side plate off the found evaporator there but did not see a cabin filter or spot for one nor did I see where to connect the hole to fill the evaporator with the cleaning foam. Can someone please tell me 1, where do I find the hose connection on the evaporator, and 2 where is the cabin filter located so that I can change it. Thanks again for all your help. By the way I sprayed Lysol into the vents near the wiper blades without disconnecing the the compressor as mentioned above, I did this before I read this post. Is this going to screw up my ac? Its working fine now and is putting out a nicer odor than before.

Guitarman

What you did won't hurt anything, it's just that you ideally don't want the ac compressor to work because it creates moisture from dehumidification, and the moisture in the system is what creates the smell / microbial growth. The disinfectant won't work as well on the microbial growth if the water is too prevalent. You want the system circulating, but not the compressor from doing it's thing.

Don't sweat it, it may not be as long a fix as if you did disconnect it, but it sounds like it's still better for you than it was.

I can't answer your other questions because I'm not familiar with the ES models so I don't know where to tell you to look for those connections you need.

golffnutt

Thanks Guitarman for giving me some peace of mind.