larryhot13

I had a terrible old smelly sock odor coming out of my vents when I had the fan- A/C on. I have a 92 ES300 and figure it was the rugs, which were quite dirty. I took out the floor mats and cleaned them thoroughly with several cleaning agents and repeatedly hosed them down. I couldnt believe how much dirt was in there. several rinses finally did the job. I also replaced the air filter under the hood. It didnt do much. Maybe cured 30% of the problem. I then put the fan on high with fresh air button- (NO A/C)- closed the doors and windows and repeatedly sprayed Mountain Fresh Lysol into the air intake vents (the cowl?) near the windshield wipers. I repeatedly entered the car and shifted the vent flow from dash- to floor to window de-fogger to get the Lysol spread into all passageways. . After using about half a can, I then entered the interior to an overwhelming smell of Lysol (Mountain Fresh is not a bad Lysoly medicinal smell). I then changed the vent from outdoor air to recycled air and let the Mountain Fresh Air recirculate for a couple of minutes. I then left the windows and moonroof open slightly overnight to let it air out. Initially I was very happy, it cured approximately 80% of the odors caused by mold and mildew( I suspect) inside the ventilation system. But the odor is coming back slightly after a couple of days, still much better though. I'm thinking of repeating the process a couple of times, hoping it kills all the mold, mildew etc. Does anyone else have a foolproof plan/idea? I read somewhere using diluted bleach with water into the cowl/vent area to kill the mildew spores. And then repeatedly rinsing it out with a hose. Anyone try this or anything else??? I know I am not the only one with this problem. help a brother out!
Larry
PS- is there an AC air filter somewhere in the interior??? I checked by the gas pedal and found nothing. If there is one to be replaced for the 92 ES 300, where is it???

EGainer

alright man, i think you went about this the wrong way. first of all, those are not air intake vents on top of your dash, those are the winshield defrosters. there are intake vents under your seats and under the dash. all you need to do is change your air filter. not the one in the engine, that has nothing to do with this, but the air filter that is used to filter air for the AC. I need to do the same with mine. I'm pretty sure it's on the drivers side next to the accelerator.

oh sorry, i didnt read that you already checked by the accelerator. check around the underside of the dash, that would be the only places i know to check...

Daddy-O

These links are for a foaming product. Stick it up your drip tube to clean your evaporator. Stick the hose down your vents and slowly remove and it will clean/disinfect your vents.

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

Here's a spray product:
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/classic-...acheatsys.html

larryhot13

thanks for your input so far.
EGainer- I wasnt talking about the windshield defogger vents on the dashboard in the interior of the car. There are air intake vents outside the car, under the windshield/wipers/hood, usually were leaves collect. Clean them out, the leaves dirt etc, and then turn your fan on high- no AC- you will feel the air being drawn into the air vents outside, it sucks the Lysol spray right into it.

Paddy- thanks for the links, I think I'm gonna try that too. This week I'm gonna get a pail of water diluted with bleach and pour it into the cowl/air intake vents, with the fan on high, then hose it out and repeat it a couple of times. I heard the bleach will kill the mold/mildew spores. I'll see how that works and then maybe do the Lysol Mountain Fresh again.

any other ideas from posters will be greatly appreciated.

Larry

EGainer

oh sorry, i thought you meant on the inside of the car....

DrewGS4

I had the same problem. You need to replace the AC filter in your car. The moisture in the filter and the bacteria make for a really bad odor especially when you first turn on the AC/ or turn on the air. You will be surprised how dirty this can become. You can either do it yourself, but the part is dealer item and they will charge you about 100 bucks. You can buy the part from them for about 40 bucks and replace the filter yourself.

Good Luck

larryhot13

hey drew-where is the filter located on a 92 es300?
thanks-larry

jgrooms

Check out this link for a cheaper DIY replacement of the A/C filter.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...threadid=48941

- J