danmm7

This is a 2005 GX470 with 125k miles. Well maintained, no issues, California car.

We've had this truck for 3+ years and this is the first time we're experiencing this issue.

2 days ago, i noticed that there is a strange moldy smell inside the cabin when i drove the car around town. Not too strong, but definitely noticeable. It was not the usual musty/humid smell that all cars have after you drive them with the AC on for awhile and then you turn it off. This usual smell is common in a lot of cars, i've had it in the Lexus too, and it usually goes away after 10 mins or so.

What i have in our car is a different smell. It smells like there is a piece of old moldy wood or moldy piece of cloth left under the seat for a long time. The smell does not go away. I am 95% sure it comes from the vents on the dashboard.

Today i checked the entire cabin and all floors for leftover food, wet clothes, stains, spills and i found nothing. The car is clean. Carpet appears dry and very clean for a 10yr old car. No strange stains. Nothing inside the car smells like mold, especially when it is not running.
When i start the engine, the smell creeps up. It appears to be coming from the vents.

I checked the cabin air filter. It is not brand new, about a year old, but it DOES NOT smell like mold at all. I ordered a new filter but i doubt this will fix the issue. The current filter is not wet or smelly. It's not the source.


What else should i check?

There must be an AC condenser drain hole somewhere under the car. Not sure if this is obstructed or not. Where is the AC drain located exactly? Any pointers will be helpful.

We've had typical fall weather the last few weeks. KInd of chilly and foggy in the mornings with some rain here and there. Haven't used the AC, but we do use the front window defogger/defroster every morning.

Anyone else here had similar issue with their GX? I did some Google searches and there are a number of posts claiming that Toyota/Lexus vehicles are famous for moldy/musty smells coming out of their AC systems and that this is a BIG problem...due to poor design. Mold grows inside the HVAC system.

Is this true?
Is the GX affected by this?

Any suggestions on how to tackle this are well appreciated.

Tonight i sprayed some Lysol in the intake vent, under the wipers, hoping that this may kill any living bacteria in the system. I read this on one of the forums. Not sure if it will help and for how long. There are also a ton of chemicals sold online claiming that they can eliminate AC odors, etc. Not sure if i want to experiment with unknown chemicals.

ALAN553

Mold is a fungus, Lysol supposedly kills bacteria and viruses, not sure it is anti fungal. There are "bombs" out there that you set off in the car and let it run with HAVC system running for 10 minutes on recirculate. Meguires makes one .

chiph9

Things to check:

A/C drain
Dead rodent in the blower motor
Sunroof drain
Rear A/C drain

Chip H.

danmm7

Any specifics on where the rear AC drain is located?
What about the front drain?


Thank you!

chiph9

The rear A/C drain is right under the unit. I'm not sure if you have to drop the muffler to see it (don't recall) but it's in that area. It's p/n 88539 in this diagram:

http://www.lexussouthatlantaparts.co...rimLevel=19100

The front drain has the same part number, amazingly.

http://www.lexussouthatlantaparts.co...rimLevel=19100

I don't know where the exit is for the front drain, but it should be near the firewall.

No idea where the sunroof drain is.

Chip H.

danmm7

I found the AC drain plug. It was clean. I ran a plastic tube through it, just to make sure, but it did not appear clogged at all.

I sprayed Lysol again in the intake vent under the windshield.
I also replaced the in-cabin air filter.
The last thing i did was, i ran the heated at "Max heat" for 10-15 mins, twice. I wanted to make sure that if there is any moisture in the system, it will dry off and if there is any mold growing in the air box, hopefully it will 'burn off'.

So, as a result, the moldy smell has decreased significantly. I am not sure if it's gone completely, but it is a lot less noticeable. I wish it was 100% gone.

I ordered one of those "air bombs" from Amazon. Not sure if it kills mold or just puts a nice smell in the car. I may give it a try.

Another thing that i found is some spray foam, that you spray on the AC evaporator, let it sit, and it's supposed to kill any mold. Here is a link:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/lb...w2OBoCQZ3w_wcB


The question is, how do i get to the AC evaporator in the GX??

One way is to insert the foam via the AC drain pipe.

Another option is to remove the cabin filter and spray the foam from there but the problem is that on the GX, i am not sure if i can get to the AC evaporator from the cabin filter opening. I cannot see it from that opening.

Is the evaporator past/behind the blower fan? Do i need to remove the blower to see the AC evaporator? Any other way to get to that part of the HVAC system? If there is mold growing, it's growing there. I just need to get to it and don't know how.

Any tips?

fastnoypi

Found this on another thread that is a similar product to that you found on Summit. Toyota has a 2 part treatment http://carspecmn.com/toyota-and-lexu...r-of-foul-air/

Here is a thread that shows the whole dash ripped out to get to the evap core https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...nage-pics.html

djspock303

Those little Meguires Air Cleaner Bombs work wonders and less than 10 bucks at the local walmart. New car scent and like tropical breeze.

Here is my case study. Picked up a 1993 GS300 that had 250k miles locally for 2k, its my daily driver for the last two years and i was confident with the car because i know the 2jz platform well. The only problem i had with the vehicle after detailing the interior and shampooing the carpets and cleaning the leather really well a couple times was the vents especially when running ac or heat just had that moldy and nicotine stench. People including my wife would not even ride with me. I used that meguires bomb per it's instructions (because it disinfects too) took care of all of that! I was really really pleased with that product. People don't mind ridding in there now, and it isnt funky smelling at all!

The Tropical Breeze was well Tropical for about 2 weeks of overbearing a couple months of tropical and now just normal smelling as you would want it. Next time ill probably go for new car scent.

Morphyne

Let me know what you find out. I have this issue in my 4runner.