grsams

As the weather has become somewhat warmer here in the South, I have noticed an awful mildew smell from the unit which at times has seemed extreme. I have since changed out the cabin filer. I have researched and tried Pur Air and put into the outside vents while running the air. I have tried alcohol spray in an effort to kill any fungus or bacteria that might be on the coils. I have even tried half a can of Lysol as stated by one source. The only thing that I have yet to do is check the drain line to see if it is plugged (however I am not sure where it is). I have no idea where the evaporator coil is and if it would even be possible for me to try to access it in order to clean it. If anyone has done something like this, could you please give some insight as to what you did to get rid of this awful smell. Thank you in advance.

ggebhardt

I had an odor in my 2011 LX AC and the dealer sprayed some type of liquid in mine and it never happened again. None of my LX units have had this. But it is early ac season in Jacksonville.

drich2905

A few years ago the wife's RX got an odor like that and it turned out that a mouse had carried some dog food into the air intake somewhere and it soured.

Nor sure if that helps but... Just in case

grsams

Thanks. I have no rodents around that I have ever seen, and no pets. I may end up driving over to the dealer and seeing if they can find the problem. I have tried about every suggestion and still the smell persist.

jjbenzo

Within a month after purchasing our Range Rover Sport, I noticed a mildew smell first thing upon turning the air on. The smell would go away after a minute. Turns out, the evaporator was to blame due to it not draining properly and allowing moisture to accumulate and sit stagnant when the car was sitting. Land Rover told me that the issue was across many brands (Lexus included) due to them all using the same supplier. After having the evaporator replaced, we have never had the problem come up again. May be something worth checking into at your dealer.

grsams

Yeah I took in in yesterday to get other work done and asked about the A/C unit and what could be done about the smell. At first, they guaranteed me that they could flush it and clean out all of the duct work which would rid me of the awful smell. After about an hour of work and hoisting it up to check the drain, the technician informed me that he would need to pull the entire dash off (~ 8 hour job by his account) just to get to the evaporator coil. He stated that it is housed directly behind the nav/stereo and right behind the transmission (basically it is not easily accessible). I am looking for more information as I feel that the technician may be a little off. I say this because when he first pulled into the bay, he tried to tell me that the A/C had gone out and that first I would need to get it recharged. I insisted that it was not on, but he disagreed. I then had to show him how to turn the A/C on. He didn't have much to say after that. Any additional info you guys have on this subject matter would be great. I have tried diluted bleach through the outside vents with the A/C on; numerous mildew ridding sprays, and I continue to leave the system on fresh air as opposed to recirculate all while making sure to turn the A/C off and allowing fresh air to dry the coil prior to my destination each time.

Max707

I would contact one of those places that do restoration after flooding. They have to be experts at ridding places of mold and mild dew.