Cleaning smelly AC...
Cleaning smelly AC...
So my GS has the moldy/mildew smell since 4K miles during the first Summer months.
Dealer said not covered under warranty. Try new filter for $110. :/
i tried the Lysol, water/alcohol mix, and new carbon ac filter... All didn't work... in fact, the water/alcohol made it worse.
I purchased Kool-it from Amazon for $12 shipped. I don't have a lift so I just fed the long tube through the fin of the In cabin filter blower... not sure what it's called. The can runs out in 2 mins, and then you wait for 20 minutes.
I'm typing this as the product is cleaning.. I can see liquid coming out the drain hole on the bottom of the car... the I dabbed it with a paper towel and its brown... I'll post back the result.
My smell was pretty bad... Probably the worse than any other car.. I actually started to get worried about my health.
Dealer said not covered under warranty. Try new filter for $110. :/
i tried the Lysol, water/alcohol mix, and new carbon ac filter... All didn't work... in fact, the water/alcohol made it worse.
I purchased Kool-it from Amazon for $12 shipped. I don't have a lift so I just fed the long tube through the fin of the In cabin filter blower... not sure what it's called. The can runs out in 2 mins, and then you wait for 20 minutes.
I'm typing this as the product is cleaning.. I can see liquid coming out the drain hole on the bottom of the car... the I dabbed it with a paper towel and its brown... I'll post back the result.
My smell was pretty bad... Probably the worse than any other car.. I actually started to get worried about my health.
had the exact same issue and used kool it from amazon as well. i used two cans of it until the "drainage" was no longer brown. it really resolved the issue. will continue to use two cans every year or when the ac smell comes back.
Damnit... didn't work... smell is back the very next day
I think I'll go buy a cheaper one from HD. I felt kool it didn't have enough product inside...
if it fails... Toyota dealer is next
I think I'll go buy a cheaper one from HD. I felt kool it didn't have enough product inside...
if it fails... Toyota dealer is next
Lexus Champion
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 13,614
Likes: 2,918
From: Texas
So my GS has the moldy/mildew smell since 4K miles during the first Summer months.
Dealer said not covered under warranty. Try new filter for $110. :/
i tried the Lysol, water/alcohol mix, and new carbon ac filter... All didn't work... in fact, the water/alcohol made it worse.
I purchased Kool-it from Amazon for $12 shipped. I don't have a lift so I just fed the long tube through the fin of the In cabin filter blower... not sure what it's called. The can runs out in 2 mins, and then you wait for 20 minutes.
I'm typing this as the product is cleaning.. I can see liquid coming out the drain hole on the bottom of the car... the I dabbed it with a paper towel and its brown... I'll post back the result.
My smell was pretty bad... Probably the worse than any other car.. I actually started to get worried about my health.
Dealer said not covered under warranty. Try new filter for $110. :/
i tried the Lysol, water/alcohol mix, and new carbon ac filter... All didn't work... in fact, the water/alcohol made it worse.
I purchased Kool-it from Amazon for $12 shipped. I don't have a lift so I just fed the long tube through the fin of the In cabin filter blower... not sure what it's called. The can runs out in 2 mins, and then you wait for 20 minutes.
I'm typing this as the product is cleaning.. I can see liquid coming out the drain hole on the bottom of the car... the I dabbed it with a paper towel and its brown... I'll post back the result.
My smell was pretty bad... Probably the worse than any other car.. I actually started to get worried about my health.
Also, make sure the cabin air filter is clean and free-flowing. If you park outside it is common for insects and rodents to build nests in the vehicle's air intake passages for both engine and A/C system.
If you are one of these people that prefer to manually control the A/C compressor operation, or to always leave the system in 're-circulation' mode, you really should change your habit. You should always leave the A/C in the 'AUTO' mode and allow the car's highly advanced system to control the compressor operation as well as the re-circulation feature.
I did try the outside air intake methods satiated in OP. It failed so I went to the next harder step. I'm the guy that does re-circ air 90% of the time. I would change my "habit" but need to get to "square one" first. 
Car is parked in a parking garage all day except at nights. AC filter has been replaced w charcoal one.
Never had a Lexus or any other car do this... except one, it was a Honda which Lysol worked on.
I think I have truffles in my evaporator at this point... it's pretty bad...
Car is parked in a parking garage all day except at nights. AC filter has been replaced w charcoal one.
Never had a Lexus or any other car do this... except one, it was a Honda which Lysol worked on.
I think I have truffles in my evaporator at this point... it's pretty bad...
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Lexus Champion
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 13,614
Likes: 2,918
From: Texas
Yes, during warm weather conditions if the cabin is hot when you start the car the A/C will run at maximum fan speed until it can cool the cabin down and then the fan speed will automatically drop. Why wouldn't you want it to operate that way?
Set the temperature to a higher setting. If my wife uses my car, she either does everything manually or sets the temp to 68 degrees. It runs at a high fan speed forever.
I usually have it set to 74. When I start the car the fan comes on very high (after the initial fan delay), but gradually slows down as the car cools off.
Another thing to check is the dual climate settings. Even if my/Driver side is set to 74 I will sometimes notice that the fan hasn't slowed down even after the car's interior becomes noticeably cooler. Sure enough, I'll look at the passenger setting and it will be set to 68. I don't always notice it because I use a mobile phone mount in the CD slot. So my phone will block the passenger temp setting.
I usually have it set to 74. When I start the car the fan comes on very high (after the initial fan delay), but gradually slows down as the car cools off.
Another thing to check is the dual climate settings. Even if my/Driver side is set to 74 I will sometimes notice that the fan hasn't slowed down even after the car's interior becomes noticeably cooler. Sure enough, I'll look at the passenger setting and it will be set to 68. I don't always notice it because I use a mobile phone mount in the CD slot. So my phone will block the passenger temp setting.
Rookie
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 71
Likes: 12
From: ca
I have to wonder if part of the "smell" problem isn't the result of the a/c probably being on 100% of the time (and moisture never draining out). Since this car has no convenient switch (like most other cars) to easily turn off the a/c compressor while still allowing fresh outside air thru the vents, most people probably leave ac on all the time if they want some air flow into the car. If you want fresh outside un-air conditioned air coming thru the vents, you have to go thru one or two menu's (depending on year of the GS) to merely switch the ac compressor out of the loop. Some people may not even know about this, so they merely leave the ac on all the time. . .
Lexus Champion
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 13,614
Likes: 2,918
From: Texas
I have to wonder if part of the "smell" problem isn't the result of the a/c probably being on 100% of the time (and moisture never draining out). Since this car has no convenient switch (like most other cars) to easily turn off the a/c compressor while still allowing fresh outside air thru the vents, most people probably leave ac on all the time if they want some air flow into the car. If you want fresh outside un-air conditioned air coming thru the vents, you have to go thru one or two menu's (depending on year of the GS) to merely switch the ac compressor out of the loop. Some people may not even know about this, so they merely leave the ac on all the time. . .
Rookie
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 71
Likes: 12
From: ca
The A/C system is designed to be fully automatic...with the only input needed from the occupants is a temperature setting that makes them comfortable. If that means the A/C [compressor] runs all the time, every time the car is operating - that is not a problem whatsoever.
But the point of the thread was to get rid of the smell. One of the solutions often mentioned is to turn off the ac compressor and let it drain moisture out just before parking your car. I was merely pointing out that turning the compressor off is a little more inconvenient on the GS.