slimjimtel

When you're 3-5 minutes from home, switch to the fresh air setting, this will really help dry the vents from the resirculation mode.

UniSlayEX

How did it end up working out for you? I figured the freshner from Sewell would have done the trick. guess there are always other options than throwing money at your problems... lol

nosurprise

iTrader: (1)

So I reduce the sensitivity of the smog sensor, and the car seems to automatically go to fresh air more often, and the smell seems to be gone ... let me know if this is just a coincidence and I need to increase the sensitivity ...

Isn't the condensing unit the thing with the funky wires normally under the hood? My car is still under warranty for a few months, but my dash is pretty much rattle free. I don't want them to take it out and then it would rattle like some people reported here :/

is150

iTrader: (10)

I have tried every single method that has been suggested in this thread, even had my ac condensor replaced per the tsb. Even after the TSB the smell returned and the only thing that I have found to work 100% is a air conditioner deoderizer. Here is the specific one I use http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...0440&ppt=C0090 I am sure that your local auto store sells something similar and I followed the directions on the can. I used one can in the begining of the summer last year, and still no mold smell has returned.

Noeh

iTrader: (3)

So do you just spray it on the vent below the windshield?

KINETICS

^^^ thanks! I will pick one up tomorrow

jason36

I have the same problem and my car's only two months old. I've been reading the previous comments and it seems to me that their cars are a couple years old while mine is brand new and I'm getting this smell. It kind of worries me. Should I do the steps above and just put it in fresh air mode before I reach my destination or should I call my dealer and explain to them this problem?

Thanks!

My0gr81

The Toyota kit comes with a foaming evaporator cleaner and a ventilation spray. The ventilation spray is used just like any other air freshnener, in fact, Lysol through the ventilation system would work just as well, if not better. The evaporator foam gets sprayed in the evap core through the drain tube. Let it sit for a while, and then run the AC as normal and the cleaner will drain with the condensate. Off course this assumes the drain hole is clear, since if it is plugged, it is a different issue covered under a TSB.

chikoo

The real problem is that the AC is too powerful for the car. Which means it cools real fast. But the drawback is that it is no longer working efficiently and removing the moisture. One way to beat it is to bring the temp real down, say 68F. That will make it work more and extract the moisture out all the time.

jason36

Does this go for the newer models too?

Bichon

Not true. The IS has a variable displacement compressor that utilizes a swash plate to dynamically alter the stroke of the piston, and in turn the heat removal capacity of the system.

Haven't you noticed that the compressor in the IS doesn't cycle on and off like those in older cars did?

That's because the HVAC controller can change the pumping capacity of the compressor from 100% to near zero in order to meet the cooling load. It can also temporarily reduce capacity during hard acceleration to reduce the parasitic load on the engine.

chikoo

I never noticed that because in my earlier car I could not notice it either.

Anyways, it is good to know this. That said, there is definitely an issue in drawing out the moisture, making the air smell musty.

If the air conditioner is too big, it will cool the space without running long enough to take the moisture out of the car. If we want it to run longer to dehumidify, we have to turn down the thermostat, making the car colder than we want.

Try out the suggestion of lowering the temp way down and see if the musty smell goes away or not.

nosurprise

iTrader: (1)

I'm not sure I would call freezing my *** off beating it though :p Anyways, my car smell is gone after I changed the setting; I also did the spray thing just in case.

Bichon

I frequently vacation with this car in coastal South Carolina, where the summer humidity is crazy high. Even on the steamiest days, the A/C wrings out the moisture in a matter of minutes. In fact, I've never had a car that dehumidifies as well as my IS350.

The musty smell is not because the A/C is not removing enough water from the air. The smell is because of mildew and fungus growing right on the evaporator coil.

Sorry, but that is simply not true. As I said before, the A/C in the IS does not cycle on and off. Instead, as the set point is neared, the blower speed is reduced, while at the same time the output of the compressor (and in turn the heat removal capacity) is reduced enough to keep the evaporator coil ice cold (for maximum dehumidification), but warm enough to prevent it from freezing up.

With the fan speed and compressor output reduced, it works just like a smaller unit. You get to have your cake and eat it too.

What you say is totally on-point when sizing an A/C unit for your home or office, a well insulated space being cooled by a unit with a fixed capacity compressor -- but not to your car, which has a variable speed blower, and variable output compressor, and a practically insatiable heat load owing to the fact that it is an uninsulated metal and glass enclosed space.

SCWB

So, what is the conclusion/solution to this issue?

For me, I always turn the A/C off 3-5 minutes before I reach home and turn up the fan to blow the moisture out of evaporator as much as possible. This works for my case. I no longer get nasty smell from the vent when I turn on the A/C system in the morning.