GR8TSCOT

iTrader: (1)

I have a nasty, foul odour emanating from my A/C when I turn it on. Smell subsides after a while, but my wife, who is very allergic / susceptible to smells, gets pretty violent about this. I asked the dealer about it; they said anything they did would only be a temprary solution (!?!?!). SInce no other car I've ever owned has had a foul smell like this (even my 13-year old Acura Legend), I'm at a loss.

Any suggestions as to how to eliminate (not cover) the odour?

Thanks!

Howard Katz
Toronto, Canada
'99 LS400 Black/Black

johnw

Try switching your air control to outside air rather the re-cycle mode and possibly replace your internal air filter, you can make one out of a heating filter you use for the house, just cut to shape.

rybikowsky

Check to see if the drip tube is leaking. It is supposed to put all of the water outside. If it is not doing that mold and spores could biuld up. Try spraying a lot of lysol spray into the air intake while air is on. If this makes the smell go away, you have water standing somewhere in the system. Good luck.

GR8TSCOT

iTrader: (1)

Where / how is the filter accessed?

johnw

Open the glove box, at the back is a section that will pop out, remove it. The filter is located there, if you buy it from Lexus it costs $50.00, just buy a house air filter and cut to fit.

GR8TSCOT

iTrader: (1)

... try $100 Canadian!

Thanks for the info.
Howard

Horta

GR8TSCOT

Do you regularly keep the AC in the Auto mode where its Recirculates and brings in Outside air when it sees fit. Or do you normaly keep it in the Recirculate inside Air only mode?

This will make a HUGE difference.

Also I use to have a 91 LS400. It always smell clean and fresh, NO AC odor. One day I decided to have the tiniting removed. Well part of that process intales wetting down the tinting with chemicals and letting it sit for a while. Several hours later when I picked up the car all the windows were closed and all the windows were steamy and fopggy on the inside. The car was a huge sauna. I open the windows and thought nothing of it cause the tiniting was removed and the car looked great.

Anyways I dodnt remember how long but either the next day or several days later every time I started the car and the AC kicked in I got this Nasty odor from the AC. I knew exactly what caused it, all the moisture in the car from the tint removal. By that point the moisture already got in and the Mold began to grow. Unitl the day I sold it I cold not get rid of the smell. As you said I could only cover it up and that did not work that great.

If you find a way of fixing this please let us know.

PS My 98 LS400 does not smell at all well Im not counting the wonderfull Lexus Leather smell. Thats not an Odor but a Fragrance.

GR8TSCOT

iTrader: (1)

First, I never let the system "auto" recirculate. I hate that. Most of the time, I go fresh, unless it's really hot outside. In any case, I always turn off the A/C 5 minutes before I finish driving, to let the A/C dry out.

Funny you should mention the tint removal... I had the same issue with my lexus. I had the dealer remove the tinting (that the previous owner had put on). I never saw the process, but I believed that it was a water-free process. Maybe not? I'll ask.

Let's see what happens when I replace the air filter...

Howard

Par72

I know what you mean gr8t, than smell is very annoying, smells like bad BO. You might try spraying something like Lysol into your vents to kill the mold. Make sure you pick a mold killer that has a smell that you can live with for a while though. You will have to spray it into the window defroster vents, front vents, including the low one that hits your crotch, the vents by your feet, the rear vents, and open the doors and spray into the side window vents. You may have to do it a few times to kill all of the mold. Good luck.