got a question guys...lately when i turn on my car and turn on the air conditionin a few min later...the air coming out has been smelling like ***...i dont know what is wrong...but id rather not have this stench coming out...thanks

 

Carolinaboy,

Have you checked the AC filter under the glovebox?
-pull off the lower panel, unscrew the 2 or 4 wing nuts, pull down on the tabs to get the filters out, clean or replace, reinstall.

Cleaned out the intake area around the wipers?
-Vacuum the front area and then check for any build up in the canal area.

Lastly, check for black, oily stuff leaking from any fittings or the AC lines in the engine bay.

Hope that helps.

MW

 

hey does anyone know how much a new ac filter cost at the dealership?

 

ForNgoods,

About $45 for the factory AC air filter. It comes in two pieces and is tricky to install.

MW

 

If the odor you have reminds you of mold or mildew, sorta a dirty old gym socks smell, then have a look at:

http://www.airsept.com/eed.html

The A/C pollen filter was added to the Lexus series primarily to prevent airborne "food" from getting to the bacterial, microbial, spores that LOVE, live and thrive, in damp dark places predominantly above 55F but not too warm, such as the quite voluminous Lexus A/C evaporator.

 

(edmunds town hall highlander response)

Have a look at:

http://www.airsept.com/eed.html

There are two problems that are inherent to/with the conversion to the new less efficient refrigerant, in the southern states where summertime average overnight temperatures hover around 50 to 70F, bacterial, mold, spores thrive mightily on the damp and dark A/C evaporator vanes.

In any geographical area you chose the additional ability of the much more dense and complex (made so to overcome the loss of efficiency) evaporator core to retain a thin film of moisture for extended periods is resulting in numerous reports of sudden, spontaneous and unpredictable interior windshield fogging.

So if your windshield tends to fog over about 5 miles into a cool morning drive, blame it on the fact that you used the A/C yesterday. Or if it just suddenly quickly fogs for seemingly no good reason at all:

A. You turned off the A/C about XX minutes ago (indeterminate period depending on overall external and internal climatic conditions) and now that thin film of moisture is beginning to evaporate into the cabin's incoming airstream.

B. The A/C compressor was shut down completely automatically XX minutes ago due climatic conditions (OAT declined below 35F, etc.)and now that thin film.....

C. You used the partial or full defog/demist function XX minutes ago and unbeknownst to you (some T/L vehicles give no indication) that activated the A/C system for dehumidification purposes. The A/C compressor stops working as soon as you return the system to normal mode and that thin film of...<BR>
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The best solution I have found is to leave the windows and/or sunroof open in the garage at night, every night, so as that thin film of moisture evaporates from the 10,000 square inches of evaporator surface natural convection (hopefully) will carry it out of the passenger cabin.

Good luck.