Car Smells!

[Trstno1]

Great Advice from everyone!

Also, is one able to get to the AC drain tube from below the car in order to snake it out? I found it from the bottom of the heater box to the fiberglass tub, but that looks like a bear to get off since there is no room to work. I tried to feel around in the passenger wheel well but could not find it. I think I might need to get the car up on blocks to get a good look under there.

I'll get to work and report back.

Thanks!

[WHO1DMC]

Great Advice from everyone!

Also, is one able to get to the AC drain tube from below the car in order to snake it out? I found it from the bottom of the heater box to the fiberglass tub, but that looks like a bear to get off since there is no room to work. I tried to feel around in the passenger wheel well but could not find it. I think I might need to get the car up on blocks to get a good look under there.

I'll get to work and report back.

Thanks!

Probably the best way would be a wet dry vacuum and suck it out.


Dave B.

[Trstno1]

OK!

So I took out the blower motor and heater resister. A ton of crap fell out! after getting a borescope in the I could see debris packed in a quarter way up the evaporator. I was able to get in there with a small tool and dislodge the majority of it. Then fashioned an attachment of sorts for my vacuum and sucked it all out. there was definitely decaying organic matter in the bottom there that was wet and mucky. Could be the source of my smell.....

Since I found so much in there, I would guess the drain is clogged as well. I found the other end of the drain hose in the passenger wheel well, but didn't see anything blocking it from that side. I would however like to get the heater box side off to check it but I'm not really sure how.

Do you just pry it down? I don't want to break the plastic on the heater box. And If I pry it down from the inside will I be able to pull the whole tube out from the tub?

[MrChocky]

If you only smell from the outside of your car and it truly smells like rotten garbage you may have a dead critter hiding somewhere under the car.

This did not happen to my Delorean but on another car I had years ago. It was a dead rat that crawled up by the radiator in the winter when I parked outside overnight and must have been sleeping when I started the car and the fan tossed it up on the engine block. It and smelled like rotting garbage. It took a while for me to finally find it.

A critter maybe your stinking problem???? Just a thought.

Double check in your jack stowage areas and doors. I just cleaned out mouse nests from both.

[DMC5180]

OK!

So I took out the blower motor and heater resister. A ton of crap fell out! after getting a borescope in the I could see debris packed in a quarter way up the evaporator. I was able to get in there with a small tool and dislodge the majority of it. Then fashioned an attachment of sorts for my vacuum and sucked it all out. there was definitely decaying organic matter in the bottom there that was wet and mucky. Could be the source of my smell.....

Since I found so much in there, I would guess the drain is clogged as well. I found the other end of the drain hose in the passenger wheel well, but didn't see anything blocking it from that side. I would however like to get the heater box side off to check it but I'm not really sure how.

Do you just pry it down? I don't want to break the plastic on the heater box. And If I pry it down from the inside will I be able to pull the whole tube out from the tub?

Removing the the heater/Evaporator housing is a HUGE job. I did it once and swore to never do it again.

I, like you, had a lot of organic debris on the blower side. Probably as much as you had. ( This is why all vehicles nowadays have cabin air filters. It stops the garage from getting to the evaporator) The back side in the box was remarkably clean. As long as you blow air through the drain tube, Bottom up, you should be fine.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I think you would need to cut a little bigger hole in the underbody to get that drain hose replaced. The OEM tube has got pretty hard with age but you may be able to cut it and get it off without cutting the underbody.

[Trstno1]

Removing the the heater/Evaporator housing is a HUGE job. I did it once and swore to never do it again.

I, like you, had a lot of organic debris on the blower side. Probably as much as you had. ( This is why all vehicles nowadays have cabin air filters. It stops the garage from getting to the evaporator) The back side in the box was remarkably clean. As long as you blow air through the drain tube, Bottom up, you should be fine.

I took your advise and blew air up the AC drain tube bottom up. Something happened, because it started to dribble water. Before I knew it I had quite a little stream of water on the garage floor. I’m hoping that what I was smelling was the AC water byproduct mixing with the organic material in the bottom of the heater box and beginning to break down. I was probably pretty close to having a wet passenger floor board. Hopefully now that things are moving maybe things will dry out a bit. I also sprayed quite a bit of Lysol into the air intake under the windshield. That has seemed to help with the odor. I’ll have to keep monitoring things. If it stays the same or gets worse I see a heater box removal in my future...

[DMC5180]

I took your advise and blew air up the AC drain tube bottom up. Something happened, because it started to dribble water. Before I knew it I had quite a little stream of water on the garage floor. I’m hoping that what I was smelling was the AC water byproduct mixing with the organic material in the bottom of the heater box and beginning to break down. I was probably pretty close to having a wet passenger floor board. Hopefully now that things are moving maybe things will dry out a bit. I also sprayed quite a bit of Lysol into the air intake under the windshield. That has seemed to help with the odor. I’ll have to keep monitoring things. If it stays the same or gets worse I see a heater box removal in my future...

I had the drain plug up on me four years ago while on vacation. My wife was complaining her feet were wet. I stopped a fellow D owners place and borrowed shop air to blow it out. One quick shot of air to dislodge the blockage and the water poured out. It seemed like a quart. I removed the passenger seat and floor carpet. I couldn’t believe how deep the water was. I sucked it out with shop vac. Then towel dried it. I also used vac to suck the water out of the carpet and foam. There is always a chance that the blockage could return but so far it been good.