Cabin Filters, 30 year old smell...

[dmcerm]

So... we know our cars are 30 years old now, or almost, and when I turn on the A/C or heat it smells... like old car, like the air goes through some things that are old and have collected a lot of smells over the years.

Are there things like cabin filters or other A/C components that we can replace with NOS stuff to change this? I am generally OK with the smell given the age of the car, it comes with the territory, but I just thought I'd ask... new build D's or reconditioned ones I doubt smell like 30 year old cars...
I know there are things in the middle vents I can see open and close that are like foam things with a frame on them that open and close as I turn on the A/C and I can imagine those would hold some odors over the years...

Any suggestions, I'm sure will be helpful and maybe humorous! HA!
Thanks a lot!

Mark
16891

[Kenny_Z]

I sprinkle baking soda on the carpeting and let it sit for a few days (with no driving of course) and then vacuumed it up. That helped remove whatever odors were lingering. I don't like using air fresheners, partially because I never know what one I'm going to be allergic to next, and because they mask more than they eliminate.

[dmcerm]

Wow... good idea... I'll give that a try... is that enough or does that help with the smell of the air coming out of the air vents?
Thanks for a great tip!

[WelmoedJ]

If a mushy smell also comes from the air vents, it probably is debri from whatever fell into the A/C & heater housing.
Time to clean it up.
With a shop vac and a hose you may be able to partially clean the housing after removing the fan motor.

Otherwise it's time a a big job: remove console and houding and then open and clean the housing.
Not the kind of work I look forward to with joy.

[TYMCHSR]

If your system is left on recirculate when the car is shut off, all the moisture stays in the evap/heater box with out airing out , over time you can get a musty smell due to bacteria growth.

Usually if a musty smell is present, a general rule of thumb is, before turning the car off, turn the a/c off & put it on vent (fresh air) for a few minutes, when its back to ambient air, then turn the car off. This goes for all cars with a/c, it does help. They also sell a/c system deodorizer that can help get rid or reduce the smell.

[dmcerm]

Another nice tip, thanks... I assume those kits can be bought at a NAPA store or similar store?

[sdg3205]

Have you done the rodent hunt?

I've been working on my car for almost a year and STILL continue to come across new nests and carcasses in the car. No doubt they contribute to D-stank.

[dmcerm]

Awesome... "D-stank"... love it! HA!

[TTait]

Stink also comes from the carpet and padding.

For AC stink, there are foams that you can spray in that kill the stuff, but I have not tried them. Something like this: http://autodax.com/catalog/pdetail.php?prdid=40

[stevedmc]

I wish this guy was a Delorean mechanic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrVc_FXrbHY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgBQ5ILO_1M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYKN3bypcT0

[GS450-Junkie]

don't forget about those ozone generators folks....

[dmcerm]

don't forget about those ozone generators folks....

So, explain this to me... what are you referring to?

[sean]

So, explain this to me... what are you referring to?
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html
http://www.air-zone.com/autorestorations.html

[dmcerm]

Oh right... that kind... I thought he was referring to the spray being harmful to me and my occupants immediately in the car... but if it's just contributing to holes in the ozone layer, then game one, full speed ahead!

Thanks for the links, always good to be informed.

[dmcerm]

So from what I gather, now that I have all the screws out, there is no way to get the evaporate cover off with out taking the whole dash apart? Right? Oh boy, so close yet so far away...

[stevedmc]

So from what I gather, now that I have all the screws out, there is no way to get the evaporate cover off with out taking the whole dash apart? Right? Oh boy, so close yet so far away...

Take off the blower fan and vacuum the thing out with a shop vac. Or you could remove the resistor and follow Scotty Kilmer's instructions.

[dmcerm]

Right... sweeping next... ordering a can of Clean N' Coat also... do NAPA and other auto parts stores have a variant of this stuff that I could get with out having to order it?

[TYMCHSR]

Another nice tip, thanks... I assume those kits can be bought at a NAPA store or similar store?

I would think so, or even places online like Amazon should carry it.

[David T]

Bad smells can come from a lot of things. Pull the seats and shampoo the carpets. Pull up the carpet on the driver's side and see if there is any brake fluid. Pull the heater fan motor and clean out the inside of the evap box. Clean the cowl and the well under the cowl of leaves and whatever else is there. Pull the cover and clean the jack storage area. The old, crumbly foam in the evap box can also smell. The only cure is to pull out the box and open it up, a LOT of work. I never had much success with the sprays that claim to work for car A/C. Ozone won't help unless you eliminate the source first. Otherwise the smell will just keep coming back. Rodent piss is smelly and potentially harmful so it should be disinfected if you find evidence of nesting. Use basic bio hazard precautions, a dust mask and eye protection. Dampen with a spray bottle to prevent the dust from becoming airborne and bag it. Wipe down surfaces with diluted household bleach.
David Teitelbaum

[sdg3205]

Bad smells can come from a lot of things. Pull the seats and shampoo the carpets. Pull up the carpet on the driver's side and see if there is any brake fluid. Pull the heater fan motor and clean out the inside of the evap box. Clean the cowl and the well under the cowl of leaves and whatever else is there. Pull the cover and clean the jack storage area. The old, crumbly foam in the evap box can also smell. The only cure is to pull out the box and open it up, a LOT of work. I never had much success with the sprays that claim to work for car A/C. Ozone won't help unless you eliminate the source first. Otherwise the smell will just keep coming back. Rodent piss is smelly and potentially harmful so it should be disinfected if you find evidence of nesting. Use basic bio hazard precautions, a dust mask and eye protection. Dampen with a spray bottle to prevent the dust from becoming airborne and bag it. Wipe down surfaces with diluted household bleach.
David Teitelbaum

Dave, when you pull the dash, do you remove the speakers first or can they stay in place? (assuming you disconnect them first)

[AdmiralSenn]

So from what I gather, now that I have all the screws out, there is no way to get the evaporate cover off with out taking the whole dash apart? Right? Oh boy, so close yet so far away...

Well, not the WHOLE dash. Just the evaporator box, kneepads, and probably the center console too.

The dash itself is the only part that stays, if I remember right. It's not really that difficult of a job, just time-consuming.

[David T]

If they are the original speakers you will want to replace them anyway, the cones are shot. A good approach to working on any car is when you work on an area of the car you should try to do as much in that area as possible so you don't have to go back for a long time. Some of the things in the dash area include:
Replacing all of the bulbs
Checking and replacing any bad vacuum hose
Rebuilding the mode switch
Fixing up any previous wiring hacks and damage
Removing interior trim and giving it a thorough cleaning.
Replacing the steering bushing if necessary
David Teitelbaum

[Farrar]

I also hang a desiccant bag in the car to absorb moisture while it's parked.

Farrar

[Canon20DFan]

Maybe the car doesn't smell, it's us 30-year old drivers...:hihi2:

[dmcerm]

Well, as you can see from the pics, I had to make a slight mod to my sweeper to get up into the back of the evaporator to sweep out some debris. A sample of the debris I found back there is attached.
It really seems like a direct shot through the cowl and into the blower box and to the back of the evaporator, so I think it would be a good idea for all D owners to sweep back there... If oh remove the blower, simply sweeping it out wouldn't take long at all. This will no doubt help me solve my smelly D issue.

And it may be the drivers in some cases but with this smell, I know I don't smell like decaying leaves and road debris! At least no one ever told me I smell like that... I'll check with my wife...

Mark
16891

[dmcerm]

Got both my Clean n' Coat and Zeo Trap, just like the YouTube guy said... will be applying and putting everything back together tonight (after the 2 1/2 year old goes to bed)... hopefully all goes according to plan
I will keep you all posted on the progress and whether or not I'm satisfied with both items... as was stated earlier, D-stank is a pesky thing but with these new items and a good vacuuming out from behind the evaporator to get all that debris out of there... I should be on my way to reducing if not killing my D-stank... at least for a little while.

Thanks a lot for all your help and suggestions, I'll keep y'all posted.

Mark
16891

[dmcerm]

Oh... my wife and I couldn't figure this out (not related to this post)... how do I get an avatar pic added to my profile? It seemed easier on the old site, can one of you write out short directions to lead me through it... it's probably something simple I'm missing but either way... I can't get it.

Thanks, Mark

[TTait]

Oh... my wife and I couldn't figure this out (not related to this post)... how do I get an avatar pic added to my profile? It seemed easier on the old site, can one of you write out short directions to lead me through it... it's probably something simple I'm missing but either way... I can't get it.

Thanks, Mark

At the top of the screen, near the right side click settings

The on the left side about halfway down find edit avatar...

[dmcerm]

Yep, the difference of one click... I think before (I could be wrong) it was in my profile... Settings, I should have known. THANKS!

[stevedmc]

Got both my Clean n' Coat and Zeo Trap, just like the YouTube guy said... will be applying and putting everything back together tonight (after the 2 1/2 year old goes to bed)... hopefully all goes according to plan

How did the product work for you? I vacuumed out my evaporator with a shop vac a while ago but I don't think I am going to use any cleaning products in there. I've been thinking about using the absorbant bag he was talking about though.

[dmcerm]

Well the cleaner worked well. I would recommend it... But, as you are thinking, I'm not sure it is always necessary. I wanted to do it to mine to kind of get me back to square one. Then in a year, when the stuff supposedly will wear off... I will hope it continues to not smell... And I assume that is what will occur... My evaporator didn't get like that over night, so I should be good for a while.
Is there supposed to be (I don't think there is) another screen covering the air inlet outside, up under the cowl screen? It seems it would help if there was something else to help keep debris out.
And I sprayed some Lysol inside, on the things that open when you turn the A/C system on.
I think I managed to beat back the D-Stank! WOOOHOOO!

[dmcerm]

So here is another question... With the set up of wires underneath the blower, not the grey plug, but the bunch of individual connections, is there anything on there that I could have reconnected in the wrong place that would have caused the car to really heat up? My car never runs above the second white line but after I put everything back together and ran the heat for 20 mins, like the directions on the clearner said, my temp was almost to 220... Needle at a 90 degree angle. Could it just have been the idling? My fans were running as normal and everything appeared to be running normally, fans, A/C, blower fans etc. Or was it just the heat and from idling the whole time... Oh I hope I didn't wreck one thing while trying to fix/better another. Is there any correlation here? HELP!

[Bitsyncmaster]

So here is another question... With the set up of wires underneath the blower, not the grey plug, but the bunch of individual connections, is there anything on there that I could have reconnected in the wrong place that would have caused the car to really heat up? My car never runs above the second white line but after I put everything back together and ran the heat for 20 mins, like the directions on the clearner said, my temp was almost to 220... Needle at a 90 degree angle. Could it just have been the idling? My fans were running as normal and everything appeared to be running normally, fans, A/C, blower fans etc. Or was it just the heat and from idling the whole time... Oh I hope I didn't wreck one thing while trying to fix/better another. Is there any correlation here? HELP!

No. The blower operation has nothing to do with engine cooling.

[dmcerm]

Ok, so it must have just been from sitting in the garage and idling that whole time... Hopefully that's all it was. Thanks.

[stevedmc]

No. The blower operation has nothing to do with engine cooling.

This is slightly off topic but if you ever get in a pinch and your car starts to overheat you can use the blower motor to help cool your engine until you can get the car off the road. Just put your heat on full blast and put the fan on full speed.

[dmcerm]

This is slightly off topic but if you ever get in a pinch and your car starts to overheat you can use the blower motor to help cool your engine until you can get the car off the road. Just put your heat on full blast and put the fan on full speed.

Ok, no, you are exactly on topic... really. Here is what I had running on the car.
Engine runinng.
Heat on high.
Blower on High (to 'dry' the cleaner, as per its instructions).

And then after about 15-20 minutes of sitting in the garage idling to run these things to dry the clearner... the temp was that hot. Almost to 220, just a tick below it... it's never run that hot before and Im not sure if I have a new problem now or if it was just from sitting in the gargage with no other air flow... I have Hervery's fans and nothing else was running... so that's what's making me worry.
You were right on to suggest that, but that's what I was doing and it still got that hot.
Thanks!

[WelmoedJ]

You probably parked the car inside the garage front first.
That way there will be less fresh air to suck in.
This raises the temperature more quickly than having the rear in.
The rear in will "gas" you, but allow the fans to get fresher air from the outside.
Assuming the garage door is open in both cases.

[dmcerm]

Yep, it was/is front-in, so... given that I haven't had a problem with cooling before... and since I didn't do anything to the car that would have affected this part of the car, are you saying that I probably don't have anything to worry about?
Just get it back on the road and see what it does then? Great, at least a feel a bit better now.
Thanks, I'll keep everyone post when I comlete my windshield washer bottle fix and get my new cowl screen and hood bump stops in.
I hate/love waiting on parts to come.

Mark
16891

[WelmoedJ]

I did the front in thing after having worked on the fuel tank area and had to bleed the cooling system.
Took less time than the other way around :)
Also was a good test for the fans.

Give her a spin and see how she behaves.