# AC Smell Help!



## allski1 (Mar 15, 2010)

Whenever I turn on my air conditioning, it smells horrible. If I just put the fan on its fine, but as soon as the AC kicks over it smells like rotten eggs, sewage, or a dead animal smell coming through the vents. I turn it back off and in a second or two it goes away and back to smelling fine. Any ideas? I have a feeling its going to be really expensive if I bring it to a shop and I think they may tell me I need to replace my AC compressor or something. Thanks for the help!


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## vw93to85 (May 10, 2007)

*Re: AC Smell Help! (allski1)*

How many miles are on it. I change my cabin filter every 20k or so. Otherwise it'll start to smell like feet/white chadder popcorn/eggs.


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## pennsydubbin (Mar 3, 2010)

*Re: AC Smell Help! (allski1)*

you gotta change your filter. i had the same thing, would start up the AC and for the first 20-30 seconds it would smell horrible.


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## JettaMk5 (Aug 11, 2008)

*FV-QR*

DIY here:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3302867


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## elf911 (Jul 27, 2007)

Change the filter and your fresh air intake for your AC system. It is located under the plastic on the passenger side of your car. Its under the hood covered by plastic held in place by the rubber. When I cleaned out mine is was filled with half rotten leaves and twigs, make sure you wear gloves lol


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## allski1 (Mar 15, 2010)

Thanks everyone! I'll give it a try this weekend.


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## dmxsoulja3 (Nov 10, 2008)

change your cabin filter...get a can of Lysol that you like the smell of, take top off of lysol, put on a spray tip from something in the garage that has one of those little red tubes like WD40 comes with...lift hood, passenger side on the firewall pull up on the cowl under the wiper, you will see where fresh air enters the car....now turn the car on, turn the fan motor to full and point the vents up.. go outside, take lysol point the red tube into the fresh air vent and spray till your heart is content...when your done shut it all off, and spray liberally into the vents inside and let it sit for ATLEAST 30 mins so it can dry, if you turn the air on your gonna spit it everywhere.. After this...it should smell great. You just cleaned all the mold and dust and such out of your air tract..which is what was causing that foul smell to begin with.


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## brian81 (Apr 19, 2007)

*Re: AC Smell Help! (allski1)*


_Quote, originally posted by *allski1* »_...as soon as the AC kicks over it smells like rotten eggs, sewage, or a dead animal smell coming through the vents.

If it's this bad changing the filter or Lysol is just a band-aid. 
In the '90s Ford realized that the design of some of its ac ducting promoted mold growth. Instead of replacing millions of duct systems, they developed an industrial-strength deodorizer to clean them. My employer at the time had Ford company cars, and mine had the problem...bad. If the ac was turned on, you'd puke if you didn't leave the car _right now_. An hour at the dealer cured it.
Go to any Ford/L-M dealer and get a can of "Ford A/C Deodorizer", p/n F6AZ-19G210-AA. Here's the TSB on how to use it:
http://www.tccoa.com/articles/...7.pdf 
I've never disconnected any switches as described in the TSB; a Ford tech told me that step is particular to old Fords. Just spray half of the can into the air entry in front of the windshield and the rest into the interior intake for the recirculating mode with the filter removed.
This is serious stuff so don't breathe it.


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## redrabbit07 (Jul 3, 2007)

I had the same problem last spring. Ithink the problem was some mold build up through the winter months. The way I got rid of it was about a 40 minute interstate drive with the ac on high and the windows down. After that it was all gone never had a problem since.


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## ChelsDS (Jan 28, 2010)

There was a TSB for this for our cars so I would take it in to a stealership and have them fix it. Mine had the same smell and after getting it back from them there was no problem.


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## crxtrixxx (May 4, 2007)

Cabin air filter FTW X2


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## KILLER KUMKWAT (Apr 29, 2009)

*Re: AC Smell Help! (allski1)*

take it to the dealer they should fix it for free. theres a service bulletin for it on alldata


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## camjr (Nov 20, 2005)

*Re: AC Smell Help! (KILLER KUMKWAT)*

Changed mine today as part of my self-administered 60k service. Change it religiously every 20k. I'm always amazed at the crap stuck in it.


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## jawnz (Feb 19, 2010)

*Re: AC Smell Help! (camjr)*

ehhh.. dirty filter smells like vinegar and old socks..

dead animals..fish smells more like freon or antifreeze leaking in to your air system. both freon and antifreeze smell bad.


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## phrog23 (May 12, 2007)

*Re: AC Smell Help! (jawnz)*

lol i did the cabin air filter, and i also threw in a dryer sheet and now my car smells like fresh dried laundry... HAHA!!!!
seriously though it smells really good.. and i only gotta change the sheet about once every other week.....


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## elf911 (Jul 27, 2007)

Just checked my fresh air intake for the ac/heat again this weekend and had more poop built up in it. Like Brian81 said its just a band-aid to just change the filter all the junk sitting before the mess rotting away is taking any smell and or mold with it to your cabin filter and then if it passes into your nose/mouth. Just check it out and make sure its not all gross like mine has been every 6-8 months


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## phx08 (Oct 10, 2005)

*Re: (elf911)*

have the same problem, but mine hasn't been changed ever since I got my car 2 1/2 years ago!!


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