‘My Corvette’s Cabin Smells when the A/C is Running. What Gives?’

‘Ooh, that smell. Can’t you smell that smell?’ That line isn’t just a famous Lynyrd Skynyrd lyric. It’s also a dilemma for one Corvette owner.

One of our Corvette Forum members is having a dilemma with his Corvette, and he’s hoping that you fellow ‘Vette owners can shed some light on the stinky situation. In a thread titled “Cabin Smells when A/C is Running,” Senior CF Member Kenny Hammond writes: “Not too sure what’s making it smell bad, but I pulled the plastic off the passenger side a/c blower and did not see a filter for the cabin. I have a leather air freshener on the mirror. Any ideas?”

“Might have mold, not sure,” adds Hammond about the unpleasant mystery odor. “Never smelt it before, but after a couple weeks sitting, it had a sour smell.”

Hammond’s thread inspired quite a few good suggestions about how to combat the smell, and the topic seemed to indicate that the mysterious funk has reared its musky scent in the vehicles of many other Corvette owners, too.

“Let us know if you figure it out,” writes Senior CF Member Riveroger. “I have a light version of the odor going on and I have the Arm & Hammer cabin filter.”

At least two Corvette Forum members put their faith in an all-American household product: Lysol.

‘Turn air on high with filter removed, spray a lot of Lysol into filter housing. This will kill the mold.’

CF Senior member SixAddict suggests: “AC Delco CF-139 cabin filter, turn air on high with filter removed, spray a lot of Lysol into filter housing. This will kill the mold. Moisture sits in there and turns rank.”

“Lysol works great,” agrees CF Senior Member Enventr.

Additional members chime in with more great ideas and suggestions regarding when and how to implement different solutions to eradicate mystery smells emanating from the air conditioner of your Chevy Corvette. Check out the full thread now so you’ll know what to do should you ever find yourself facing a funky dilemma like Corvette Forum Member Kenny Hammond.

Photos: Corvette Forum: ironheadvette; borntorun04/17 

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David Ciminelli

Los Angeles-based journalist David Ciminelli has covered everything from high-profile Lexus and Toyota reveals to reality TV show competitions focusing on custom automotive mods. He considers the "Droptops & Dirt" event in Malibu, “Luftgekühlt” and Sunset GT among his favorite automotive events to cover.

He has also interviewed artists like Megadeth and Jennifer Lopez, handled red carpet interviews at the MTV VMAs, and covered rock icons Rush getting a star on Hollywood Boulevard for media including The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Variety, Out Magazine, IN Los Angeles and more. His byline has also appeared in Billboard, Ad Week, Backstage and Art Voice.

Currently, David contributes to over a dozen automotive websites, including Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Club Lexus, Rennlist, Chevrolet Forum, Corvette Forum, Team Speed and Harley-Davidson Forums.