Cleaning out the HVAC
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,454
Likes: 6
From: Pittsburgh PA
Cleaning out the HVAC
Any way to get rid of odors in the HVAC box and ducts short of tearing it apart. Smells like the last person dumped a bottle of cologne in there. Actually, I found an empty bottle in the trunk. Really smells yucky when it first kicks on. I know they sell stuff to make it smell fresh but that's just more perfume.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,962
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From: Van Buren Arkansas
Wounded Warrior Escort '11
I'm not the hvac expert but you need to insure the udder is clear first before anything else. There are lots of products that will kill mold in there and then you can also pull things apart and scrub it out which involves getting the dash pad off, dash apart and so on. Someone in here just recently did this full cleaning so you might want to search for his thread on it.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
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From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
There are, and have been for several years, a number of products on the market made specifically for this purpose and they do NOT smell like perfume. The ones I've tried work well and only leave a fresh clean smell, or scent, afterwards. They work to kill the bacteria/mold that is the source of the bad odors anyways.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Boise ID
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,454
Likes: 6
From: Pittsburgh PA
Thanks guys.
I just remembered that I bought some AC parts from a place in AZ a while back. They offer these products.
http://www.ackits.com/merchant2/merc...=coretreatment
A few on their forum claim the $46 kit really works. I gather you drill a small hole to inject the cleaning solution. Worth a try I suppose.
I just remembered that I bought some AC parts from a place in AZ a while back. They offer these products.
http://www.ackits.com/merchant2/merc...=coretreatment
A few on their forum claim the $46 kit really works. I gather you drill a small hole to inject the cleaning solution. Worth a try I suppose.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
If you have debris in the air box and or in the windshiels cowl drains, AND someone dumped some sort of fragrence into the crap thats in the ducting and drain areas,,,,, your going to have to remove the crap to fully get rid of the smell...
Try this. Clean out ALL your udders in the COWL Drain areas:
The INTAKE AIR for the HVAC system comes from hole on the passengers side of this area:
Heres a picture of the drivers side drain udders with the fender removed.
You can reach them thru here:
Heres what came out of mine and I keep them clean!
On the passengers side theres ONE BIG TUBE. Just pop it out of the cowel and flush it with a garden hose on full stream:
The hose is LONG and pain to get back in so do not remove it!
You can also remove the HVAC fan and reach into the air box and make sure theres no mouse nest in there!
Once you get all the trash out, you can add bleach water and that will kill the mildew and mold in the windshield cowl drains.
BC
Try this. Clean out ALL your udders in the COWL Drain areas:
The INTAKE AIR for the HVAC system comes from hole on the passengers side of this area:
Heres a picture of the drivers side drain udders with the fender removed.
You can reach them thru here:
Heres what came out of mine and I keep them clean!
On the passengers side theres ONE BIG TUBE. Just pop it out of the cowel and flush it with a garden hose on full stream:
The hose is LONG and pain to get back in so do not remove it!
You can also remove the HVAC fan and reach into the air box and make sure theres no mouse nest in there!
Once you get all the trash out, you can add bleach water and that will kill the mildew and mold in the windshield cowl drains.
BC
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,454
Likes: 6
From: Pittsburgh PA
Thanks for the photos and write up Bill!! I will be taking the whole nose off so accessing those areas will be simple.
BTW, and of particular interest, I see it's mounted on a frame machine. I think I figured out how I can make a set of adapters for mine. I found them online but $650
My machine has dual clamshells on each stand for grabing the pinchwelds on unibody rocker panels. I figure some lengths of angle clamped on the stands with an achoring device welded on to fit in the frame anchor holes. I have it all worked out in my head. Given the gauge steel of the frame, I don't think it will take a lot of force to pull.
Oh, mine's the same color too.
BTW, and of particular interest, I see it's mounted on a frame machine. I think I figured out how I can make a set of adapters for mine. I found them online but $650
My machine has dual clamshells on each stand for grabing the pinchwelds on unibody rocker panels. I figure some lengths of angle clamped on the stands with an achoring device welded on to fit in the frame anchor holes. I have it all worked out in my head. Given the gauge steel of the frame, I don't think it will take a lot of force to pull. Oh, mine's the same color too.
