I'm new here and need to know if anyone has delt with stinky air thru the a/c, probably the evaporator into the cabin? My 04' forester stinks. Moldy or mildew or something?How do I fix this problem? HELP!!

hahaha thats pretty funny...uh our outback used to have a weird smell when the a/c first started for like 3 mins then it went away.

There are cabin filters that you can buy to put in the car, they go in the ac houseing under the glove box, in the forester i belive that it is a two piece cabin filter set, they aren't very expensive at all. Give it a try, might help.

This is real easy....and a comon problem. Once in the spring, once in the fall, you want to run a can of lysol through the HVAZ system. make sure all the windows are open in the car, and put it through all its settings,full heat full cold and even recirculate.. but do that last. You rpay it in directly at the air intake under the hood.

 

nipper

The cabin pollen/dust filter will NOT stop the smell.

On the legacy/Outback models it is very easy for a passenger to bump the rubber drain tube and disconnect it from the evaporator which is behind the glove box. Then all the condensation that should drip out from below the car on a hot humid day will not drip there but rather in your passenger side floor board. Hence mold and mildew! If your floor is damp, look towards the front of it below the dash and see if you see a disconnected rubber hose.

There is AC specific stuff you can buy. It's made by Interdynamics. It's called Auto Air Conditioner Cleaner & deoderizer.

 

Works much better then lysol.

Like Josh said, you need to kill the mold spores that are growing in the evap coil and ducts. Not only does it stink, but can make you or others ill (allergies, head cold, etc).

 

Some folks aren't affected by it.

 

Shutting off the A/C before you arrive at your destination to allow the evaporator and ductwork to warm up to ambient will lessen the spore growth (which occurs after you shut the vehicle down after A/C use).