Nasty, Vomit Smell From A/c

deboral · May 13, 2005

Hi:

I have a 2001 GS 300 and have had it since Sept. 2003. The 2nd day after we had it we took it back in because when we would drive it for 20 mins. on a warm day stop to go inside for a short time, come back out and turn on the car the most disgusting odor would blast out from the vent and would continue for about 5 minutes. My son describes it as death I say death or vomit. Well anyway we took it back and they flushed it with frigi fresh which isn't the best smelling, but better than the smell I had. Needless to say within a week it was back. We took it back and the told us that it was normal condensation, but they would check the filter. They replaced the filter and put more frigi fresh in it and sent us on our way. We don't drive the car very often and it came and went. At any rate I have had it in 7 times, and have been told that there was mouse urine in the system. I even drove over to the dealership while it smelled and grabed one of the customer service reps and he even said it smelled horrible, but they still can't fix it. The last 2 times they have had it for 2 to 3 weeks. They are trying to duplicate the smell and can not. They have replaced the filters, put in frigi fresh, replaced the evaporator, but nothing seems to help. I have it on fresh air all of the time. The service manager just called me and said that it was just how these cars are. This smell is so bad that I can't believe everyone just lives with it, it's not like just a blast of stinky air, it lasts for 3 to 5 minutes. I do not drive the car very much maybe 5000 miles a year and I live in a dry area, Colorado. HELP!!! Does anybody have any other ideas???? I have been reading other peoples problems and answers, but have yet to find any solution. I really love everything else about the car. THANKS jdmccurdy26@msn.com

SKperformance · May 13, 2005

Take it to a power washer ,turn the soapy water on and spray down into the interior air intake area.

It is located on the passanger side at the base of the window.

You basically have mould in their.

They are removing some but not all.

TOGWT · May 13, 2005

For odour from the air conditioning unit (1Z Klima-Cleaner) is an effective means for removing odour-causing bacteria, fungi and other germs. Spray into the interior A/C vents and allow product to work for 30 minutes.

It creates a healthier and fresh smelling environment for the interior of your car. This type of product kills the bacteria that causes the mold/smell

Tip- turn off the AC but leave the fan running for the last minute or two before turning off the ignition to help dry the condenser and surrounding area. Also check the cabin air filter, change as necessary

JonM

MingF · May 18, 2005

I had this same problem with my 02 ES300. I brought it to the dealer..and they replaced the cabin air filter..that was hidden behind the dashboard. They had to take apart the glove compartment in the dash as it was hidden behind it. They sprayed the air vents and cleaned the air ducts. The smell went away right after and smells nice...I has never caused me any troubles since. Taking the glove compartment off seems complicated and i thought it would take a long time for them ..but it was pretty quick. Apparently this is quite common for Lexus..as the service advisor told me.

bartkat · May 20, 2005

Most vent spraying, etc are "band-aids" and only temporary solutions. Usually the mold/mildew or whatever resides in the evaporator and really doesn't get totally flushed out. Get a can of DW2 evap core cleaner and run it through the system. If you dont feel comfortable with doing that, have a a/c tech do it for you. The stuff foams up, cleans the entire evap system and gets flushed out through the condensate drain. I used this stuff on mine over a year ago and no odors have returned. One thing to check before that is to make sure your condensate drain is clear . If you don't have a puddle of water on the floor after driving with a/c on, then it could be plugged or partially plugged. That would surely promote growth of mold/mildew in the evap system.

http://www.ackits.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=dwd2