A/c Smells For The First Min Or Two When I Turn I On . . .

[adam400]

A/C smells for the first min or two when I turn i on . . . Its smells kinda musty or like a wet load of clothes in the washer left for several days. Any help?

[imtheking]

A/C smells for the first min or two when I turn i on . . . Its smells kinda musty or like a wet load of clothes in the washer left for several days. Any help?

Mine does this to. But only when its been a long time since the AC was used. (like october-february...the winter time)

Now that its summer time you will use your AC more often and the smell with go away. Not exactly sure why its like this...dont know the technical reason why....but nothing to worry about unless this happens ALL the time.

Guess it has to "break in" since it hasnt been used in so long....i dunno

[1sikgs]

i'm not exactly sure what happens either, but the owners manual recommends running you a/c even in the winter months just to keep the system functioning properly

[slate67]

Hey I just happened a few years ago to hear an episode of Click and Clack, the car repair guys from Boston. The problem is condensation left in the vent system after running the AC. As the car's cabin warms up the tubing/ pipes/ vent stuff can perspire. As that sits, it gets a musty smell. They recommended 2 options.

1, before you turn your Ac off, run it on hot for a minute or 2 to clear the moisture (not an option for me in the suummer, which coincidentally is when I use the AC. and

2. there was some spray neutralizer stuff that repair shops could spray into your vents that was suposed to combat it if it was real bad.

I heard somewhere that you run your Ac in the winter periodically to do something beneficial, though never knew what it was. wonder if the smell is why?

Hope this helps. I just deal with the slight mildew smell until it goes away at the start of the AC season.

"A 10 year old lexux is more reliable than a brand new BMW. Cool. My car is about to turn 10. Screw the new Beemers out there.

[Texas_GS300]

This seems like a chronic Lexus desease. I found this info found on alldata today. Hope this will help.

A/C - Musty Odor

BULLETIN NUMBER:

AC001-97

DATE:

September 12, 1997

TITLE:

AIR CONDITIONING EVAPORATOR ODOR

MODELS:

'92-'96 ES 300, '93-'94 LS 400, All GS 300, SC 300/400, LX 450.

INTRODUCTION

A musty odor may be emitted from the air conditioning system of some vehicles which are usually operated in areas with high temperature and humidity. It is most noticeable when the air conditioner is first turned "ON" after the vehicle has been parked for several hours. The odor could result from one or more of the following conditions:

1. Blockage of the evaporator housing drain pipe, resulting in the build up of condensate.

2. Microbial growth in the evaporator; arising from dampness in the evaporator housing where the cooling air flow is dehumidified.

To address excessive air conditioning evaporator odor, check the evaporator housing drain pipe for blockage. If no problems are found, the evaporator and housing should be cleaned and disinfected using the general procedure given on page 2, and the model specific procedure on the pages indicated in the Table of Contents at the bottom of this page.

AFFECTED VEHICLES

- While this procedure may be used on any Lexus vehicle, this bulletin gives details specifically for the '92-'96 ES 300, all GS 300, '93-'94 LS 400, all SC 300/400 and the LX 450.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

CAUTION:

Wear Safety glasses, protective mask, and gloves while working with the freshener.

WARRANTY INFORMATION

[KerryJ]

You might want to check the cabin air filter. Dirt, leaves, bugs, ect. accumulate over time, if you don't change it regularly it will get stinky. They have been known to be neglected. Any thing you spray in the the intake vent, goes trough this filter, so that may only work for a few minutes. What year is your 400?

[Russ0054]

Any chance of getting the specifics (page 2) from that Alldata bulletin?