strange odor from A/C - Page 2

You guys got this all wrong (sorta) though you are leaning in the right direction. 1st of all, the intake air cleaner that goes to the ENGINE has absolutely NOTHING TO DO WITH THE AIR INSIDE THE CABIN. Lets just get that straight right now. Everything that goes into the engine intake is used for combustion only so changing the engine air filter won't do you any good if your trying to get rid of the HVAC smell PERIOD. Secondly, the AC system is a completely sealed unit. The Freon inside of this sealed system also has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE STINK. There is no "Flushing out the freon" as far as trying to prevent HVAC stink.
For the air that enters the cabin- the fresh air intake (located around the wiper cowl) for the HVAC unit does have it's own seperate filter (HEPA). (Again- this is seperate from the Engine Air Filter) This filter CAN get pretty foul considering all of the stuff that can drop down in there and all of the dust and pollutants in the enviroment. When dirty, it CAN contribute to the foul smell coming through the air vents. All air blowing through the HVAC goes through this HEPA FILTER therefore, if you have a foul filter- the air passing through it will smell foul.
I say "contribute" because that is not the ONLY source of stink when it comes to the HVAC unit. If you replace the HEPA filter, yet you still have the "stink" problem. Your next problem lies in the AC Evaporator. The AC evaporator- which removes heat from the air that passes through it, develops moisture and condensation in the process. This is why you have that water dripping from underneath your vehicle when the AC is running for a long time ( some of you may notice). Not all of the moisture that developes around the evaporator will drip off. The AC evaporator fins is similar to those found on the vehicle radiator. It is located in the HVAC unit and ALL air blown out of the vents passes through it first with the AC on or off or regardless if its in "Fresh Air" mode or in "Recirc". ONce all of the moisture develope and collects in the fins of the evaporator- it becomes a haven and breeding ground for bacteria and mold. Eventually the bacteria and mold colony will pass on its stench to all the air that passes through it.
What is the fix? There are AC treatments AC shops, or the dealer can do. They basically heat the evaporator fins(using the hot air through the HVAC unit) then spray it with the bacteria treatment which will sorta "bake" onto the fins of the evaporator effectively killing whatever bacteria/mold that formed while preventing future growth. That will eliminate the Evaporators contribution to the stink problem. Leaving the fan running (with the AC off) after prolonged use of the AC system is simply to dry the evaportor coils BEFORE a bacteria colony can form. I'd recommend doing this after any prolonged AC usage even after having had the treatment performed. For a majority of you, you may need to have BOTH ITEMS taken care of to eliminate all stink from the HVAC unit. Some of you may need to do one or the other.

Good Luck!

Joel, CA
Diamond Star Technician

NOTE: Keep in mind that when the knob is set to either of the DEFROST positions, the AC is automatically switched on by default whether you like it or not. With that being said, keeping your vents in the defrost position with the fan on can also contribute to a build up of bacteria and mold in the HVAC unit.

Got mold?

finally a non biased response LOL

hmmm now to find an AC shop. my mitsu service department needs to get better at customer service or I need to find a beter mitsu service. what ever it is, I'll be doing some driving tomorrow

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finally a non biased response LOL

I do give VERY NON BIASED opinions- trust me, i'm here to help. I've worked for Mitsubishi from 1997 to 2005 and am a certified Diamond Star Technician. On top of that, i own 3 Mitsubishi products. I only chime into topics in which i have a definate answer (such as this), or a highly educated guess on that matter. There is a TSB regarding foul AC smell- if your still within the 3/36 basic warranty, you can have it done for free. Good luck!

Joel, CA

Now that's a good tip with the warranty.....

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ORIGINAL: Joel_CA

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finally a non biased response LOL

I do give VERY NON BIASED opinions- trust me, i'm here to help. I've worked for Mitsubishi from 1997 to 2005 and am a certified Diamond Star Technician. On top of that, i own 3 Mitsubishi products. I only chime into topics in which i have a definate answer (such as this), or a highly educated guess on that matter. There is a TSB regarding foul AC smell- if your still within the 3/36 basic warranty, you can have it done for free. Good luck!

Joel, CA

got a question...about the heater core, this thing have something to do w/engine air intake charge ?? i.e. some tuners will turn heater knobb all the way to "hot", assuming engine heat temp. will drop...how true is this?? even jap. tuners have done the same (circuit racing ) i, wanna knoe if this stuff is true.

yes, it does work like that, i dont think it could benefit hp but it does save your butt if your vehicle is overheating, it works in a sense that more water is being circulated through a larger system and it dissapates heat when it goes through the heater core. so yes it does cool the engine down a bit but dont know if it benefits HP

Right, by basically turning the HVAC to hot, you have essentiall 2 radiators cooling the engine (the main radiator, and the heater core inside the HVAC unit). This does not cool the air that is being drawn into the engine in any way, shape, or form.

Joel, CA

OT joel I sent you a PM about something.

wow....sucks in california, hot ...so hot....lolz

try being in NY right now! BOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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ORIGINAL: JMC

try being in NY right now! BOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

well....use your heater buddy!!!....lol

I do....it's just set at HOT AS HELL mode right now...with full seat warmes! Hahahahaha....
It's not so bad today...around 50...better than the 23 yesterday. I'm going to Cali tomorrow so it better be nice!!!!

lol...well its getting cold here a lil'. were @ 54 and 40's at night. and thats gonna stay for 2 wks. kool huh?? so tommorow, bring some cold weather jacket / pants. but dont bring any snow apparel k?....lol

lol that actually nice weather for us. I wear a t shirt in 50+ weather

Here is just something to check. Check out the inside of ur windows. Do they have a greasy film on them? Is so or if your floor bored is damp you cold have a problem with your heater core. Sorry they are a pain to change out. About eight hours.

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ORIGINAL: jenuine2381

Here is just something to check. Check out the inside of ur windows. Do they have a greasy film on them? Is so or if your floor bored is damp you cold have a problem with your heater core. Sorry they are a pain to change out. About eight hours.

what the hell in the world??? eight hours for what??

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ORIGINAL: wicked_outlander

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ORIGINAL: jenuine2381

Here is just something to check. Check out the inside of ur windows. Do they have a greasy film on them? Is so or if your floor bored is damp you cold have a problem with your heater core. Sorry they are a pain to change out. About eight hours.

what the hell in the world??? eight hours for what??

time attack its removal bro, and take pics

so far, never experienced such...glad aint me, hope will not...

WOW...just nuts.....8 HRS!