My air conditioner stinks ... again! Seems each summer when I start my 2003 Toyota Camry XLE, the air conditioner STINKS![:@] It's musty and smells like an old sponge.[:'(] It goes away after a few minutes but it's to the point where I won't let people ride with me becausethe smell isso embarrassing! I'm sure it's from condensation and mold that's trapped somewhere.

I just found this forum and am thankful I have a place to ask this question. What the heck is it and how do I get the dealer to fix it?[&:] I've brought it to the dealer for the last two summers and each time they do some sort of AC vent cleaning and change the filter. But that only lasts for a day. Now that summer is upon us here in the Washington DC area, the smell is back. I have an appointment to bring the car to the dealer on Thursday (three days from now), and I really want to get this problem resolved once and for all. Since I don't speak "automotive language", I'd appreciate anybody's wisdom on this issue.

I've tried spraying a can of Lysol disinfectantfrom the outside vent so the AC system will inhale it and clean out the moldy smell. But again, that fix only lasts for a day.

Thanks for your help,
JustMe

 

try to never run your a/c on recirculate mode, and to turn off the a/c (keep fan on) for about a minute till you leave the vehicle.
does the vehicle drip a/c water when stopped? if it doesnt you could have more problems than that.
what you expereince is typical of just about every vehicle out on the market.

A good rule of thumb is never to use the recirculate mode unless you have to, and never park the car in recirculate mode.

i've also done the lysol crap but just keeping it on fresh does the trick.

 

Are you still under warranty?

The water drain in the evaporator (unit inside car under dash that cools air) may be partly blocked so that all thewater may not drain out. That leaves a constant supply of old stagnet water to grow mold andbad bacteria. I would have the dealer remove the evaporator from the casing and completely flush the casing with bleach solution. He can also then disinfect the evaporator itself. This will not be cheapunless they can remove the evaporator casing without disconnecting the A/C lines from the evaporator. Another alternative may be to insert a spray nozzel inside the evap.casing through the drain hose and flush the unit from the outside with a disinfectant. This will be cheaper but I don't know if you can find someone to do this. Maybe an auto A/C shop.Make sure the drain hose is not kinkedor blocked. Maybe something as simple as a wasp building amud nest inside the drain hose, who knows.