When I start my truck (2001 year model) I get a really funky smell coming out of the air vents. Honestly, since it's a 10yr old truck, it smells like 10 years accumulation of sweat, farts and dirt. It's gone pretty quick, but it's a really bad smell.

Am I missing a location where there might be an in-cab air filter? Or has the funk just permeated my air system? Any suggestions on killing the funk? I've tried those air vent clip on fresheners but they wear out pretty fast.

 

I don't know if you have a cabin filter, but I'd try spraying febreeze in the ac intake, in the passenger side floor board...

 

Maybe you have a dead smelly mouse in your vents...

 

Could also be mold & bacteria growing in the AC. I spray Lysol into the vent/AC intake under the windshield wipers every time I get that smell. The alcohol in the Lysol kills that nasty stuff.

 

We bought a Honda Civic for our daughter, that had been owned by a smoker. That nasty, smoked-in odor pervaded the car. All that nicotine and junk was in the vent system. I found a neutralizer spray at a truck stop, which neutralized all of those odors- worked well. If it isn't an antifreeze smell, then it is just dust, mold, etc. that is trapped in the system. Treat it periodically with something like Lysol, and it should stay away. And roll the window down when you fart.

 

Definitely not a mouse. I had a RAT die inside the frame of a 1980 Jeep CJ5 I had. It was over the "hump" past the front axle. Couldn't fish the corpse out. The thing was huge and smelled horrible. Had to move the Jeep out of the garage 'cause of the smell and treated it constantly with some commercial strength deodorizer until it dried out, mummy-style...




That's what I'm looking for. 'Preciate it much.


My carpet and seats don't stink. I have it detailed from time to time and Fabreeze on a regular basis on them. It's in the vents. I never really looked to see where the air was drawn in at.


Everybody loves their own brand.

 

There are products on the market specifically made to disinfect the A/C housing and get rid of the mildew smell. They work pretty good, but I haven't tried Lysol on one.

Incidentally, the cause of the smell is when the A/C is working, it causes moisture in the air to be attracted to the evaporator fins. After shutting the vehicle off, mildew grows on the moist surface. My way of preventing this is to shut off the A/C five minutes before I shut off the vehicle, then I just let the fan blow for those five minutes, causing the evaporator fins to warm up and dry off before I park it. This actually works really well.