Musty smell when A/C or heat turned on

[MiDnIgHtRuMbLeR]

Ok, so i have been informed that my '99 Caravan 3.0 is not equipped with a cabin filter. Can someone please advise if this is correct.

I am getting a musty smell coming through the vents when i turn the a/c on or when i turn my heater on. Smells awful and is driving me nuts. Just hoping this is not bad for my health as it is god awful.

Thanx

[DANVAN]

Try spraying "Lysol" thru the cowl vents while the blower is on, it will be sucked in and maybe deordorize the system a bit.

I dont know about the cabin filter on a 99, I know my 01 has one, but there differant vans.

[Jedi]

The musty smell could be mold, and I cannot find a reference for a cabin filter in your van so I am thinking the statement about it not being there is correct. You may want to call the parts department at your local dodge dealership to double check though.

[acton mike]

the problem is indeed mould
it gets its nourishment from the dirt that collects on the evaporator from what is brought in by the air flow

there are some commercially available products that are introduced into the ductwork and evaporator case through the air intake

some people have their own remedies; Lysol, chlorine bleach, etc etc

Try one of the commercially available products - ask at your favourite parts store - and follow the directions

[77Utiline]

There are also automotive air fresheners the you spray into the heating/ A/C system fresh air intake.

[MiDnIgHtRuMbLeR]

Corretc me if i am wrong, but spraying lysol or any other sort of deodorizer thorugh the vents is only going to be a short term fix. If there is indeed MOULD, mould is a health hazard and i have a 2 1/2 year old son that has cerebral palsy and we transport him everywhere with this van.

How do i actually find and dissinfect/kill the mould?

[DANVAN]

It may only be a short term fix, but u wont know until u try it.

I work in a car dealership, years ago, thats how we got rid of odors, Lysol, somtimes they did come back, sometimes not, all depends on how bad yours is.

The dealer I work at now, has a machine, that deordorizes the whole a/c-heat system, costs over $100.00 do do the service, but it really seems to work, we had nobody come back complaining that the smell is back.

[77Utiline]

MiDnIgHtRuMbLeR, where are you located? Do you have high humidity levels? There are some aerosols available at janitorial supply stores that will kill mold as well as disinfect and deodorize. I hope that this helps I'll try to find out the name of the brand that will work best for you and for your son's health safety. Happy Holidays

[MiDnIgHtRuMbLeR]

We are located in Whitby, Ontario CANADA.

The smell is not always present. Some days it is and some days it is not. There is not a high amount of humidity where we are located but enough i guess that could possibly make the smells more present on some days then others.

I have sprayed LYSOL through the cowl vents and up into the actual blower as well and it seems to have worked. Like stated, i think this is only a short term fix.

I am looking for something to actually kill any mould if it should be present as mould and health do not mix and i am looking out for my 2 1/2 year old son.

Thanx guys and merry x-mas to all.....

[DANVAN]

Check at a dealership that uses 'MOC' machines, see if they offer the ac-heater evap cleaner-deororizor system service

[RickMN]

This is a common problem with R-134 refrigerant systems prior to about 2004. To get the maximum cooling out of the evaporator (the coil inside the car) manufacturers tightened up the spacing of the fins on the coil. Capillary action kept the water trapped between the fins. Because it blows air past the coil, the water gets saturated with bacteria and the whole evaporator turns into a petri dish. Mfgrs fixed the design in later models. But there are only two fixes for older cars.

Before you try either of these, check to make sure the drain hose from the evaporator case is not plugged. Spiders love to build nests in those drain tubes. If they clog, you're basically building a swamp in the evaporator case.

1) Allow the blower fan to run for about 5 minutes after you've shut off the A/C. This helps evaporate the water.

2) Inject a bacteria killer. These products usually last about 1 year.

Do a search for a product called Airsept

Make sure you follow the directions to the letter. Good luck!

[MiDnIgHtRuMbLeR]

Where exactly is the evap drain line located in the carvans?

[DANVAN]

Midnightrumbler, email me your snailmail address and I will send u a copy of the brochure I have from my job, it will come in an Autofair envelope, I cant get Pm's from this site, my address is DANLVAN@VERIZON.NET.

[77Utiline]

The evap drain should be on the P/S almost directly down from your inlet / outlet tubes for the heat / A/C

[thumbdoctor]

Ask the A/C guy at the dealer about an "After Blow" module which can be connected in series with your A/C fan and allows the fan to run 5 minutes after you shut the vehicle off. This dries out the evaporator and stops microbal growth in the HVAC ductwork.