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[News Reeder]

Ford is telling me that mildew is collecting inside the air conditioner
unit, and when not used for long periods, gives off this odor. Any remedy?

[Sharon K.Cooke]

News Reeder wrote:

[Jeremiah Greer]

Here's the procedure ver batim from the Haynes manual for a Taurus, not
sure what kind of car you have but should be identical:

The evaporator core on most vehicles is hard to access, and dealership
service departments have a lenghtly procedure to eliminate the fungus
by opening the evaporator case and using a powerful disinfectant and
rinse on the core until the fungus is gone. You can service your own
system at home, but it takes something much stronger than basic
household germ-killers or deodorizers.

Aerosol disinfectants for automotive air conditioning systems are
available in most auto parts stores, but the most effective treatments
are also the most expensive. The basic procedure for using these
sprays is to start by running the system in the recirculation mode for
10 minutes with the blower on its highest speed. Use the highest heat
mode to dry out the system. Keep the compressor from engaging by
disconnecting the wiring connector at the compressor.

The disinfectant can usually comes with a long spray hose. Remove the
blower motor resistor, point the nozzle inside the hole and spray,
according to the manufacturers recommendations. Try to cover the whole
surface of the evaporator core by aiming the spray up, down and
sideways. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for the length of
spray and waiting time between applications.

After the evaporator core is cleaned, the best way to prevent the
mildew from returning is to make sure your evaporator housing drain
tube is clear.

Hope this helps!

[News Reeder]

this is an obvious problem with these cars?


"News Reeder" <nospamforme@spam.net> wrote in message
news:A62dnexQF7V4CQjenZ2dnUVZ_vudnZ2d@rogers.com...

[Jeremiah Greer]

It's a problem with air conditioning in general. The evaporator core
stays wet and has lots of little pockets making it a prime spot for
mold/mildew to grow. Some car makers have attempted to fix this by
having the blower cycle on and off a few times after you turn off the
car to dry the core out to prevent growth.

Probably not a bad idea to spray-clean it out at least once a year,
depending on how much you use the air conditioner.


News Reeder wrote:

[News Reeder]

I know I have run my AC in the winter when I had a 96 Windstar, it was
suggested I do it to keep the coolant circulated, maybe it was for the fishy
reason.
"Jeremiah Greer" <jgreer@trueocean.com> wrote in message
news:1134059552.990801.263940@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...

[Jeremiah Greer]

Don't know where you live at, but we are in South Florida and whenever
there is a red tide outbreak and you are anywhere near the beach
EVERYTHING seems to smell fishy. That smell seems to permeate
everything!