AC SMELL HAS RETURNED

[trabo]

As others have said, this is not the cabin air filter, it is bacteria on the AC Coils (and potentially in the tubes). There are products to pump into the system but usually require drilling into the box and I never wanted to do that. The Tacoma is notorious for this and I always fought it.

Others are also correct in that recirculation is not your friend.

One thing I have done is run the heat. Max heat, recirc, and let it cook all that bacteria. It doesn't completely solve the issue long term but it definitely gets all that dank stanky air out of there and helps for a while. Yes, you will be uncomfortable and sit in a hot ass truck while you do this.

Also, don't ever turn off your truck with your AC on. Run normal fresh air through the system to flush out all the very cold air - I do this as I am a block or so away from my final destination. The AC coils suck water out of the system and pump in cold dry air. That cold water sits there and collects bacteria. Running fresh air will prevent a lot of that water from sitting there and collecting bacteria.

Good luck.

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[Calson]

Try the Febreze which is formulated to remove odors and then come back if that does not work. It is a cheap and easy to do fix so no point in wasting time posting until you have done so.

 

[Bandit Heeler]

Carpets are dry , it’s a 22 parked inside when not driven which daily . New cabin air filter less than a month ago. The system should work.. it’s rocket science and some kind of new technology… it’s complete crap on Ford’s part .

I had a 19 thad smelled and I found out that the AC/heater box drain tube was not long enough and it was dripping in the carpets. It was a common problem with trucks made in KC and not Detroit.

 

[Kshort62]

Today after driving into the store .. ( maybe 20 minutes) the truck sat for about 45 minutes… the smell/odor was so strong I had to roll the windows down … this is complete crap ! Dealer “can’t duplicate “ the problem.. my wife asked if it’s always this bad .. is now wondering if this is why my sinuses haven’t cleared up in months ? I am not doing some aftermarket fix as this should fall on the responsibility of the FORD MOTCO …

 

[powerboatr]

For us. Hot humid texas
Run ac in fresh air mode a few minutes before shutting off truck to let dry somewhat. Might have ramp up Temps a bit for a minute..

 

[trabo]

Today after driving into the store .. ( maybe 20 minutes) the truck sat for about 45 minutes… the smell/odor was so strong I had to roll the windows down … this is complete crap ! Dealer “can’t duplicate “ the problem.. my wife asked if it’s always this bad .. is now wondering if this is why my sinuses haven’t cleared up in months ? I am not doing some aftermarket fix as this should fall on the responsibility of the FORD MOTCO …

did you try any of the suggestions in this thread? You have bacteria in your system. Ford isn’t gonna clean out your tubes and AC coils.

 

[Kshort62]

did you try any of the suggestions in this thread? You have bacteria in your system. Ford isn’t gonna clean out your tubes and AC coils.

It’s because of Ford’s poor design it’s there .. so yes they should .. I have tried to some of them but I will not run stuff through my system..

 

[trabo]

It’s because of Ford’s poor design it’s there .. so yes they should .. I have tried to some of them but I will not run stuff through my system..

all cars do this. Good habits running AC and recirc and heat are the only way to keep it away, especially if you live somewhere humid.

At least run the heater on high for a while…

 

[trabo]

all cars do this. Good habits running AC and recirc and heat are the only way to keep it away, especially if you live somewhere humid.

At least run the heater on high for a while…

put it this way, we own the same truck. Mine doesnt smell.

 

[WalterMitty]

Today after driving into the store .. ( maybe 20 minutes) the truck sat for about 45 minutes… the smell/odor was so strong I had to roll the windows down … this is complete crap ! Dealer “can’t duplicate “ the problem.. my wife asked if it’s always this bad .. is now wondering if this is why my sinuses haven’t cleared up in months ? I am not doing some aftermarket fix as this should fall on the responsibility of the FORD MOTCO …

This makes me think that in addition to the AC issue, you might have a carpet issue as well. If the AC isn't running, and you came back to the truck that had all the windows all the way up, and the smell increased, I would say there's a good chance that you have some moisture in some fabric as well. But just a guess.

+1 on running the AC in fresh air mode before you shut it off. Many times if I have been using the AC on a drive, when I get close to the house, I will turn the AC off and then run on fresh air mode on the highest fan setting.

Another thing I do 100% of the time when I park in my garage, is I crack each rear window about an inch or two**. No mater the time of year. I've always thought it was better to let the interior "breathe" versus having it shut up tight all the time. This is especially true when you have tracked moisture into the truck...be it raining and tracking wet shoes and clothes in, or snow. I've always found this to be a good practice. Once in my old Tundra, I tracked a bunch of snow in, and it all melted into the drivers side floor mat. it was so cold the carpet could never dry out and started to smell....I mean is was wet for days and days due to the cold. I finally cleaned it and even brought it into the house to dry.

Same goes for washing a car. When I was growing up, buddies of mine detailed their car...rented a carpet cleaner and did a fantastic job of totally cleaning the interior. However, when they were all done, they parked the car outside....on a hot day....with still damp carpet and interior...with all the windows rolled up. They NEVER could get the mildew smell out of that car.


**I used to do the front two windows (like in all my other cars), but for some reason this causes issues with the Auto Up feature. How Ford could screw up super old technology (auto up) is beyond me...but it was happening weakly....where I would have to do the auto up reset. So I switched to using the back two windows and haven't had any issues.

 

[Kshort62]

Carpets are dry and have never been wet .. I have never had an issue like this in any vehicle I have owned no matter the age. And now this is the “new” normal.. this is crazy . We have had AC in cars for decades and now we have this issue and people are good with a work around instead of making it work properly…

 

[trabo]

All right bro I’m done with this one. I have known so many people, seen so many different brands of cars and types of cars that had the same issue. Sounds like you just want to bitch. My strategy for dealing with these AC systems has been developed from multiple experiences with multiple different vehicles.

 

[Kshort62]

All right bro I’m done with this one. I have known so many people, seen so many different brands of cars and types of cars that had the same issue. Sounds like you just want to bitch. My strategy for dealing with these AC systems has been developed from multiple experiences with multiple different vehicles.

I don’t want to or like to bitch , I just don’t believe it should be my problem to solve .. I appreciate your experience but again … it’s a manufacturer/build issue that should be addressed as such … I’m no expert nor do I claim to be one , I know enough to understand buyers shouldn’t have to repair new unmodified AC systems …

 

[blazef150]

Thinking about using this, it's for toyota I know. It goes up through the condensation drain. Toyota people have nothing but good things to say about it.

Link: Genuine Toyota Parts - Ac Refresher Kit (00289-ACRKT)
$43.50
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