Team-BHP - Cleaning the Dusthouse

Quote:

Originally Posted by Optimus7 (Post 3055563)

My problem is, when I turn on the AC the smell is good, meaning there is no foul smell. But the issue is when I turn off the AC and use the fan only mode, then this foul smell comes (both is fresh air and recirculating mode).

Can something help me identifying where the issue might be?

Hi Optimus! First of all, sorry for quoting such an old post. I have the exact same problem as you have described. With A/C on, no smell. But on switching off AC with just with blower on, I get foul smell.
Were you able to identify and solve the problem? If so, how?
Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amazer2013 (Post 3334082)

...I have the exact same problem as you have described. With A/C on, no smell. But on switching off AC with just with blower on, I get foul smell.
Were you able to identify and solve the problem? If so, how?
Thanks.

I read this is because of bacterial formation after prolonged A/C usage and if you keep the heater on for 30-60 seconds once you park the car, this will be taken care of.

I have never done this, but looks like some of the members have had success with this method.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amazer2013 (Post 3334082)

Well my theory and observation goes like this:
When the AC is ON, the moisture is stuck on the AC coil in the form of water droplets. Since this coil is a moist place bacteria grows in it(bacteria is the smell!). When AC is switched off, the coil is no longer cold. So the water vapor and bacteria flow out through the vents along with the air.

AC coil surface, once corroded, will be easily holding moisture and so the bacteria will quickly grow. Even if you clean it thoroughly, the bacteria will return. In a nutshell, the smell is bound to return.

I tried AC foam spray and a few other things. The best I would suggest is home made spray of diluted Vinegar + boric powder. This is mainly because its easy and ultra cheap to make. I found it here :
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Natural-Disinfectant

Keep blower at MAX and windows open. Select the fresh Air mode spray this water based mix liberally in the intake near the front windshield/wiper. Also change the temperature knob and spray again(This is imortant as it will kill bacteria on the heaters path too). If you know where is the suction for the recirculation mode, you can select recirculation and spary the mix from there too. Basic idea is to cover all paths of airflow and kill maximum bacteria.

The smell of wierd vinegar will last for a day or two. After this you AC should be good for atleast for a month. Hope this helps!

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious (Post 3334116)

When the heater is switched on, what exactly happens in the evaporative coil assembly? IS the circuit reversed?

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Originally Posted by Optimus7 (Post 2766677)

I recently changed my AC compressor coil by FASS, would they have done the cleaning as mentioned in your post? Or is this a even more complicated procedure, which will be done only if the owner requests it?

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Originally Posted by ravigop (Post 2766748)

I assume you mean "AC Compressor" there is nothing named "Compressor Coil". Eitheir its just "AC compressor" or "Evaporator Coil". If you replaced just compressor then they would've done everything except dismantling the dash and taking the evaporator out & cleaning. The recovery, refill procedure & flushing would have happened.

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Originally Posted by Optimus7 (Post 2766809)

@ravigop: They dismantled the dash, what they replaced was a coil, so i think it should be the 'Evaporator coil' or 'Cooling coil'. It was like a rectangular mesh filter kind of thing, the size was 1 x 1 feet.
I was informed that in Fiesta this coil is bound to last only 2 years. Entire cost was about 8K.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ravigop (Post 2766830)

Yes thats true, its Evaporator coil or Cooling coil. I'm aware of the problem in old fiestas that will screw up the evaporator coil due to excess refrigerant pressure & vibrations in AC lines during engine start. This was a design issue which is ofcourse fixed in the newer generation fiestas.

In the recent service of my 7.5 year old Fiesta, I was charged Rs 1975 for 'Internal Panel Protection charges'. One of the complaints prior to service was a minor one related to the AC: the AC was working fine, and my only complaint was that the volume of air blowing with AC off and knob in position 1 seemed to be less than my Figo. Cooling with AC on was fine though.

Upon questioning the S.A. said that they'd got a guideline from Ford India to protect the evaporator under the dashboard with some kind of a mesh filter. It looks like there were many complaints related to Evaporator's going kaput on Fords in India.

The AC continues to work fine now, and the volume of air seems to have marginally increased, though not on par with my 2 year old Figo. I'd like to see how long the Evaporator lasts in the Fiesta.

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Originally Posted by vnabhi (Post 3537751)

Yes there is a known issue in Fiesta and Figo but that doesn't appear to be air volume related. The evaporator doesn't rest well in the panel of HVAC in figo and fiesta (classic) hence due to vibration it will damage and give up. But the problem relating to air volume output is related to leaks in HVAC air path way. The way HVAC works is it sucks in air (external or internal in car depends on settings) and blows out through evaporator over vents. Blower motor is used for this purpose. The hot air while passing evaporator transfers heat and gets converted to cold air. Now if there is a leak in the chamber then the volume of air output at vents will be less. It happened to me in my 2005 swift back in 2012. No mechanic was able to find the leak and fix it . They kept saying the vehicle has become old and thats why the air volume is less. I spent a complete weekend, managed to remove both front seats, strip the car off the dashboard, accessed HVAC, found the leak and fixed it by repackaging the HVAC air panel after buying new foam packing from Maruti ASS spares shop at JC road (near Urvasi Theatre). You need to take it to a good mechanic who has time and passion to do these kinds of job. It might cost you about 2k to fix this one.

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Originally Posted by Mortis (Post 3563663)

Is there an alternative available to the Gulf AC Neutralizer ? I am looking for a foam type or liquid cleanser and not the bomb type one.

I use the Gulf Neutralizer frequently on both my vehicles, find it good but difficult to find. Have bought it trice from ebay. once saw a product from abro

http://www.shopclues.com/new-abro-a-...Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

but again this is more expensive so did not buy it. has anyone tried it ?

Hello guys, sorry for reviving the thread again. I too have a stale smell while using AC and tried all kinds of air freshners(before seeing this thread :Frustrati) and the stale smell kind of reduced, but its still there. I tried following the links to the products mentioned in previous posts and none seems to be active. Can the following serve my purpose?

http://www.snapdeal.com/product/abro...m/237041#prdsc

Product description says

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1. Start Engine and turn A/C on.
2. Set to Cold, Set Fan to Max, and set to Re-circulate or Max A/C.
3. Shake Well & Activate Can
4. Leave Engine Running & Close Doors. Do Not Remain in Car. Leave car running for 10 minutes.
5. Turn car off, open windows/doors and ventilate for 10 minutes prior to vehicle entry.

Its not quite similar to the one listed in http://www.ebay.in/itm/141423747598?...84.m1439.l2649

The foam part that few have mentioned here is missing. Is this the way to go? Or do you guys have any other suggestions for the right one? In my place(TVM), car-detailing centers like 3M are not there.

Kindly advice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roymj88 (Post 3625302)

Hello guys, sorry for reviving the thread again. I too have a stale smell while using AC

Could possibly be mold on the evaporator core or a really dirty cabin air filter if there’s one. What car are we referring to here?

Turn on the blower, turn off recirculation mode (so the car draws air from the outside), increase the temperature to the highest setting and let the heated air flow through the vents for some time. See if this helps.

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Originally Posted by roymj88 (Post 3625302)

Hello guys, sorry for reviving the thread again. I too have a stale smell while using AC and tried all kinds of air freshners(before seeing this thread

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Originally Posted by Gannu_1 (Post 3629046)

Turn on the blower, turn off recirculation mode (so the car draws air from the outside),

As mentioned by Gannu, change your AC filter if your car has one.

I too had faced the same issue earlier in my Alto (no AC filter), to got rid of the same by following the steps mentioned by Gannu with a slight difference.

- Roll up all windows.
- Park the car in sun for a while so that interiors get hot.
- Start the engine.
- Turn the AC to maximum temperature, fan to max speed.
- Keep AC in circulation mode (this helps in getting the car temperature rise even faster)
- Wait outside the car, since it will be uncomfortable inside
- Keep the AC running this way for around 15~ 20 mins.

This helped me more than any deodorizer which I felt helps only till the fragrance lasts.