JL 2019 AC Smells

[OffDutyPRU]

Hello, after 20,000 km my AC smells for the first 5-15 seconds when I turn the car on. Thought it was the cabin air filter so I changed that and it still smells. I tried the Lysol trick twice and it still smells after a few days. Please help. I had bad warranty problems with the dealership so I don’t want to go to them again…

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[mwilk012]

Do you live somewhere with very high humidity? Does it smell like mold? It’s likely growing on the evaporator. Search for a good evaporator cleaner.

 

[OffDutyPRU]

Do you live somewhere with very high humidity? Does it smell like mold? It’s likely growing on the evaporator. Search for a good evaporator cleaner.

In Toronto it’s been humid this summer. How do I apply the evaporator cleaner?

 

[davewald]

I use this. Works great.
Armor All Car Air Freshener and... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B57GTBG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[OffDutyPRU]

I use this. Works great.
Armor All Car Air Freshener and... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B57GTBG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

The smell comes directly from the vents when I turn on the car. After 5-15 seconds it’s gone though. Will this eliminate it or just hide it?

 

[mwilk012]

The smell comes directly from the vents when I turn on the car. After 5-15 seconds it’s gone though. Will this eliminate it or just hide it?

It will hide it. If you aren’t comfortable removing pieces of your dash, just take it in to a shop and tell them the problem. It’s common.

 

[Rhinebeck01]

The smell comes directly from the vents when I turn on the car. After 5-15 seconds it’s gone though. Will this eliminate it or just hide it?

@OffDutyPRU

Especially, In Florida and other locales that the Wrangler will see warm, very moist weather.....

A good habit to get into in the Summer months is to... when you are in your Wrangler, with the windows open, Freedom Panels off, Doors off, convertible top down, Sunrider open or any combo of these, to turn on the heating system and run it as hot as you can and have the hot air directed to feet, front and to defrost.. Drive with that full heat blasting away .......on one of your say 45-60 min jaunts around town. You do this weekly in the Summer months.

Why would you do this... Well, the stuff... mold, etc... that grows in your heating ducts / heating system hardware needs, moisture/dampness to grow.... it likes warm, dark moist...

IF, IF you keep the ducts dry dry by high heat application periodically, the stuff is less apt to grow and if it does it will minimal..

Your running the heating system keeps ducts more dry.... make the ducts, etc. a poorer environment for that crapola to grow in.

YES, I started doing the about 20+ years ago after an issue like yours... was my Class A Diesel pusher RV that had the issue... I treated the heating ducts to Lysol Spray, just once.... sprayed Lysol in the heating ducts .....and then did as I mentioned above...... from then on and the issue was a non-issue.

For the record.... deodorizers just hide the smell and do not kill off the growth. Sure a deodorizer is aok but you also need something like Lysol in the mix to kill/thwart chances of future growth.... AND as mentioned keep the heating ducts as dry as you can...

.

 

[liquids]

@OffDutyPRU
... turn on the heating system and run it as hot as you can ...

.

What PRU said, but I do this only for about 20-30 seconds at the end of every AC ride to dry them out and warm them up before it sits in the heat. This prevents the mold/mildew formation before it starts rather than trying to fix it after it's there.

The liquid moisture forms in the ducts when they are cold and warm humid air is next to them. (Take a pop can (I'm from Michigan; it's "pop" here, not soda) out of the fridge on a hot day and it gets wet with condensation ... same idea.) Heating up the air ducts with a quick blast at the end of the ride prevents the condensation from forming, hence no mold/mildew opportunity.

 

[Heimkehr]

Good timing on the thread. It's been very warm & humid here as of late, meaning the Jeep's A/C is being used constantly. Just this morning, I noticed a smell coming from the vents that was reminiscent of worms after a summer rain. Earthy and a bit unpleasant.

I'll use the method that Bill mentions, above, to see if that clears things up.

 

[calemasters]

Once you get rid of the odor (mold) make a habit of turning off the AC compressor (leaving the HVAC blower on) for 3 minutes before you shut the vehicle off. This will dry the evaporator and plenum and prevent mold.

 

[mwilk012]

Running the heater does nothing to help the evaporator core stay dry. The air just doesn’t flow over it.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

Don't park it with the AC in max/recirc mode. It seals the system closed and the moisture just sits there. Before you park, pu the AC in regular mode, so that it vents outside air in. This will allow the moisture in the system to evaporate and not collect.

 

[mwilk012]

Don't park it with the AC in max/recirc mode. It seals the system closed and the moisture just sits there. Before you park, pu the AC in regular mode, so that it vents outside air in. This will allow the moisture in the system to evaporate and not collect.

Not how it works, especially in a humid environment.

 

[roaniecowpony]

No matter what you do or don't do, an AC system will get skunky under the right conditions. These conditions are any amount of humidity where there is condensate water dripping from the AC drain, and enough organic matter (pollens are the most common culprits) in the air. Some vehicles are less prone to this than others, but it happens to all of them.

When the AC evaporator (heat exchanger that gets cold behind the dashboard) and warm air hits it, the moisture in the air condenses on the surface of the fins. Also, all the organic matter clings to the wet evaporator. Then you park it and the car heats up and makes a breeding incubator for bacteria, mostly molds. If you google "moldy evaporator" you'll see some ugly pictures.

If left to it's own, under the right conditions, it can get enough built up mold and crap to completely block the air flow. It can also lead to respiratory illnesses.

In most designs, running the heater after using the AC won't help the evaporator dry, because the heated air is diverted around the evaporator. But it can help dry the ducting.

AC systems need cleaning periodically. You now have a baseline on how long you can go between cleanings.

Get a foaming evaporator cleaner and follow the directions. The best cleaning will happen when you can get direct access to the evaporator to spray the foam on it. Some people go the extra step of drilling a small hole in the HVAC housing on the upstream side of the evaporator, in order to spray the foam directly on the afflicted area.

Good luck.

 

[supermike]

Change your cabin air filter often. I change mine usually every 2 month. And empty half of can of Lysol air disinfection spray inside and have the AC on fan high recirculating for about 10 minutes. That’s the most effective way I dealt ac smell.

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