JL 2019 AC Smells

[OffDutyPRU]

@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...

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You’re the best. I think I’m inlove. Thank you for taking the time with posting this. I just drove 15 minutes with the heat on!

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[OffDutyPRU]

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.

I can’t find anything online that allows me to find the drain for the evaporator to apply the foam.

 

[viper88]

I had this happen once or twice in different cars. I had very good luck with this method.

I put the A/C on recirculate and the fan on HIGH. With the A/C ON and blasting I sprayed Lysol under the dash where the intake is. The intake sucks the Lysol through the HVAC system and circulates it through the entire system. I spray a few times and let the Lysol mist circulate for maybe 5 minutes. Clean the interior of the windows afterwards.

I also have used Ozium with success.

I might also consider removing the cabin filter before the process so the Lysol can circulate more. Not a bad time to replace the filter if needed.

 

[Rhinebeck01]

You’re the best. I think I’m inlove. Thank you for taking the time with posting this. I just drove 15 minutes with the heat on!

@OffDutyPRU

The info I gave you explained a way(s) to try to deal with and also to prevent/thwart a growth in the heating ducts, etc.. IF the growth is really severe you may have to have it addressed..

As mentioned, I myself have had very good results using Lysol and with keeping the ducts as dry as possible... See what results you get and proceed as needed..

 

[mwilk012]

I can’t find anything online that allows me to find the drain for the evaporator to apply the foam.

Remove the blower motor.

Air conditioning produces dry air downstream of the evaporator. Heating air does nothing to change the 100% humidity of outside air coming in.

 

[roaniecowpony]

I've used Lysol many times. The effect is mixed. If there is little mold buildup, it will work well enough. If there is buildup on the evaporator, the foam cleaners made for the job work better. The foam actually cleans the mold off . Lysol can't do that.

I've used these two products with success.

 

[OffDutyPRU]

I've used Lysol many times. The effect is mixed. If there is little mold buildup, it will work well enough. If there is buildup on the evaporator, the foam cleaners made for the job work better. The foam actually cleans the mold off . Lysol can't do that.

I've used these two products with success.

Is there a video on how to use the foam? I don’t know how to gain access to the evaporator.

 

[Roky]

Once you get it taken care of, make it a habit to shut off your A/C at least five minutes from your destination and turn the fan on high. This helps the vents condensation dry out and makes it harder for mold to form. Been doing this for many many years here in Florida, and I have zero issues with A/C smells in any of our vehicles.,

 

[Rhinebeck01]

I've used Lysol many times. The effect is mixed. If there is little mold buildup, it will work well enough. If there is buildup on the evaporator, the foam cleaners made for the job work better. The foam actually cleans the mold off . Lysol can't do that.

I've used these two products with success.

@roaniecowpony
@


I agree.... but do YOU know how to use/apply these products correctly to a JL/JLU/JT... to get the product properly to the vehicles's evaporator. If so, let all here know.. explain the process. Thanks..

To say like mentioned by another here to ..... "remove the blower" is not helpful....l without giving a guy/gal at least some idea what the task entails..

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[roaniecowpony]

@roaniecowpony
@


I agree.... but do YOU know how to use/apply these products correctly to a JL/JLU/JT... to get the product properly to the vehicles's evaporator. If so, let all here know.. explain the process. Thanks..

To say like mentioned by another here to ..... "remove the blower" is not helpful....l without giving a guy/gal at least some idea what the task entails..

.

Got it. Unfortunately, I haven't had to do this treatment to my JL. The last vehicle I did this to was my 14 Camaro.

With my camaro, I removed the cowl cover in front of the the windshield. From there, it was a direct access to the evaporator core.

I'll take a quick look at the JL and see what I can find.

 

[roaniecowpony]

@roaniecowpony

After reading at this thread a few days ago, I then went to my JL and removed the glove box and took a close looksee.

Decided basically what you suggest ..... and that I would drill a hole about the size of a pencil eraser's diameter and use that hole to access... to squirt foam into.... if I ever found it necessary to treat a very badly impacted system.

I was hoping someone would eventually post here and comment / say similar to my thoughts that day.. I did not just want to post and then have people agree with me...

My thought was/is..... you are far better off drilling a small hole .....then to pull apart things.

Drill the hold sand then cover with a piece of grippy black tape.

Thanks for taking the time to look, to post and not just cut and paste crapola.
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Hold up, I was mistaken. That duct isnt to the evaporator.

The duct to the evaporator is up against the firewall, between the filter/blower motor and the center of the HVAC housing. It's part of the hardshell HVAC housing. If you reach up under the dash behind the glovebox, you can feel the blower motor. Follow the housing toward the center of the dash. That is the air path to the evaporator. The simple way is to drill from under the dash, between the blower motor and the evaporator. A rubber plug or tape should work fine to cover it.

 

[roaniecowpony]

@roaniecowpony

Another way would be to attach the foam can to the evaporator drain hose and send the foam up/ in that way...

I'll take a looksee tomorrow.. I deleted my post / reply to your pic as to not confuse anyone.. or have them drill in the wrong locale.. 8-) Will delete this post to... 8-)

RB,
I think the drain goes down the pinchweld. But there has to be a hose from the HVAC housing.

AS someone mentioned, you could drop the blower motor and stick it in there. I just think a small hole will save time later and you'll be more inclined to clean it seasonally.

 

[mwilk012]

RB,
I think the drain goes down the pinchweld. But there has to be a hose from the HVAC housing.

AS someone mentioned, you could drop the blower motor and stick it in there. I just think a small hole will save time later and you'll be more inclined to clean it seasonally.

Unless you drill a hole into the evaporator, then you have saved neither time nor money. Not that I did it or anything. My father on the other hand...

 

[roaniecowpony]

So, I looked at my Tech Authority Service Manual. It says to drop the blower motor, remove the filter, plug the drain, and squirt 3 cans of the Mopar AC evaporator coil cleaner directly on the evaporator.

 

[mwilk012]

So, I looked at my Tech Authority Service Manual. It says to drop the blower motor, remove the filter, plug the drain, and squirt 3 cans of the Mopar AC evaporator coil cleaner directly on the evaporator.

1 can will probably do, but yes this is the best plan of action.

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