turok3000
Member
Fyi - if you turn AC on from the Tesla mobile app whilst you're outside the car and it's locked, it will stay on for 4 hours (or it might've 6, can't remember exactly but it's a long time, for sure).
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
AC odor removal and cleaning
- Thread starter Lanzer
- Start date
Fyi - if you turn AC on from the Tesla mobile app whilst you're outside the car and it's locked, it will stay on for 4 hours (or it might've 6, can't remember exactly but it's a long time, for sure).
I have had many cars that ended up having what I call the ; wet dog ; smell. I have never had it in a new car that I bought and drove for many years. I have determined in most cases where this smell comes from....and it is potentially very hazardous. The problem begins when people start using their a/c with the recirculation button selected. This causes the a/c to only use the air that is in the car instead of outside fresh air. When on recirculate; the humidity of the car goes extremely high.....because the perspiration and sometimes damp clothes are contributing moisture that can not be removed. As the temperature drops.....the humidity goes very high and that humid air contacting the cooling coil causes condensation. In that condensation is a persons hair follicles, rejected skin,after products of smoking.....if you smoke, bacteria from sneezing or coughing,etc. in other words.....particles from the person in the car. Eventually after enough of this product is on the cooling coil....you get a mould type of organism growing. This organism is alive and as parts of it further decay...you get the smell. Worse than that.....this organism can manufacture spores that it releases into the air flow and you ingest some of it into your respiratory system. This has been known to cause a condition called Legionnaires Disease....which has killed many people. Your immune system will not try to fight this infection because the source of the infection is byproducts of YOU....and the immune system has no way to react to it. Look it up!!
By using the fresh air input into the car, you force the humid and contaminated air out of the car and replace it with fresh clean air. The only time to use recirculated air is for a couple of minutes after starting the car to help get some of the temperature down.....but only two minutes.
If you have the problem...and smell....you have to use a powerful disinfectant to kill the mould that creates the smell...and ultimately the spores. Just my two cents worth. Warren
By using the fresh air input into the car, you force the humid and contaminated air out of the car and replace it with fresh clean air. The only time to use recirculated air is for a couple of minutes after starting the car to help get some of the temperature down.....but only two minutes.
If you have the problem...and smell....you have to use a powerful disinfectant to kill the mould that creates the smell...and ultimately the spores. Just my two cents worth. Warren
joebruin77
Active Member
I had the same issue with my very first car, a 1979 Honda Accord. The fix involved 1) Spraying Lysol disinectant spray into the air vents prior to turning on the HVAC system 2) Turning on the HVAC system to circulate the Lyol and keep running for several minutes so that the Lysol is completely distributed and dried out 3) As others have suggested, after driving with the AC on and a mile or two prior to your destination, turn off the AC so that just the fan is blowing fresh air throughout the system. By turning off the AC and running the fan for a few minutes prior to exiting the car, you dry out any condensation that formed and was most likely a major contributing factor to the formation of the mildew/mold to begin with.
So you can't get rid of this smell just by replacing the filters? You have to clean the condensers?
After a year of owning the Tesla Model 3, the car is starting to build the smell of mildew when the AC turns on. The smell goes away after a few minutes, and lucky for my fiancé, she can't smell it, but I can't get over dealing with the smell on a daily basis.
The Tesla service center deemed AC smell as something that is not covered under warranty, so it's up to us the car owners to figure this out.
Cleaning the AC condenser is technically pretty easy. You just need to find the AC drain pipe, stick the included tube up to the condenser, and just inject the cleaner.
Unfortunately, the Model 3's drain pipe is pretty hard to reach as it's smack in the middle of the car and hard to get to without lifting it. Also, the cabin filters are place right behind the condenser, so it's not a good idea to just blast all the cleaning foam from the drain pipe.
Lucky for us we can clean from a location we can see the condenser. Tesla released DIY documents on how to replace the air cabin filter, and using that guide, you can remove the cabin filters, and that gives you a clear sight of the condenser.
Here is what the condenser looks like
The is a ton of empty space on the opposite side of the condenser, so I couldn't just stick the tube in and spray away.
There is probably many ways to clean the evaporator. You can probably spray a bunch of mold and mildew cleaner on the condenser and call it a day. Though I already bought a foam cleaner, and so it's time to build something that can let the foam cleaner work its way into the condenser. If you are using a liquid mold and mildew cleaner, look for something that doesn't contain bleach or any chemicals that create harmful fumes.
The idea here is to contain the area where the foam would be delivered. I happen to have packing material for a portable hard drive, otherwise I would just cut up a plastic tupperware.
The tube is fed to the middle of the cover, and the back is taped with velcro.
I then found a piece of wood and taped velcro to the end.
The cover happens to be about the same height of the cabin filter. So I just need to move around as I spray the foam cleaner.
The whole contraption goes into the cabin filter box like this
It was pretty easy to spray the cleaner from this point on. I barely had enough foam to cover the whole condenser. I suggest using the Nextzett Klima cleaner which has much more foam content.
After letting he cleaner work itself for 15 minutes, run the fan for a couple of minutes and we're all set to put everything back. Next day the AC smell is gone, and I'm a happy camper. Hope you find this useful!
Tesla firmware after Fall of last year will let the fan run for a few minutes after the AC turns off, leaving moisture out and inhibiting mildew growth. Hopefully we don't have to deal with the smell long after this fix.
Kleenerth3
Member
Yup. This is typical of any A/C system. Another post stated that the filters were fairly new, these should be changed! If you smell mold or mildew, guaranteed it's on the filters, they rest against the condenser. Great tips for avoiding, esp. turning off system as you're close to the end of the drive. In my ICE cars, I know it worked because no puddle forms underneath when parked. This has become a regular habit for me. Mold, mildew and bacteria thrive in moisture. Eliminate it and much less chance of a stinky car. The new update should help greatly. Great tutorial BTW on cleaning. McGuiver would be proud
super20g
Member
So are you are saying the reason early/mid 2018 and prior cars suffer from this is because the firmware to help with this didn't get pushed until late 2018 so those cars had x amount of time to grow that mold/mildew in the system?
My mobile service appointment for next week was cancelled because they need to get a tool, and then have offered to do a one-time courtesy cleaning with note about the firmware that is/was coming to fix it. I do need to ask, however, because some people have had service due to a bad sensor that causes re-circ to always be on. It's my understanding that auto should cycle between fresh and recirc and I am not sure if mine is doing that. As far as I can tell, it's always on recirc.
After a year of owning the Tesla Model 3, the car is starting to build the smell of mildew when the AC turns on. The smell goes away after a few minutes, and lucky for my fiancé, she can't smell it, but I can't get over dealing with the smell on a daily basis.
Here is what the condenser looks like
I have to make a correction here. What I was seeing in the photo is the evaporator and not the condenser. I thought that the "condenser generates condensation" but turns out the evaporator "evaporates hence generates colder temperature". Didn't think that through the first time around.
After mobile service was cancelled and I got the voicemail, I got a text that the issue would be taken care of with firmware and until that time, just start the HVAC a few minutes before getting in. So, no cleaning but an offer to replace filters for $148.
I have since been checking the re-circ an auto while driving, and it does change, so I can rule out a bad sensor. As discussed above, I still think the issue is mold growth over time before the firmware fix. I think the fix is already in place, as I have observed the fan running after parking, but I could be wrong.
No matter what, if the smell does remain, I will try to get it cleaned under warranty.
super20g
Member
Squeaky wheel gets greased. They are getting cheap. Understandable with cash flow problems, but legitimate issues should be covered when some service centers do and others do not.
So I wasted a morning going to the SC. I made an appointment about this and they told me to come in. The man said there is no firmware update at this time. All they would offer was to change both Air Filters at a cost of $159. I guess I need to go by a Torx wrench and do it myself. And why didn't I buy the dang filters from them before I left?? grrrrr .....
Correct.
The condenser (exterior heat exchanger on a typical air conditioning system) is where the refrigerant "gives up" its heat to the atmosphere, causing it to condense back into a liquid. The evaporator (interior heat exchanger) is where the refrigerant absorbs heat from the cabin, causing it to boil and evaporate.
Model 3 and Model S have two evaporators - one for the cabin air conditioning and one for battery cooling. Model X with rear air conditioning has a third evaporator.
I'm surprised that Tesla isn't letting the fan run after the AC is turned off. That should definitely help getting the moisture out of the entire system and prevent mold from building up. I always used to do that manually with my on ICE cars. But then the Model S also just stops the AC and fan and in 5 years I never had any issues with smell at all. I figured Tesla must have found a way to prevent mold issues in some other way.
They do on the Model 3. A recent software update will run the cabin fan for 20 minutes when the vehicle is parked after a trip that uses the air conditioning. Apparently this isn't enough in some climates. I haven't noticed any strange smells yet, but we've only had the car for just under a year (although it has 33,000 miles on it already).
Similar threads
