Another smelly AC thread, I think I found the problem

[Nikola M3]

I cleaned the evaporator with the foaming cleaner and ran the AC with the kick panel off. I don't think it is supposed to leak like this. I did get a lot of water on the garage floor so the drain is working but this doesn't seem normal.

Embedded media from this media site is no longer available

 

[Nikola M3]

I tried the thread tool to embed, didn't work, this is the link, AC was running.
www.metacafe.com/watch/11939056/ac-left-side-leaking-into-car/

 

[fseir]

I tried the thread tool to embed, didn't work, this is the link, AC was running.
www.metacafe.com/watch/11939056/ac-left-side-leaking-into-car/

That’s not working, either. Says “content not available. Come back later.”

 

[MacGreiner]

yep - "not available"

 

[Rojer Lockless]

But it's "totally normal and happens to all cars so we are not covering it under warranty:"

 

[Eno Deb]

I cleaned the evaporator with the foaming cleaner and ran the AC with the kick panel off. I don't think it is supposed to leak like this. I did get a lot of water on the garage floor so the drain is working but this doesn't seem normal.

Didn't see the video, but if you use the foam, it turns into a fluid after application and drains. That's normal. I'd only be concerned if you see an abnormal amount of fluid in normal operation, which could hint at a coolant leak.

 

[m3supra]

But it's "totally normal and happens to all cars so we are not covering it under warranty:"

??? It is a common issue across many brands, just search for ac smell {insert brand & model here}. Running A/C on recirculate, then shutting off the car creates an environment for mold to grow which leads to the smell.

I definitely have lots of issues with Tesla, but at least they pushed an OTA software update to that try to mitigate this recently.

 

[Nikola M3]

This link should show whats happening. I agree that I may have added excess water to the evaporator area during cleaning but it should go out the drain, not into the car interior. When we get into the rainy season what will happen?

 

[Vthoma11]

Hello did you ever find a resolve? Also where is the evaporator located

 

[Nikola M3]

The evaporator is located below the dash between the foot wells. look at you-tube there are many videos on getting access.

The "leak" seen in my video was not a big concern to the service department but they did seal it up,.It did not resolve the stink.

What I have been doing is when I smell the dirty sock smell I put the heater to max temp, fan to manual and on "10", open the windows and let it run for 5 minutes. The stink is gone after that. I typically will not smell it any more for the rest of that drive.