Musty Smell out of Car Vents

[Tim Hampson]

2003 Mazda Tribute


There has been another thread about this problem that has been running for a few years, So i decided to start another one instead of reviving the old one. The Issue is a very bad smell (Almost like Cat pee smell) that comes out of the air vents in the summer when it's hot outside (Yes, the vents are left open). To make a long story short, It's been in and out of the dealership and they say its normal.

I went to Mr.Lube and they notice that I do not have a Cabin air Filter and they said that might be the cause. They said that Leaves can get into the Fan and sit there and cause Mold etc that might cause the smell. Mazda pretty well said no way.

They foamed it but it came back.. Any suggestions?.. Cabin air filter? Clean the Fan? Wear a nose plug in the summer?

Regards,

[AlohaBra]

You can disassemble the fan unit and pull the fan out. Then you can proceed to clean everything related to the climate control unit.


But, what I do is to run the unit on fresh and then spray some "frigi-fresh" or something like that into the vents on the outside (by the wipers) and try and deodorize it that way. Here in Northern California, that problem is not a common one.

[danielsatur]

Replacing the cabin air filter is routine maintenace.
The filter is paper and it will mold.
You might just want to throw it away, and use nothing.

[dashmore]

The mold issue growing in leaf debris sounds logical. But the comment about cat-pee like smell makes me think of another possibility. You may want to have the cooling system checked for leaks, they can pressurize the system and see if it leaks down. The description of the smell sounds more like an anti-freeze issue coming from the heater coil (radiator like component in the dash).

[danielsatur]

Turn FAN switch counter clockwise for recycle cabin Air!

If you turn Fan switch clockwise, it will draw Fresh air from outside going through a contaminated
cabin filter!


I had a cat,that pissed on the windsheld near the cabin filter years ago.

1) You need a good pwr wash on windsheld,Cowel,and hand wash cabin filter box.