Urine Smell

[skitzo315]

This started out of nowhere about a week ago, when I turn on the air in my car it smells like im in a public restroom. It doesnt matter if it's heat, plain air or air conditioning I get the same smell. Sometimes I don't get the smell, it mostly comes at night when it's cooler out. I've tried smelling other places in the car and it's definitely coming from the vents. I have checked the air ducts under the hood and all around the car and I don't smell it from the outside. Can someone please help me make my car bearable again?

[mazdatech177]

its from mildew growing in your evaporator box. moisture from the evaporator sits inside there and spawns that nasty smell. get a bottle of febreeze, or something equivalent. turn your a/c off, fan speed to 3, set to fresh air intake(not recirculate). open the hood and pour the sanitizer in the cowl are. (area under the wipers) there should be a grid-like pattern on the plastic covering this is where you pour or spray the sanitizer, you should then be able to smell the cleaner through the vents if you did it correctly. switch over to heat for a few minutes also. in extreme cases we have had to replace the evaporator box.

[skitzo315]

Originally Posted by mazdatech177

its from mildew growing in your evaporator box. moisture from the evaporator sits inside there and spawns that nasty smell. get a bottle of febreeze, or something equivalent. turn your a/c off, fan speed to 3, set to fresh air intake(not recirculate). open the hood and pour the sanitizer in the cowl are. (area under the wipers) there should be a grid-like pattern on the plastic covering this is where you pour or spray the sanitizer, you should then be able to smell the cleaner through the vents if you did it correctly. switch over to heat for a few minutes also. in extreme cases we have had to replace the evaporator box.

Thank you much, you have made driving bearable again!