Jim Grant's Tech Tips
'96
Camry, A/C Bad Odor
Q:
I have
a 96 Toyota Camry and when I turn on the vent fan or A/C, I get
a smell like cat pee. I checked the drain hose in the passenger side floor,
but it was dry. Any suggestions would be great!
-
Tom S.
A:
Odors
from the air conditioning system on a vehicle can be offensive to totally
disgusting. The first item you want to check is the drain for the air
conditioning. With the engine running and the A/C set on max with the
blower speed on high you should see a steady drip to almost a flow of
water from the A/C drain. If the drain stays dry then there is blockage
or a restriction in the drain that must be cleared. The other problem
is microbial growth in the evaporator of the A/C system that is the result
of dampness caused by the moisture being removed from the incoming air.
Once the nasty growth starts happening about the only way it goes away
is with the ice-cold air of winter or treatment of the A/C system with
a disinfectant. The ALLDATA Information System abounds with service bulletins
from every manufacturer for dealing with odor problems. Technical Service
Bulletin (TSB) #AC00297 shows Toyotas recommended procedure for
disinfecting the A/C system in your vehicle. Toyota has a removable panel
on the drivers side of the heater box that allows for access to
the A/C units evaporator where those malicious odors originate from.
Once the panel and a few other parts are removed a disinfectant can be
sprayed in where it is needed most to rid your Toyota of those less than
desirable aromas.
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