I have a moldy smell coming from the air vents inmy 2004 Pacifica. However, the only time the smell is noticable is when I put the window down and then the smell is immediate and very strong. I had the dealership look at it and they changed the cabin filter and sprayed a deodorizer in the vent. Those two actions did nothing to resolve the problem. I'm thinking it could be a clogged a/c condensation drain or the a/c filter (if the car has one). Any help? thanks.

 

There was a TSB for this problem. You would remove a portion of the dash to expose the evaporator core and spray a cleaning agent on it. You would then run it for a while i think 15 minutes or so. Spray more stuff on it and put it all back togther. Hopefully the smell was gone. It never really worked for me. I thought the smell was gone but my customer swore it was still there.

 

thanks for the information. I made an appointment with the dealership and informed them of your information. I'll post my resolution after the service.

 

A friend of mine mentioned that he heard of this problem on another car brand and that the problem was that water had gotten into the door insulation. With no air flow to dry it out, mold grew and it required a full changing of all door insulation plus new weather stripping to resolve.

Anyone have a similar experience? This sort of makes sense since the only time the smell occurs is when the window is put down thus allowing the mold smell to circulate.

thanks. Scott

 

Problem Solved! It was mold in the door. The dealer took the panel off the door and there was a distinct mold odor although there wasn't any clear signs of mold. They clean all surfaces inside the door and spray it with a dissinfecting spray used for moldy carpets.

I double checked the solution by putting the window down while driving without the vent fan on and the smell of the dissinfectant instantly filled the vehicle. Air really must flow in and out of the door cavity when the window is down.

Hope this helps out someone else in the future.