850 - 1997 Mold in airvents

Hnat · Post by **Hnat** » 01 Nov 2009, 12:54

Within the last 2 weeks or so my '97 850 wagon has developed a strong mold smell coming out of the air vents. Where it came from, I 'm not sure, maybe a car wash, but the issue is how to get rid of it. I've removed the cabin air filter cover (the '97 didn't come with the air filter itself) and cleaned all I can reach with "Moldzyme" but the smell is still there, although not as strong but strong enough. I'd rather not use bleach, as it could cause other problems. Has anyone had similar problems and how did you remedy it?
Thanks

KRUZNBY · Post by **KRUZNBY** » 01 Nov 2009, 13:20

Are your windshield lower cover drain tubes clogged? I'm just wondering if water is entering the vents.

Hnat · Post by **Hnat** » 01 Nov 2009, 13:25

No, they seem to be free and clear. I ran water through them just to make sure.

Post by **jblackburn** » 01 Nov 2009, 17:16

Your evaporator drain may be plugged up by something. Does water drip out from under the car when you run the A/C?

Hnat · Post by **Hnat** » 01 Nov 2009, 20:28

Yes, water drained out, although that was a few months ago when I last used the AC.

Post by **jblackburn** » 02 Nov 2009, 08:54

One other idea then...is your carpet in either foot well kind of damp, or have you been losing any antifreeze? You could have a leaky heater core that's leaving moisture in the pipes when you turn it off; mine is a '98 and I think mine's starting to leak too, but I haven't got around to looking at it.

My Buick used to have a moldy smell in the summer that I never was able to get rid of completely, probably from where it sat under a carport for about 2 years, but I sprayed almost an entire can of lysol while running the A/C and fan full out into the hood vents, which helped reduce it quite a bit.

Hnat · Post by **Hnat** » 05 Nov 2009, 21:26

No, the carpets are dry. The smell comes from outside around the air intake vents near the windshield. My Volvo guy checked the drainage and then used a treatment for the a/c system(twice) It seems to have done a great deal to reduce the smell, but it's still there. I scrubbed the whole area including the gaskets with Moldzyme. That too reduced the smell, but not completely. The car, up until about mid summer, spent it's life out of doors. Since then it's been garaged. Seems hard to believe that might be the cause as someone suggested. It's a tough problem.

EDay · Post by **EDay** » 07 Nov 2009, 00:51

I stuck my airvents to fully close mode, so that way no smelly2 thing from outside can come in unless your windows open.

Post by **JRL** » 07 Nov 2009, 06:11

97s DID come with cabin filters... install one
You need to use bleach.
Make a solution of breach and water, remove the cowl air intake cover. Liberally soak a rag in the solution and scrub as far down as you can.
Let dry and repeat process.

Then spray Fridgee Fresh into the entire system.
It will have a mild bleach smell for a day or two, then hopefully nothing.
Make sure all drains are unclogged, etc and hope for the best
DO NOT WASTE TIME, do this now, the longer you wait, the more mold will grow!