1998 S70 Ventilation System Smell

[NickD]

I know this topic has been posted before (believe me, I've read through all of the responses many times), but so far all of the recommended fixes haven't fully fixed the problem. About 1 year ago my car's ventilation system got a musty smell. It was intermittent so I didn't worry about it too much. Now it's there full time and it's driving me nuts (and irritating my throat).

I've tried:

1. Blow out the condenser drain hose - no joy
2. Bleach, Lysol, and three different ventilation-specific sprays - no joy
3. New cabin air filter (old one was filthy and had mouse turds in it) - no joy
4. Had a mechanic pull the blower fan, clean it, and clean all the ducts he could reach. This seemed to work for a few weeks. The moldy smell seemed to be gone, but a "industrial cleaner" smell was there instead. After a week or so it turned into an overloaded electric motor smell when I turned on the blower and then a slight moldy smell. Now it is a full moldy smell again whether the fan is turned on or not.

I have scheduled an appointment with Volvo service next week to go deeper into the ventilation system, but before I walk in the door I was looking for feedback from other people who've had this problem and how they fixed it (ventilation system cleaners, full ventilation system dis-assembly, etc.).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. If I can't get rid of the smell this time the S70 has to go....and I'm a little attached.

Thanks in advance.

Nick

[Ozark Lee]

Do you have any problems with your windows fogging? It could be a small leak in the heater core but that is more of a sicky sweet smell.

...Lee

[NickD]

Lee,

No, it's definitely a moldy smell. I can even smell it when the fan is off and I drive down the road with the vents open. It seems to go away after driving for a few miles but is back again after I park the vehicle for a while.

Nick