I've noticed that my air has a musty smell when I first turn it on (with or without the A/C compressor on). It also feels slightly damp like it has some moisture in it. I've tried spraying Lysol in the intakes, but that only helps for a short period of time. How do I make sure that everything is draining properly? Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Thanks.

 

Hopefully it's just stagnant wetness in your air ducts, but have you read about this....

https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-tsx-problems-fixes-128/warning-2004-ecus-danger-flooding-677834/

 

If spraying Lysol into the intakes only works for a short time you will probably need to clean the evaporator coils. It's not something I personally would take on as a DYI. I know my local dealer offers to do this for around $100.

 

I think it's just moisture in the air ducts. Everything seems to be working fine.

Are there any write ups on how to access the evaporator coils? I doubt I'll do it myself, but I'd like to know what the dealership is doing before I bring it to them...

 

Off the wall idea. ... When's the last time you changed the cabin air filter?

 

As mentioned there is professional treatment to get rid of the smell. It's sort of a super-Lysol treatment that kills the mold etc in the evaporator area. The mold is the source of the smell.

The source of the problem is the moisture that is left in the evaporator when you turn your car off. The draining of moisture from the evaporator is not enough - the coils remain moist. It eventually supports the growing of mold etc. A way to avoid this problem is to turn the AC off (just the compressor) a few minutes before you turn the car off. The fan will continue to run and dry the evaporator area and discourage the mold. This is kind of a pain to do but it will prevent the smell.

 

About a month ago. That was actually the first thing that I tried. Where does the moisture drain from? Could it be clogged?

 

Its condensation. Warm outside being blown past the condenser coils that are filled with cold freon.

 

The drain is on the passenger side in the rear of the engine bay. It is possible that it is clogged but you would pretty quickly be aware of the clog. There would be a lot of water "sloshing" around underneath the evaporator and soon you would probably get water leaking in the passenger feet area. After the AC has been running and you park - you should see a puddle form on the ground underneath the passenger side in the rear of the engine bay. As you are driving, it drips constantly.

 

Note, however, that only the condensation that beads up enough to drip down will be drained. Moisture will still remain on the coils. Its this moisture that will lead to mold growth if it doesn't dry out.