kyamcg

iTrader: (2)

Hey everyone.
Today I decided to check out my car to figure out why the a/c and heat weren't blowing right. Here's my original problem...

My vents wouldn't blow out any air, even on full blast. The A/C works, cause you can hear it kick on when you hit the button. The fan is pretty loud and is definitely spinning, but still there was barely any air coming out. So I checked the plugs that all the threads on here say to check. They all looked fine.

Next, I took out the glove box and found the air filters. I took those out and that's when it all got bad. I pulled the vents out, and they were really dirty. I thought I'd found the problem. I looked into the little slot that the vents go in and there was a mouse nest! I sucked all of the junk out with a shopvac.

I turned on the fans to see if air would work better now. On full blast, there was just a decent amount of air coming out of the slot that the air filters go in. After I covered that up so that the air would go to the vents, I was disappointed again. There was more air coming out than there was to start with, but it still feels like it's on low, even though I had the knob up all the way and the fan is roaring.


So here's my problem.. Do you guys think that some of my air vents are clogged? Or, is do I just need a new fan?

Here is a video of what the fan sounds like, speeding up one click at a time. It's actually louder than it sounds. Is it normally this loud?



And, here's a picture of the air vent place that I'm talking about



That mouse got lucky. If I woulda found him....
The air smells bad now too

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

try cleaning further up (and pulling out the fan[3 screws on the underside normally])(before the filter) and take off your wipers and cowl and clean in there too (outside air for hvac system comes in there)
also the fan sounds lopsided/out of balence in that video, so it might need a new fan to fix that, but try cleaning more first, also use a dust mask for anything the mice might have been carrying, and clean you hands really well after wards
btw: nice floormats, i got the same

kyamcg

iTrader: (2)

What do you mean by further up? I'll go try cleaning underneath the cowl in a few minutes.

And yeah, those are my $20 name-brand Big Lots mats!

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

in second picture, as you look at the slot, further up would be to the right , all the way up to the fresh air inlet, which is under the cowl and that is more then likely where the mice came in.
pulling the fan out will also allow you to get better access to clean out the ducting (part of the nest will proably drop out too when you pull the fan)
btw: most of the smell will leave once it is fully cleaned out

yeah i don't know where my mats are from or cost, got them when i bought the car

kyamcg

iTrader: (2)

I popped the hood and looked into the cowl, and it was all cleaned out. I also removed those two little pieces that pop out, and still didn't see anything. I'll try looking in those places, then remove the fan. thanks.


Same here! But, that was only like two weeks ago.

K, I'll try this out then be back in a little bit

kyamcg

iTrader: (2)

Ok, took the fan off..

Problem:


Solved:


So I reached up in where the fan goes and felt around to make sure there wasn't more stuff, and look what fell out! The culprit!


Now it blows perfectly! Just gotta order new filters, and somehow make the smell go away. Any ideas of how to do this?

Oh, and thanks a lot, friesm!

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

NP, and well you got your revenge , at least it's dead now though, when i have had to clean out customer's cars it has been straw/grass from a field, not insulation
haven't found a dead mouse in one yet though

to get rid of the smell, maybe try spraying some Li-sol (spelling?) (we got hvac system freashener at work)(should do the same thing though) up where the fans sits and let it kinda get on the walls to kinda clean them off , then it will be a matter of letting the system work (air flow) and time for the smell to disappear

also use a air freashener in the car to help cover it up for the time being, while it disapates, and let the car air out

kyamcg

iTrader: (2)

Alright, I'll try some of that stuff.

A little off topic, but I figured I'd ask anyways..

One of the passenger vents won't stay down. The bottom left corner pokes out like half an inch. When you push it flush like it should be, it pops right back to how it was.


(this vent)

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

proably missing a clip or two, should be less then a dollar each from the stealership (dealer) , if available, but the vent itself is only like $15 from the dealer

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

can't seem to find the clips for the vent but heres another dash clip which i think should be the same 90666-S84-A01 (whole car has 100's of them) 37 cents each from the dealer

also if you carefully pull on the vent on the raised area and work around it, it should pop right out

hANDYcaptd

iTrader: (5)

Damn what was in the blower motor? Looks like insulation.

kyamcg

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, it was insulation. When I first pulled the hepa filters out, I noticed some of the random insulation and few pieces of grass, which was how I knew it was a mouse nest. (Same thing happened to our '72 beetle)

With the insulation out, it's not loud at all, either.

Geesh Freism, you're showing my problems who's boss! I'll take a look at that vent again sometime in the next few days. (I'm storing the car in a garage down the road so it doesn't have to sit outside for the next 20-some days.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

and i work on cars 5 days a week, guess what i do for a living

and btw: acura/honda is my favorite brand, just wish they made a god damn TRUE pickup, but lexus/toyota is my second favorite , so O WEll (but they need a diesel and 3/4, 1 ton trucks here)

NoMoreNIU

Hey kyamcg, I had the EXACT problem. My blower looked just like that after pulling out the blower, that's all because I stored my car on a farm this past summer. I was wondering if you were able to get the smell out of the ventilation system. I've been running on high heat but the smell is still pretty strong. Just wondering if you or anyone has a solution (other than waiting it out). I've tried everything other than paying the dealer to open up the car.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

try puttin a couple of air freashiners in your car, to help cover the smell up

fsttyms1

Go to your local auto parts store. They make a cleaner/spray to get rid of mold/mildew and the smell in hvac systems. Pick up a can and spray it into the intake side of the hvac while running. It will help take care of the smell.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

not completely, but yeah it will help quite a bit

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Spraying Lysol into the vents and cowl underneath the hood help as well.

NoMoreNIU

I tried Lysol, I sprayed into all the vents, and up from the blower like 5x. I took apart and washed the blower, and wiped whatever I was able to reach inside with Lysol wipes. BTW it was like cleaning a dirty sewer, so friggin gross. I have 2 air freshemers and still need to drive with my passenger window down. The only thing I'd like to try (which I saw on YouTube) was you drill a hole by the blower and you spray this can thing as it's blowing, it's supposed to disinfect whatever is inside.

NoMoreNIU

What is cowl? I don't see any vents underneath the hood. There's a small vent between the wiperblades and the hood, but under the hood there's nothing.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

that is the cowl area where the wiper arms attach to at the base of the windshied, and that vent is for the hvac system, but to get to the true intake, that plastic panel needs to be removed

NoMoreNIU

Is this what you're talking about? http://www.autogeek.net/1z-einszett-...freshener.html

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

yes he is talking something along that line

NoMoreNIU

I just went my car to take a look and I think I understand now. I would have to remove the wiper blades, remove that 1 long piece of plastic, and the intake is right there, right? Can't I just spray Lysol into the vent opening? Or take it all off because I can't spray directly with that angle?

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

can't really get it at that angle, but know that little plastic snap in piece (it is about 2 x 3 inches or so) towards the passenger sid (it is so you can get the strut bar off without having to remove everything), if you take that off i think you might be able to get a direct shot at the real intake (it is basically right above/straight up from the hvac fan), if it won't work i would remove every thing to get a direct shot at it (and yes the wiper arms have to come off)

NoMoreNIU

Thanks dude. I have the Chilton book right in front of me, I see how to pieces come off. I don't see the 2x3 plastic snap in the book, but I'll go check that out next. I hope this is easy, I better save this for the weekend so I have time to mess around. Thank you for your quick replies & suggestions!

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

like this but on the otherside (where you see the "driver side wiper" writing

daquel

You can also try going to a Vetinarian clinic and ask for a protein killer for cat urine. This will kill the smell for sure. Just pour it into a spray bottle. I used this stuff before and it works well. Good luck!

bama boy

just looked at your problem decided to change my filters i bought car used 144,000 miles took glove box off and had to cut plastic piece off so belive they have never been changed took them out and they were teribleso off to auto parts for new ones

kyamcg

iTrader: (2)

NoMore; What I ended up doing was cleaning it all as well as I could, then replacing the filters. When you take the old filters up, clean inside there as well. I actually sprayed cologne on my new filters before I put them in, too. I was hoping that the strong smell would cover up the rat smell. But actually, The air coming out now doesn't smell like cologne or rat nest, it just smells normal.
Another thing I do to get a smell out of my car is set a dryer sheet somewhere in the car, so maybe let one sit in front of your hvac filters for a few days.

Good luck

NoMoreNIU

I probably drove the car with high heat for about 10 hours total so far, hoping the heat will kill whatever I can't reach. When I first run the car I can still smell it, but naturally after a few minutes the smell would fade. I'll try the dryer sheets. I'll look and see where my hvac filter and replace it. I hate mice.

totaledTL

You should replace the filters first- Then worry about covering up the smell-

NoMoreNIU

It's an older car and it doesn't have a cabin filter. Other than the (engine) air filter, is there another filter?

totaledTL

An older car-? Year, make, & model?

NoMoreNIU

It's a 99 Chrysler Sebring LXi. I google'd and looked at the manual and it doesn't have a cabin filter.

totaledTL

Ok, I just assumed you had a 2nd gen. TL.