why does my ac get humid? how to fix it?

[rb25crazy]

hey guys

i have a 97 240sx... and my ac has this musty smell sometimes when i'm sitting around and not moving past 30mph or so.

it also gets humid and not cool when i just stand still in traffic.

any ideas of what the culprits can be? what i have done so far is, i refilled the ac fluid with that r-134 stuff whatever it is called. temps came down tremendously, but, now i have this musty smell and humidity at times.

i popped open the center console vents and cleaned it out and nothing was there aside from some dust.

is there a cabin filter or something in my car that i can't find? so i can change it if that's the case.

thanks

[Future240]

Go to an a/c shop and have them vaccum your lines out and recharge the system.

[Gnnr]

For the musty smell, get a can of Oust Air Sanitizer and spray it at the passenger side floor while the A/C is on. Have the fan on 4 and the A/C on circulation. Maybe leaving a can of Damp Rid in the car might help things out too.

[tech_45]

sounds like your evaporator is leaking.

[silviaguy240]

and if its getting hot at a stand still, your AC fan isnt working and you arent getting enough airflow through your AC condensor.

[rb25crazy]

Originally Posted by silviaguy240

and if its getting hot at a stand still, your AC fan isnt working and you arent getting enough airflow through your AC condensor.

what is the proper amount of air flow? when i leave it on "fan" on 4 it feels pretty strong to me. and what is the proper way to check? because me saying it feels strong probably isn't accurate.

Originally Posted by tech_45

sounds like your evaporator is leaking.

how would i check that? and where is it at? any help thanks appreciated.

[rb25crazy]

Originally Posted by Gnnr

For the musty smell, get a can of Oust Air Sanitizer and spray it at the passenger side floor while the A/C is on. Have the fan on 4 and the A/C on circulation. Maybe leaving a can of Damp Rid in the car might help things out too.

for the oust air sanitizer do you mean spray it on the carpet?

but, isn't using the damp rid kinda just hiding the problem rather than fixing the solution?

thanks

[s13pignose]

I've seen products on ebay like foggers and stuff where you run the a/c and the scent will go through the entire car and ventilation. But I would first get the components of the a/c checked those above mentioned and then try something like a fogger to kill the smell

[Om1kron]

Originally Posted by future240

Go to an a/c shop and have them vaccum your lines out and recharge the system.

winner winner chicken dinner.

[az_240]

Does the 97 have an in cabin filter? My sisters civic had that problem and it was an old in cabin filter.

Air sanitizers are a joke.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by az_240

Does the 97 have an in cabin filter? My sisters civic had that problem and it was an old in cabin filter.

Air sanitizers are a joke.

S15' s do, but I don't think S14 came with them.

OP- Sounds like you have mold/mildew growing in your evap box. You have 2 options. Take everything apart and scrub it clean, or find some water-based HVAC cleansing foam.

[VNG704]

Originally Posted by rb25crazy

what is the proper amount of air flow? when i leave it on "fan" on 4 it feels pretty strong to me. and what is the proper way to check? because me saying it feels strong probably isn't accurate.




how would i check that? and where is it at? any help thanks appreciated.

he was talking about the fan inside your engine bay that blows or pulls air through the ac condensor... not to be confused with the fan that blows air in your car.

[MADE]

What is the function of the receiver dryer on the A/C system?

[axiomatik]

does your car drip water when the a/c is running? you may have a plugged drain tube and water is collecting in the evaporator box under the dash and growing mold.

[silentstyle1]

The other thing to check is to make sure you dont have leaves and stuff stuck under the cowl cover in front of the windshield, I had the musty smell too, and it was coming from decomposing leaves under that.

[Tokona-x]

Originally Posted by future240

Go to an a/c shop and have them vaccum your lines out and recharge the system.

+1 for vacuuming and refilling . But shop around because some of these shops will ass rape you

[S14DB]

I think the smell is because the evap drain is restricted or plugged.

The temperature thing can be several things.

What is the condition of the ambient temp sensor in front of the condenser?
When you added refrigerant, how did you gauge the pressure?

[r0me0ne]

yea my ac smells like crap when I put it on vent so I always keep it recirculated. I have a z33 btw. Its embarassing when someones in the car, smell that crap lol

[S14DB]

Originally Posted by r0me0ne

yea my ac smells like crap when I put it on vent so I always keep it recirculated. I have a z33 btw. Its embarassing when someones in the car, smell that crap lol

If it's only when the vent is open and not when recirculating then it's in your cowl and not the evaporator.

Best solution is to remove the plastic over the cowl and scrape out all the dirt and leaves that is holding the moisture.
Temp fix is to spray a can of lysol into the cowl.

[Snake820]

Check the case the evaperator is in and make sure the water is draining out proporly... good luck

[Gnnr]

Originally Posted by rb25crazy

for the oust air sanitizer do you mean spray it on the carpet?

but, isn't using the damp rid kinda just hiding the problem rather than fixing the solution?

thanks

Spray in the air space between the passenger side floor and glove box. That's where the A/C sucks in air when it is in cabin circulation. This is just to help with the smell. I would try future240's suggestion first.