Hi,
I have a 2005 Accord Coupe V6 ( 6 months old. 5000 miles on it). The problem started about a month ago.
Whenever I switch on the Air Conditioner, for the first 2 minutes a foul smell comes out of the blower.
The smell is so pungent, that I have to open my windows.
During my 1st oil change at the Honda Dealer, I brought this thing into his notice. He advised me to open the Air Vent when I switch on the AC. Well, that didnt help at all.
What could be the problem ? What should I do ?
Your help will be deeply appreciated.
Thanks.

Your car should still be under warranty, go back to the dealer and demand that they fix the problem. Don't back down, because if you don't get it documented while the car is under warranty (at least) you won't get it fixed. I have a friend that has a problem with his floor, it leaks water. He took it to the dealer and they told him some crap, and now the car isn't under warranty anymore. If he doesn't find the paperwork, he can't get it fixed under warranty.

check and make sure that ur freind riding in the seat next to u's feet dont smell... or that could be the problem right there...

yeah

until you get that filter replaced just throw some of those air filters that clip into the vents on there and it will help dramatically.... then replace that filter asap.

Thank you All for the advice.

I went to the dealer, and according to him, its the problem faced by many Honda users (and even Merc users).
He suggested me to do the following :

Turn on the Heat to max. and open the windows, while you are running the car. This might kill the bacteria and probably solve the problem temporarily. However, if this doesnt work out, then I might have to call American Honda and contest with them. :(

So far, I have done this twice, which kinda solves the problem. But the strange thing is, Why isn't this problem in all Honda Accords, but only in my car ? Arent all cars made in same manuf. unit ?

new_oldHonda Owner : What have you done so far ?

have you had a chance or tried to replace that filter? I've got 3 honda's and never had an issue with foul smells in them 94 civic, 94 accord, 81 civic... however I did have a 95 Grand AM that had this issue but it turned out that because of the winter snow some people had gotten water in the car which went under the floor mats and created a bacteria of sorts... I just pulled out the floormats, sprayed the floor with some disinfectant and febreeze and the smell was gone quickly... Have you replaced the cabin air filter?

Why is your car growing bacteria? Is the smell a moldy type smell? If so you might have a clogged evaporator drain.

Did they replace the CABIN FILTER ??? if not,, Politely ask them to replace the filter...tell them that the problem still exists no matter what you try...and if after installing a new filter the problem is still there, they might have to remove the evap and clean it ..Does anyone who rides ( drives) wear a lot of porfume ?? i have found that, thst is one of the most common problem that air from vents smells afoul, especially if they use recerculate all the time ,,

who did you talk to ? service adviser?? tech ? ...

my ac doesnt work at all and i have no idea whats wrong wit it

ORIGINAL: Julian91

my ac doesnt work at all and i have no idea whats wrong wit it


Mine is knackered too. I had mine checked at a Honda dealer and it turns out it is leaking. Replacement parts cost more than the car is worth.

Here is what I would do.

Start the engine and let it idle for a min or two. Watching the revcounter and listening for the engine switch the A/C on. You should normally see/hear the engine revs drop as the compressor starts. If you don't then it is either, no A/C coolant gas or a faulty compressor.

At this point I personally would go to an A/C repair company or Honda and ask them to re-gas it. They will also put a dye in which when viewd under UV light will show up any leaks. They will most likely ask you to return in a week or two to have it checked.

If the compressor has faulted I guess it will be obvious to them from the day one.

Good luck.

did anyone get the smell issue fixed? I'm curious if it was in fact the cabin air filter

Yeah.. i have an 06 accord as well 5000 miles and just recently the ac smells likePOOP ..but the smell goes away after a while.. i basically just run it full blast for afew minutes.. but if honda can fix this problem that would be great

Something is obviously wrong here. It is time to stand up tall and demand (although nicely) that the dealer take care of this problem.
Here is something that WILL take care of the problem but only temporarily if a malfuntion is causing it. I used to distribute this stuff and it WILL remove skunk!

http://nokout.com/Nok-Out_faqs.html

I still have the problem.
Dealer said he cant help me.

motof4i : when did you start having this problem ? Was it the from the very 1st day ?

ORIGINAL: redwaterfried

I still have the problem.
Dealer said he cant help me.

motof4i : when did you start having this problem ? Was it the from the very 1st day ?




ORIGINAL: redwaterfried

I still have the problem.
Dealer said he cant help me.

motof4i : when did you start having this problem ? Was it the from the very 1st day ?



MMMMMMMMMM///???? What do you mean dealer said they cannot help............that is TOTALLY UNEXCEPTABLE .. you car is still under warranty , they HAVE to find a way to fix it and satisfy you ,,
I would leave the car there till fixed and DEMAND yes DEMAND a car loaner till issue is resolved..
,
Also call Honda customer service http://automobiles.honda.com/info/customer_relations.asp and tell them about your situation,, I have NEVER, EVER heard such a ridiculous thing
( dealer cannot help you. ) ... So what are they saying ??

( well sir tough luck but ,, you have to cope with the smell ) .......it is absurd ..

Quick!!! take notice!!! I found the problem!!! It's those burritos that he had for lunch the day before!


Edit: just kidding :P


IT is most likely

a. mold

or

b. something got in there and died

or

c. someone thought they would be funny and took a leak in your cowl....(no I am not kidding that happened to a friend of mine and that stuff smelled nasty for the longest time)

I have read before that if you have mold, smoke smell, etc coming from your AC, that you spray a tad bit of lysol in AC intake. It will kill any mold/bacteria etc. I am not sure where the intake is for the AC though....

I know that this post is extremely old, but I was wondering if anybody had found a solution to the problem. My 2004 Accord's AC smells like crap when you turn it on. The dealer told me to just spray Lysol into the AC vents. I didn't have time to sit there and argue with them, but since my car is still under warranty, what would you suggest? Take it back and make them figure out what is causing it? Or call Customer Service? Or both?

The AC smells b/c you dont use it enough, you use it a little which causes condensation, and when the tubing for the AC/heat warm up, things tend to grow really well in a dark, moist, and humid environment. I had this happen to me, and what I did was opened my windows during a half hour trip and set the controls to the highest heat at max blast with the air going to the footwell and out the top. If it is a hot say already, it will kill any mold or bacteria in there assuming you do it long enough. 15 minutes may do it. So get ready to sweat, but after that you'll be good. Just be sure to use your AC more often.
And lastly, when you are almost at your destination, turn your AC off but leave the air blowing. That will puish out the remaining cold air.

Let us know how it works!

It is inheritant Honda problem IMO my 84, 87, 98 & 2001 had the same thing. 19Accord97 is exactly right about turning off your A/C a bit before your destination just to rid off the moisture in the evap. Also when you leave the air blowing make sure it’s not set to “recirculation” air. BTW, is it really humid where you live? If that is the case you may want to turn your air control to “vent” no A/C , set the fan speed to 2-3, not the full blast and run a can of Lysol trough the intake vents under the hood in short blasts, cause it takes time for the “fog” to go though the vents… After you are done just leave the car in your garage with windows open and the next morning if it’s not too hot outside, do the hot air trick & you should be all set for at least a couple of month & if you’re going to repeat same procedure every 3-4 month you should be fine. I don’t know if battling the dealer is your cupatea, it’s just not worth it to me, especially if there is nothing they can really do to it…. But if you are fitin’ kinda guy go ferit

That all sounds great. Where exactly are the intake vents under the hood that I need to spray the Lysol? Thanks for your help!

Under the very top of your hood, above the rubber weatherstrip and below your windshield wiper arms. Just turn on your fan to the max and see where the air is getting sucked in, you'll find it very easy.

oh, and do make sure that water does drain from the A/C system. Unless you shut off the A/C prior to parking you should see water drainage under the passenger side, just about where is the passengers feet are @

Same problem with my 06 accord, and 90 integra. It's like the on/off thing, don't know when to expect it. Just make sure to let ur friends know when they sit in the car and you turn on the AC, could get the wrong impression especially new date..:P

my ac smells like weed man...

I actually had a squirrel nest in the ducting on my 95...dealer took it out...twice haha

Mine has the same problem, but the smell doesn't last that long nor is it unbearable enough to make me open the windows, my friend's car had the same problem and he has the same model as mine

One time I had a foul smell coming from my A/C.

I found out that I had bad B.O. and I had the A/C on recirculation. http://foolstown.com/sm/iq.gif

I was going to fix it but but decided to put up with the smell.
http://foolstown.com/sm/crazy.gif

Was this car a Flood car from the New Orleans Hurricain era?
Did you ever check the Vin number to see?

WheelBrokerAng [sm=americanasmiley.gif]

my 96 Accord is doing the exact same thing. Smells like the worse locker room dirty sock smell you can imagine. Local auto parts told me to use a product called Frigi-Fresh and spray it into the a/c air intake and it will kill the mold and bacteria in the system. Auto Zone did not carry it but told me that Pep Boys and NAPA does. Will try it and let you know what happens.

By the way my A/C is used every day here in South Texas so this problem is not coming from lack of use. We have however had a LOT of rain in the past months. The smell started all of a sudden rather than slowly over time.

I'd recommend that you guys with the smells first remove the cabin filters. Next, use Ozium instead of Lysol, it's much stronger ..... I'd suggest the forest, orange or vanilla scents ..... the others make me nausous, but work very well nonetheless. Spray the Ozium into the outside air inlet as well as the return/recirculate inlet. After the car airs out a bit, test to see if the smells are gone and if so, put in new cabin air filters.

BTW - for general car smells, a 'refrigerator' box of baking soda with the fabric front under the seat can do wonders!!!

wow i had this same problem last summer and i only thought it was my car. i feel much better now that i know its almost all accords. but yea figuring out the problem wasnt that hard. just replace the cabin air filter. not hard at all.

ya yo u made a good point. why is it only in your car and not all honda accords. well i have a 97 accord and i never had that problem. but dont hesitate, call honda like u said u would if it doesnt get better. because at least your car is still in warrenty, and u can blame them for that. unlike me that my car isnt, and i would probably get the blame for it if that ever happened to me.

Okay guys, this is very common on all import and domestic cars. Since the mid 80's when cars started to get smaller outside and larger inside, something had to give. The plumbing changed from the old ways with mom and dad's big sexy American cars and now. The HVAC plumbing started to bend and make U turns inside your dash (to save space). Moisture is getting trapped inside your plumbing. I too had the same problem as you all. What I did to stop this is; change the cabin filter (but this is not the usual suspect as the filter is before the ac cooling vents but can contribute to the oder), Spray some Lysol (os something like that) in the outside vent and run fan on (no AC) and open the vent. Then EVERY TIME before I'm about to stop (I mean turn off the engine and get out of) the car (and the AC was running), I turn off the AC, open the outside vent knob and run the fan on high for about 2-3 minutes (AC off) and blow all that moisture out through the vents before I turn off the engine.I've never had a smell problem since I started to do that....never!!

YMMV :)

I had a problem on a different car that my A/C, and heater would put out a really bad smell. Turns out, the antifreeze was leaking into the system. It kinda smelled like feet.

its ur coolant. drain it and refill it with 50/50 coolant.

ORIGINAL: falkore24

I'd recommend that you guys with the smells first remove the cabin filters. Next, use Ozium instead of Lysol, it's much stronger ..... I'd suggest the forest, orange or vanilla scents ..... the others make me nausous, but work very well nonetheless. Spray the Ozium into the outside air inlet as well as the return/recirculate inlet. After the car airs out a bit, test to see if the smells are gone and if so, put in new cabin air filters.

BTW - for general car smells, a 'refrigerator' box of baking soda with the fabric front under the seat can do wonders!!!


Falkore is correct, this is a common problem in a lot of cars. Also 2 minutes before you reach your destination you should turn your a/c off and just leave on the blowers/fans to clear out your vents to stop this from reaccuring.

If the ozium doesn't work, you are going to need to cover the vents with tissues and run the system on low fan speed ..... then spray clorox clean0up into the filter holder to bleach the coil. Afterward, keep the fan on high and the windows open for at least 15 minutes and then try the Ozium.

have you had your air duct system checked for a posible critter inyor air ducts

i have a similar problem, though its only when i'm accelerating quickly, say to get on the highway or something. its not everytime but often and its horrid.

if you really want i give u a detailed tutroal on how to change ur cabin air, if its a six gen \
here look i just did mine

the old and the new\
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9861/14729813lh6.jpg