[UnblessedBe]

I've been struggling with this since I bought the car at 17k miles. The AC/Heater airflow smells musky or like mildew when not in circulating mode.

I do the Lysol in the intake trick every now and then, which fixes it for a few days, but the smell never fails to come back. I also replace the cabin filter at every oil change.

Anyone else have similar problems? Any suggestions?

 

[davect01]

I've been struggling with this since I bought the car at 17k miles. The AC/Heater airflow smells musky or like mildew when not in circulating mode.

I do the Lysol in the intake trick every now and then, which fixes it for a few days, but the smell never fails to come back. I also replace the cabin filter at every oil change.

Anyone else have similar problems? Any suggestions?

This can be very hard to fix.

Exclusively running in recirculating mode can cause this as can smoking and a host of other issues.

Not sure about the Lysol trick but a few ideas are:

1- Remove and clean the exterior vent grill. You never know what can be in there

2- Take down the A/C motor and similarly look for debris.

Pro detailers often have tools that make accessing the vents inside the dash better and certain chemicals they can use but even they can be unsuccessful.

 

[gcomer]

There was another thread on this. https://www.scionimforum.com/forum/engine-technical-discussion/8968-condenser-coils.html

I've since tried the LubeGard Kool It on another vehicle and it seemed to work, might be worth trying.

If it is only when NOT on circulating mode, might check under the hood make sure nothing is piled up where it draws the air in.

 

[B91SUPRA]

I just occasionally run AC or fan with recirculating air off.