Foul smell from heating / ventilation system

by gbaylis1957 Mon Aug 12, 2024 7:22 pm

I have a Autosleeper Harmony Boxer Chassis 2000 Reg with a 2lt petrol engine.

Recently my wife has been smelling a strange smell that seems to be coming from the air vents.

There is no AC, but I wonder if there are still filters that could be blocked etc?

Has anyone else had this problem?

Many thanks

Graham

by Dave 418 Mon Aug 12, 2024 8:16 pm

If I am on the right track you are talking about the cab vents. When we first tried the heater in one of our Saabs it smelled like take away curry. The dealer we bought the car from said it was the heater core leaking. Being involved in vehicles for meany years I thought it was a wind up but they showed me the core and the mark were it had been leaking from.
As a first check has the coolant level dropped or is the carpet damp in the footwells.
Management will be the first to admit she has a very acute sense of smell. Is it coincidence that your domestic management has probably got the same sense of smell. Of course she will be right. gettinwrong

by IanH Mon Aug 12, 2024 8:51 pm

Oddly had a similar problem when we got the current Volvo. (Please note the term current does not imply its an EV!!!!!!! hugegrins

)

Bought an aerosol which fixes this, and it did. You put the heating onto recirculate and run the fan at high speed. This wee aerosol then, when activated, runs till empty. You put it on the car floor where its contents get sucked into the recirculation air.

This was left for some time, what it does, apparently, is kills all the mould etc in the heating filtration system

Had never heard of it before, but it worked and no repeat, at least till now..

Something like this stuff, can't remember what I used, but came from a local motor factor...

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by gbaylis1957 Tue Aug 13, 2024 10:51 am

Hi Dave and Ian and a BIG THANK YOU for your help.

I don't think we have a leaking problem as the van never seems to use any water, but I do have a funny story to do with this area.

A few years ago water started coming out of the vents and even onto the passenger floor. I was convinced it was a heat exchanger matrix issue, so booked it in.

Then the garage called and asked if I had had to keep topping up the water. I said no, so they looked again.

It worked out that all the pine needles from the trees around us had blocked the windscreen drainage gulley so that the water just flowed behind the dashboard, the fan was actually swimming in water ......

They unblocked the drain and now all is well, and there is a cover on the window to stop it happening again. A lucky escape I think.

But back to the problem. I like the idea of the 'aerosol bomb' and will give it a go.

Again many thanks to you both.

Graham

by burlingtonboaby Tue Aug 13, 2024 11:21 am

Don’t know if your van has a pollen filter ? These can get choked up and wet, I had to change one on our last wee car, the filter was like soggy toast.
Boaby

Foul smell from heating / ventilation system

Foul smell from heating / ventilation system

Re: Foul smell from heating / ventilation system

Re: Foul smell from heating / ventilation system

Re: Foul smell from heating / ventilation system

Re: Foul smell from heating / ventilation system