Rep Power: 0

Hi everyone!
I have 2013 Honda Civic with 16 000 miles on it. I bought it in October 2016 when it had 5000 miles on odometer. At the dealership I checked AC, it worked fine and it was enough for me, also I drove the car to mechanic he confirmed the car did not have any issues with it.
I live in Chicago so have not used AC since I had checked the car.
A couple of weeks ago, when I started using AC I felt a strange smell coming out of my vents.
It's definitely not a smell of gasoline or burning oil, it's has some sort of sweetness to it, reminds me a smell of a new plastic or foam rubber
Here're the conditions when I smell it:
- AC is On
- I smell it when I press on accelerator and the smell itself lasts for 2,3 seconds and then a nice fresh air comes out and stays normal until the next acceleration.

I still can not decide whether its sweet, its definitely some chemical ... I'm confused.

 
Rep Power: 173

You can ONLY smell it through the vents with the AC on? The fan (no AC) and heat don't smell weird coming through the vents? You can't smell anything under the hood with the AC on? Have you taken a look at the cabin air filter? Maybe there's mold or something. That would be the next place I'd check.

 
Rep Power: 518

Is it set on fresh air, or recirculate?


Could it be a temperature change during acceleration, instead of a smell?

 
Rep Power: 0

I have it on recirculate.
I don't smell it when ac is off, only when ac is on.
Checked the air filter - its as good as new.
One more thing noticed.
When I accelerate I can hear a barely noticeable hissing noise coming from under the hood and after a moment that smell comes off and lasts for 2 or 3 seconds. I do not smell it when I do not hear the noise. I feel like its something with ac system, maybe a valve leaking under pressure or a hole somewhere in the ac evaporator.
Took my car to honda service. They did not find anything wrong with the car and could not smell it. asked them to check the ac on any leakages. See what they say tomorrow.

 
Rep Power: 173

You could try spraying the AC lines with a bit of soapy water while the AC is on full blast... maybe you'll see some bubbles. Hopefully Honda has a more scientific approach!

 
Rep Power: 518

Yeah. If it were leaking bad enough for a person to smell it (the stuff really smells like a horse stable IMO),the AC would be completely inoperative in a very short time because the freon leaked out.


Actually an electronic leak detector would likely be employed to help find leaks.
If nothing positive is found that way, then the AC system might get a dose of UV dye and shipped. Once the system becomes low enough it doesn't cool well, the car is brought back in by the customer and hopefully someone might be able to find the evidence (dye stain) left by a leak.

I got a nickel that says the OPs dealership won't be able to verify the complaint.

 
Rep Power: 0

I'm both happy and disappointed there's someone else out there with THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. I was struggling to describe the smell, but its exactly like you say - it has something sweet smelling about it, but also i feel like it also smells somewhat toxic.

I first noticed it when i accelerated hard and thought it was somehow associated with that. Then lately I've realized its only whenever the A/C is on, just like you said, and i feel like its more pronounced when the system is on recirc. I dont notice it when AC is not on. I have a 2013 that i bought earlier this year with about 36k miles, just hit 40k.

This has to be a refrigerant leak right? I've noticed the AC on this thing taking a hell of a long time to cool down lately. Been driving it this way for about the last 3 months - how many brain cells do you think i've lost?

Either way, i'll be taking in to dealership ASAP...

 
Rep Power: 0

Hi, I have the exact same problem, couldn't have described it better... did you figure out how to fix it? I would appreciate your comments.