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Hello All,
I have a 2005 Civic with 78K and have had a foul odor that you can smell a lot when running the A/C. The best I can describe is almost like stinky feet. It is not always, just a certain times. I have not really nailed down when but seems sometimes when accelerating quickly. It also seems to be more prevalent when running in the recycle mode and not fresh air mode. Another issue is that when the car was knew, it was so nice to have a new car where we could set the A/C to recycle the cabin air so if behind a vehicle that had bad exhaust fumes or the stink of our local Maxwell house as they burned the beans we do not have to smell that stink, however that is no longer the case now. Now, it seems regardless of the smell, it gets into the cabin now. I have always maintained both air filters (OEM) on the scheduled plan but really hate that it no longer filters the incoming air.

Any help, suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 
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probably an animal got into your engine somewhere. a mechanic found a dead cat in my aunts car. haha good luck.

 
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its normal mildew smell that happens when using the air conditioning and recirculate mode. moisture builds up and then sits in the system. if you set to recirculate, there should not be any outside smell coming in because it only draws air in from under the dash. to fry the mildew, warm up the car and set the heater to full hot and turn the fan to max. let it blow for at least 5 mins, longer if the smell does not clear up. after that it should smell normal again. if you leave the outside air on, it should never smell again. but if you like recycled air, then you just have to do the heater method more often to burn the mildew out. another trick is spray the cabin filters with your favorite odor spray or put a few drops of essential oils on them. it will smell nice whenever the fan is blowing. you can also spray aerosols in the intake from under the glove box and the system will suck it up and circulate it.

 
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Thanks for all suggestions. Will give these a try.

 
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Check with your local auto parts store and ask for a product called "Ultra Shield"- "Air Conditioner Treatment" (professional strength) has enough for 3 treatments per can.

It is is specifically for eliminating mold and mildew in AC systems that cause foul odours. Follow the instructions on the can.

Also check to see that your AC drain tube is not clogged or kinked.

 
Rep Power: 221

I'm gonna go with a clogged evaporator drain being the core problem.
I've had that problem with stinky air that was caused by a clogged drain.

Nathan