A/C smells like an old ashtray for no apparent reason

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cwilliamsws6

cwilliamsws6

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Feb 27, 2018
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Idaho
I don't smoke period, and nobody has ever smoked in my car or around it, yet since about 3 days ago every time I turn on my A/C it smells like stale cigarette smoke and it makes me feel sick.

Would the cabin air filter be my first place to look?
 
I had the same issue on my mustang and occasionally on home AC on very humid days and then the smell would go away.
 
Originally Posted by laserred96gt
I had the same issue on my mustang and occasionally on home AC on very humid days and then the smell would go away.

It's not really humid here, it's 90 degrees out though. If anything the smell has gotten stronger. I'll give it a few more days to try to dissipate before I go digging into it.
 
Cabin filter would be a start. If it's just the smell making you sick, you could spray the new one with Febreeze or a perfume of choice. Mostly likely mold on the evaporator.
 
Asking about the cabin filter to me implies that you haven't replaced it. If not, then certainly that can be a cause.

Even with a filter, the ac evaporator can be filthy. What aive noticed is that smells tend to go away with ac on, and return when air is blowing through there with ac off, or after sitting.

They sell evaporator cleaner. Ive also heard of folks dosing Lysol through to kill stuff in there, which actually to me seems like a better bet.
 
Originally Posted by JHZR2
Asking about the cabin filter to me implies that you haven't replaced it. If not, then certainly that can be a cause.

Even with a filter, the ac evaporator can be filthy. What aive noticed is that smells tend to go away with ac on, and return when air is blowing through there with ac off, or after sitting.

They sell evaporator cleaner. Ive also heard of folks dosing Lysol through to kill stuff in there, which actually to me seems like a better bet.


The cabin air filter was replaced when I became the owner of the car a little over 2 years ago. The smell doesn't go away with the normal A/C on but if I have it on Max it goes away a little but not completely. I might try the Lysol thing.
 
Change the cabin filter if you haven't done this recently (1 year, 15k miles ??). They're cheap but not always easy to replace.....

If it were a musty smell, I'd tell you to turn the HEAT on and let it run for 5 minutes or longer. Obviously in this weather (I'm in SW Ohio) you aren't going to sit in the car while doing this !! A cigarette smell is odd though.... Almost like someone was smoking around your car and ashes ended up in the cabin air intake (at bottom edge of windshield - look for vents or grid of holes).
 
Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
The cabin air filter was replaced when I became the owner of the car a little over 2 years ago. The smell doesn't go away with the normal A/C on but if I have it on Max it goes away a little but not completely. I might try the Lysol thing.

Is this on the CR-V ? If so, change it if only because it's extremely easy to do. Maybe get a charcoal-type filter that "neutralizes" odors a little better than plain, paper filters or one that's scented (I think Fram has "Febreze" scented ones).

Do you park outside ? If so, you might want to replace yours yearly.
 
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
The cabin air filter was replaced when I became the owner of the car a little over 2 years ago. The smell doesn't go away with the normal A/C on but if I have it on Max it goes away a little but not completely. I might try the Lysol thing.

Is this on the CR-V ? If so, change it if only because it's extremely easy to do. Maybe get a charcoal-type filter that "neutralizes" odors a little better than plain, paper filters or one that's scented (I think Fram has "Febreze" scented ones).

Do you park outside ? If so, you might want to replace yours yearly.

Yeah it's on the CR-V. I didn't think it would be easy since everything else I've done on this car has involved basically rebuilding the front end to accomplish. I will look into the Fram Febreeze one. I do park outside full-time, at home because my car doesn't fit in our garage and at work because I work in a strip mall.
 
Not sure Lysol is aluminum friendly. I sprayed it into my Dakota AC for mold/odors and a month later my evaporator blew out.

The new one and many $$$ fixed the smell though.
 
Checked a Youtube video to see what's involved. I also suspected it would be similar to Accords or Odysseys of that time frame and the CR-V is the simplest. Open the glove box, push the two outside "walls" inward, and it falls open almost 180º and there's the filter.

Since you park outside 100% of the time, consider changing the filter yearly vs based on mileage.
 
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Checked a Youtube video to see what's involved. I also suspected it would be similar to Accords or Odysseys of that time frame and the CR-V is the simplest. Open the glove box, push the two outside "walls" inward, and it falls open almost 180º and there's the filter.

Since you park outside 100% of the time, consider changing the filter yearly vs based on mileage.

Well, that's not nearly as involved as I would have thought it would be. I'm off work tomorrow so I'll go grab a new one and go ahead and replace it. Thanks!
 
Lysol (or diluted Pine-Sol in a pump up garden sprayer) work pretty well - - you do need to rinse with water afterwards.

Make sure the condensate drain is open
 
Originally Posted by ammolab
Not sure Lysol is aluminum friendly. I sprayed it into my Dakota AC for mold/odors and a month later my evaporator blew out.

The new one and many $$$ fixed the smell though.


I was wondering the same thing...
 
I work in the HVAC industry. One of the greatest causes of concern for warranty claims is owner-applied home-remedy "cleaning" of the coils.

DO NOT USE LYSOL OR OTHER COMMON HOUSEHOLD AGENTS ON COILS. Get a specific product made for coil cleaning. Costs a bit more, but FAR less than a new evap coil and labor to install.

Google "AC coil cleaning foam" and you've got plenty to choose from.

When using it, several cycles of cleaning is good. Make sure to flush with water between cleaning cycles because, while the cleaning agent does a good job of getting the coil clean, you don't want it jamming up the drain line. Clean, flush, clean, flush ... in smaller doses, with patience.
 
Last edited:
Sorry if I missed it, but how are you going to get directly at the A/C evap coil on a vehicle without going through the time and money in removing and replacing it?
 
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