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Start AC and it STINKS! 850 1997

Greetings,

Recently added an 855T to the fleet. When I turn on the AC, a bad odor follows and goes away after a short bid. The odor is strong and musty. Any tips??








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    Start AC and it STINKS! 850 1997

    Remove the cowling from under the windshield, engine bay side. You want to remove the cabin filter. Turn on the AC, turn up the blower speed if needed, and spray a bunch of Lysol or autoparts store evaporator deoderizer specific spray, directly into the air intake where the filter used to be. Shut down the engine and give the spray a few minutes to kill the bacteria that causes the smell. Install new filter.

    The cause of the odor is shutting down the AC and engine at the same time, leaving a bunch of water in the evaporator core. Newer Volvos will operate the blower after shutdown to help the evaporator dry out, extending the life of the evaporator.

    I typically shut down my AC about 1/2 mile from home (if I remember) and it no longer drips water on the driveway or garage floor.

    Klaus
    --
    Always willing to listen, just not able to take direction.








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      Start AC and it STINKS! 850 1997

      Great advice. Also, manually clean down in the tube below the filter holder. Use 409 and paper towels. There may be a lot of nasty organic debris down there, happily festering when it gets moist. Note: I turn off the AC 2 or 3 miles before I reach my destination, or at least try to remember. Recent BMWs suffered from this problem big time.







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