In car smell

[MGLOVER]

Well now I have had the radiator tested and its leaking. Pooling at the bottom of the radiator. So they seem to think the smell is getting into the car while its parked over night. Ive had the radiator replaced previously and they thought that was the smell issue. Do you think its possible for that smell to get into the car from the engine bay?

 

[panhead]

So my 2014 VF SS ute has this odd smell inside which only comes around the next day after running my aircon.
Its almost like a vinegary chemical smell but also smells like damp mould or urine.
Car is always garaged and hardly driven so theres no cats to piss on the vents.
When the aircon has been running for a while the smell goes away.
Ive changed the pollen filter, tested the heater core which has no leaks, filled the vents with an odor elimination spray and all to no avail.
This is driving me nuts.
One of my middle air vents isn't working but I don't think that is an issue in this cas.e
There has to be something I have missed. Any help would be much appreciated.

My Series 2 Redline Ute is booked in next week to have this problem fixed.

Thanks to Skylarking for his help.


Go to post number 184 for details

https://forums.justcommodores.com.au/threads/vf-ii-ss-cabin-air-filter.262762/page-10#post-3007304





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[lordsnipe]

Only if the smell makes its way to the intake which is near the passenger side windscreen wiper ... but then I'd say you'd also smell it if you popped the bonnet and took a big whiff.

 

[lordsnipe]

Condition
Immediately after starting the vehicle a damp “musty” smell / odor may be apparent from the HVAC face vents. Cause Condensation forms on the evaporator core while the vehicle is running with the A/C on, after turning the vehicle off the moisture remains on the evaporator core causing the odour.

Production Solution
Revised HVAC control module software implemented that allows the “afterblow” function to be turned ON using GDS2.

This software was implemented in production from the start of production MY16

Note: For MY16 vehicles the HVAC module software update is not required, but the afterblow function needs to be turned on using GDS2 if there is a customer complaint.


Correction
On customer complaint vehicles built before the start of production MY16 SPS the HVAC control module using TIS2WEB. Then enable the afterblow function using GDS2, access HVAC – Configuration / Reset menu item, HVAC afterblow Configuration.

Note: The “afterblow” feature enables the blower fan to run after the vehicle is turned off. This running of the blower fan dries the evaporator core.

After the afterblow function is turned on the evaporator will require some operational time to self clean. To do this, idle the vehicle for at least 2 hours with the HVAC controls set as below:-

A/C ON / Fresh Air / MAX Blower speed / temp set to LO on both zones / face vents selected and opened.

Note: Inform the customer that when the afterblow function is turned on it is normal for the blower fan to run sporadically for 30 minutes after the vehicle is turned OFF.
​

So sounds like my suggestion of running the fan for a little while with the AC off to dry everything out may help.. otherwise Holden should hopefully come to the party and turn on 'afterblow' for you.

 

[Skylarking]

Leaking radiator should smell a little sweet and not at all musty.

If you get a musty smell, that’s simply due to mold having formed somewhere in the aircon system or within the vehicle body itself. Mold is caused by standing water and can have a couple of sources.

Water can leak into the cabin from the engine bay around the cabin filter area. So make sure that the drain tube within the engine bay cabin filter area is clear. I think there was a service bulletin for VE/VF that also looked at some seam sealing and cabin filter box leak issues but have no reference.

There was also a tendency for mold to form on the evaporator which could remain wet in some instances. The VF service bulletin allowed for an afterblow feature to be turned on which in some instances continues to blow air through the evaporator to dry it out. I have a link to this bulletin in a post on another thread which panhead has linked to, so follow the white rabbit if you’re curious.

Lastly, there was another VF service bulletin which replaced the evaporator drain tube within the cabin. Water from the evaporator under your dash would leak inside the vehicle rather than been dumped on the ground outside. The leak would pool water under the front and rear passenger carpets causing mold. The changed tube fixes the problem and in some cases Holden cleans up mold on the floor and replaced carpet and underlay. Sadly, the link to this service bulletin I had to the service bulletin is dead. See this post for some details. There are other issues listed at oemdtc.com so some other white rabbit to follow if you’re game.

So, if it is mold you smell, also discuss the above mentioned three causes with your dealer.

 

[3rspecB]

I'm getting the afterblow function enabled tomorrow. All this week I have been running just blower only for last 5mns or so from home and no more smell (was recommended to do this while waiting for afterblow enabling). So the After blow function will do this for me.

 

[chrisp]

I'm getting the afterblow function enabled tomorrow. All this week I have been running just blower only for last 5mns or so from home and no more smell (was recommended to do this while waiting for afterblow enabling). So the After blow function will do this for me.

I had the after blow function turned on last week when the car was in for service. I hadn’t had any musty smells prior, but I did notice an immediate improvement in the general smell within the car upon entering after the after blow was enabled. The very slight ‘damp smell’ has completely gone and the car smells drier than before.

 

[MGLOVER]

Condition
Immediately after starting the vehicle a damp “musty” smell / odor may be apparent from the HVAC face vents. Cause Condensation forms on the evaporator core while the vehicle is running with the A/C on, after turning the vehicle off the moisture remains on the evaporator core causing the odour.

Production Solution
Revised HVAC control module software implemented that allows the “afterblow” function to be turned ON using GDS2.

This software was implemented in production from the start of production MY16

Note: For MY16 vehicles the HVAC module software update is not required, but the afterblow function needs to be turned on using GDS2 if there is a customer complaint.


Correction
On customer complaint vehicles built before the start of production MY16 SPS the HVAC control module using TIS2WEB. Then enable the afterblow function using GDS2, access HVAC – Configuration / Reset menu item, HVAC afterblow Configuration.

Note: The “afterblow” feature enables the blower fan to run after the vehicle is turned off. This running of the blower fan dries the evaporator core.

After the afterblow function is turned on the evaporator will require some operational time to self clean. To do this, idle the vehicle for at least 2 hours with the HVAC controls set as below:-

A/C ON / Fresh Air / MAX Blower speed / temp set to LO on both zones / face vents selected and opened.

Note: Inform the customer that when the afterblow function is turned on it is normal for the blower fan to run sporadically for 30 minutes after the vehicle is turned OFF.
​

So sounds like my suggestion of running the fan for a little while with the AC off to dry everything out may help.. otherwise Holden should hopefully come to the party and turn on 'afterblow' for you.

This sounds exactly what is happening. I called holden. Since my ute is 2014 its not covered under the recall as its for 2015 to 2017. Assholes.

 

[Skylarking]

... So sounds like my suggestion of running the fan for a little while with the AC off to dry everything out may help.. otherwise Holden should hopefully come to the party and turn on 'afterblow' for you.

As much as Holden states that afterblow will remove mold smells, that’s not fully true as all afterblow can really do is stop mold growth from taking hold (and with no moisture mold dries out and flakes off to be blown around the vehicle - yuck).

If someone already has a mold smell in their cabin and it’s due to water inside the cabin, it will need considerable effort and cost to identify and fix. As such there shouldn’t be any thought of ‘hope that Holden will come to the party’ as there are known causes that Holden decided to handle via service bulletin on complaints to the dealers. They didn’t want to correctly address these known failure (which can only be done by sending letters to owners).

As such, if I had mold smell inside the cabin, I’d be looking for the source to be identified. This would require carpets and any underlay being taken out and inspected for mold and evaporator and ducts to also be inspected for mold. If mold is found, I’d expect any water ingress point identified and remedial action taken to stop further water entry. Then any and all mold and it’s spores must be killed via chemical wash (which in the case of mold on evaporator and ducts is a very big job to do correctly). I wouldn’t accept some simple spray in the duct type remedy. And if mold was under the carpets, I’d expect new underlay and carpets installed as it’s next to impossible to kill mold within carpet and underlay.

I’d expect this would be on Holden’s dime as there are known issues causing mold. And since there is no legal requirement to service with Holden, and they took no action to notify owners of these defects, they should be paying the bill.

I’d expect no less from any manufacturer.

 

[Skylarking]

This sounds exactly what is happening. I called holden. Since my ute is 2014 its not covered under the recall as its for 2015 to 2017. Assholes.

The service bulletis are sometimes vague on impacted VIN numbers so you may still be impacted. I’d be ringing HCC is the dealer is of no help or offers to check everything on your dime.

Keep in mind there are three potential causes though some may or may not be relevant to your VIN.