Does anybody know the location of the AC condenser (correction: I meant evaporator ) on this model? I’m getting a musty smell and would like to clean it.

I tried using a tube that came w an AC cleaner to try to access the (evaporator) from underneath (using the drain tube) but it didn’t get rid of the smell. I was thinking to open up the panels for direct access.

 

Maybe you meant Evaporator.
Condenser is the one located in front of the engine radiator.
Evaporator is the one in cased behind the dashboard.

There are products out there that foams up and its sprayed through the AC drain hose.
I’d take caution though on over spraying since it might leak out to some electronic components like the SRS computer.

 

Yes, you are correct. I meant the evaporator.

Does anyone know it’s location behind the dash?

I tried cleaning it from the drain hose using a supplied tube and cleaner for that purpose but my car still has that musty smell. I saw another guy drop the tube down the front center vent and another down past the cabin filter. I don’t want to just spray AC Cleaner down there without knowing exactly where it’s positioned.

On a BMW owners video, I saw him remove some things to gain direct access. That looks like the safest and most effective way.

 

It seems most Toyota vehicles default to Recirculate when the vehicle is started. I had the musty smell issue for a few days and started manually switching my control to fresh air instead of recirculate. This cleared up the problem.
I also change the filter regularly, at least twice a year.

 

If you turn OFF the "Auto" on HVAC, Turn ON A/C in the display screen, it will stay in "Outdoor" air whenever you turn the car on. AFAIK there is no way to defeat that "recirc" when in AUTO and that is the cause of the problem.

 

https://parts.toyota.com/p/Toyota-AC...0289ACRKT.html

Dealerships use this to deal with the problem. The at-home shadetree cheapskate method is to turn the car on, put the HVAC system on fresh, turn the fan to the highest speed, select all vent outputs (foot/face/defrost), and then shoot a can of Lysol down the HVAC intake.

Of course, the downside to that is that your car will smell like a Lysol bomb for awhile, but it'll take care of the musty smell.

 

My car always has the AC on year round and is never on auto; it is always on fresh air and it still has the musty smell that comes and goes.

It smells the most when it goes from dry/cool weather to humid weather.

I did the Lysol thing. It didn’t work. (Btw: very strange - the Lysol seems to effect the plastic parts on the car and I had parts creaking while going over bumps and unlevel ground after I did the treatment.)

 

Check to see if you have a little water puddle under the car in the warmer weather when the AC is running after a few minutes. If not, you have have a clogged drain tube. It happened to me on my 2006 GS. just use a pipe cleaner to clean it out, could be a spider nest. Be careful, if it is blocked, you will bet a bit of water come out all at once.

 

No it’s def not blocked. Seems to draining ok. But maybe a good idea to run a pipe cleaner.

 

So nobody knows the location of the evaporator?

 

Nad answered it. It is behind the center console below the radio stuff. Pita to get to. You could probably see a diagram of parts at parts.lexus.com. good luck

 

I saw a diagram of it but does not show it relative to the console. On a BMW you can open a couple panels and get to it. I’m trying to understand how spraying foam cleaner up the drain hole would clean the entire thing. It didn’t work for me. Other people stuck a tube down the front vents or cabin air filter.