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I noticed funky smell everytime I turn on fan. I sprayed a whole can of Lysol into the top vent next to wiper. It helped a little but the smell came back after a few days.
My next plan is to find the evaporator drain and treat it with ac evaporator foam. I am trying to locate the AC evap drain line. I am just wondering if this is it. This is near firewall on passenger side.
A few years ago, a mouse built a nest on top of the cabin air filter of my ES, and I was getting a foul odor similar to what you described. When I tried to remove the air filter, the nest dropped down into the fan. I tried to vacuum as much of the nest out of the fan as I could, but I wasn't able to get all of it. I ended up having the dealer remove the fan and clean it out. Not only were there parts of the nest in it, but there were several dead baby mice. By that time, enough of the foul smell had entered the cabin, and it took me almost a year to remove all of the smell from the HVAC ducting and from the interior of the car because the smell had soaked into the seats, headliner, carpets, etc.
I ended up using various air freshener products, both directly on interior surfaces and through the venting in front of the windshield (like you tried). Each time, it got a little better, but it took a lot time to completely rid the car of the odor.
It may be the case that your drain line would benefit from the foam cleaner, but it could well be that that is not the source of your problem.
“A funky smell”....do you run your AC on recirc instead of fresh air? If so, that’s your problem. Several threads about the effect of using recirc all the time.
“A funky smell”....do you run your AC on recirc instead of fresh air? If so, that’s your problem. Several threads about the effect of using recirc all the time.
That is a really good thought. When I made my previous post, I was thinking more of a "foul" smell than of a "funky" smell. There is no question that the air quality will become "stale" when the AC is run continuously in the recirculate mode, and Lexus has made the misguided decision to have the system always run in recirculate mode whenever the outside temperature is above the low 70s. When that happens, the only way to get it into fresh air mode is to manually do so.
That is a really good thought. When I made my previous post, I was thinking more of a "foul" smell than of a "funky" smell. There is no question that the air quality will become "stale" when the AC is run continuously in the recirculate mode, and Lexus has made the misguided decision to have the system always run in recirculate mode whenever the outside temperature is above the low 70s. When that happens, the only way to get it into fresh air mode is to manually do so.
Yes...I never use "AUTO" for that reason. Besides, up here the temperatures are always swinging wildly (I've seen it go from +20C to -10C in a matter of a half-dozen hours). I generally leave the AC switched OFF at the display in late fall through to mid-spring and just rely on fresh air to keep the cabin cool when the heater isn't required. The old Camry had the same 'funky" issue when I set the cabin AC for "recirc".
This is a known problem with the ESh. I have a 2014 and have to deal with this. In my experience the cabin air filter is necessary but not sufficient. You will have to get an AC Cleaner and inject it into the evaporator drain. You have identified it correctly. Dealer charges a fortune for this. It is easy to do. I order the cleaner from Amazon but it is not too good. Still looking for a good cleaner.
The recommendations here of not using recirc are absolutely correct. I always use fresh air and it helps.
A few years ago, a mouse built a nest on top of the cabin air filter of my ES, and I was getting a foul odor similar to what you described. When I tried to remove the air filter, the nest dropped down into the fan. I tried to vacuum as much of the nest out of the fan as I could, but I wasn't able to get all of it. I ended up having the dealer remove the fan and clean it out. Not only were there parts of the nest in it, but there were several dead baby mice. By that time, enough of the foul smell had entered the cabin, and it took me almost a year to remove all of the smell from the HVAC ducting and from the interior of the car because the smell had soaked into the seats, headliner, carpets, etc.
I ended up using various air freshener products, both directly on interior surfaces and through the venting in front of the windshield (like you tried). Each time, it got a little better, but it took a lot time to completely rid the car of the odor.
It may be the case that your drain line would benefit from the foam cleaner, but it could well be that that is not the source of your problem.
Good luck.
Yes, the cabin filter (“the forgotten filter”) should be the culprit.
03-28-21, 10:31 AM
ES300h AC evap drain location
