Evap coil location
09-24-20, 06:48 AM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Evap coil cleaning / musty smell fix
Does any one know where the evaporator drain is in our cars? I’m getting a musty or wet smell when turning on the climate control and have researched the bulletin about this being common in these cars. There is a few threads in the RC forum but nothing on location on the F.
Has anyone cleaned their own?
Has anyone cleaned their own?
Last edited by AlexAviles; 10-05-20 at 07:29 PM. Reason: Updated with instruction
10-05-20, 08:39 AM
#2
Intermediate
Thread Starter
I shampooed my hvac system this week and the results are refreshing to say the least! I could not find any information about diy RCF evap cool cleaning but was able to figure out my own simple method, which I figured, I would share with all of you. First off, the Toyota cleaning kit video and others only show going through the drain tube. Unless you have a lift you can straight forget about doing it that way, I drove the car up on ramps and the location of the drain tube is completely inaccessible that way. (One person said they actually removed the transmission to access it which is totally and outright dumb as ****.) You can also forget about applying the coil cleaner right through the vents because there is a blower selector wheel that makes access that way unsuccessful as well. So here are my steps.
All work is performed on the passenger side of the cabin and around the glovebox.
Tools
1 can of vehicle evaporator coil cleaner
1 small wrench set or short handled Philips screwdriver
1 clean cabin filter
optional can of Lysol disinfectant
1: remove everything from the glovebox
2: remove cabin filter door and cabin filter
3: remove plastic passenger footwell trimcover. Pulls down and out. There is a light that pops out with a 1/4 turn. (I recommend leaving the light plugged in so you can use it as a source if light for working.
4: disconnect blower motor harness.
5: use socket (8 or 10mm can’t remember off the top of my head) to remove three course thread screws that hold the blower motor up. (There are other screws that hold the blower assembly and electronics together, don’t touch those, just the 3 screws around the outer round of the entire blower assembly).
6: the blower assembly can now be dropped out and removed from the car. You will notice there is two levels the blower utilizes. I have no clue why but I assume it’s for dual climate or the routing of air flow.
7: now that you can see the blower routing to the left, inside the hvac blower housing. Feed your coil cleaner tube into the upper section as far as you can and unload that can of cleaner slowly enough that your product doesn’t come back out the blower housing.
7: the product will almost instantly start draining out of your drain tube so if you want to catch your dirty water have a catchpan under the center of your car just behind the front wheels.
8: let the product sit for 20 min.
9: replace the blower motor, tighten screws, and hook up the harness.
10: leave the cabin filter opening open and start the vehicle. Put your blower on ac full blast in the outside air selection, not recirculate, and let the car run for 20-30min to let the condensation clean and flush the system.
11: this step is optional but it was great for me. Take a Aerosol can of Lysol or other disinfectant spray and spray it right into the open blower area where the cabin filter goes(not on the filter). Spray a decent amount into it while it’s running it will suck it in and disperse the disinfectant throughout the system. Spray into both the upper and lower duct area and change the blower selection from face to feet and repeat with each blower setting to disinfect each area of the hvac system.
12: replace cabin filter, door, and footwell trim.
After 10-20mins of running the cleaning smell will dissipate and you’ll have a fresh new car smelling heat and ac blowing on your face.
This was all diy so if anyone has any other insight or ideas please feel free to add them. I guess it’s a common thing in all Toyota and Lexus cars and some people are paying to have their car’s hvac cleaned every 6 months depending on how damp or poor the air quality is in the place they live. All in all this cost $10, was simple and requires very little tools or mechanical know how.
All work is performed on the passenger side of the cabin and around the glovebox.
Tools
1 can of vehicle evaporator coil cleaner
1 small wrench set or short handled Philips screwdriver
1 clean cabin filter
optional can of Lysol disinfectant
1: remove everything from the glovebox
2: remove cabin filter door and cabin filter
3: remove plastic passenger footwell trimcover. Pulls down and out. There is a light that pops out with a 1/4 turn. (I recommend leaving the light plugged in so you can use it as a source if light for working.
4: disconnect blower motor harness.
5: use socket (8 or 10mm can’t remember off the top of my head) to remove three course thread screws that hold the blower motor up. (There are other screws that hold the blower assembly and electronics together, don’t touch those, just the 3 screws around the outer round of the entire blower assembly).
6: the blower assembly can now be dropped out and removed from the car. You will notice there is two levels the blower utilizes. I have no clue why but I assume it’s for dual climate or the routing of air flow.
7: now that you can see the blower routing to the left, inside the hvac blower housing. Feed your coil cleaner tube into the upper section as far as you can and unload that can of cleaner slowly enough that your product doesn’t come back out the blower housing.
7: the product will almost instantly start draining out of your drain tube so if you want to catch your dirty water have a catchpan under the center of your car just behind the front wheels.
8: let the product sit for 20 min.
9: replace the blower motor, tighten screws, and hook up the harness.
10: leave the cabin filter opening open and start the vehicle. Put your blower on ac full blast in the outside air selection, not recirculate, and let the car run for 20-30min to let the condensation clean and flush the system.
11: this step is optional but it was great for me. Take a Aerosol can of Lysol or other disinfectant spray and spray it right into the open blower area where the cabin filter goes(not on the filter). Spray a decent amount into it while it’s running it will suck it in and disperse the disinfectant throughout the system. Spray into both the upper and lower duct area and change the blower selection from face to feet and repeat with each blower setting to disinfect each area of the hvac system.
12: replace cabin filter, door, and footwell trim.
After 10-20mins of running the cleaning smell will dissipate and you’ll have a fresh new car smelling heat and ac blowing on your face.
This was all diy so if anyone has any other insight or ideas please feel free to add them. I guess it’s a common thing in all Toyota and Lexus cars and some people are paying to have their car’s hvac cleaned every 6 months depending on how damp or poor the air quality is in the place they live. All in all this cost $10, was simple and requires very little tools or mechanical know how.
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