rfh928

Hi...

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on this annoying issue I'm having with my '98 Vette. When I first turn on the ignition, before starting the car, air will start blowing out of the vents. The smell is musty, almost mouldy. Same for a few seconds when the motor is started, before the a/c kicks in.

Once the a/c is running, the smell appears to go away.

The car has no leaks into the interior, and nothing inside is wet...eg. carpets, etc. Nothing else inside has this musty smell...just the air coming out of the vents.

Any ideas on what would be causing this, and how to get rid of it - would be really appreciated!

Many thanks in advance...Robert

MHVette

It's a common problem with moisture building up in the air vents... I've heard try turning off the A/C a few minutes before you exit but still let the air blow to get rid of some of the condensation. I've also heard using some spray cleanser into the air vents. I'm sure others have helpful hints for you or you can try a search if you have not already done so.

6SPD98

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[MHVette]It's a common problem with moisture building up in the air vents... I've heard try turning off the A/C a few minutes before you exit but still let the air blow to get rid of some of the condensation. I've also heard using some spray cleanser into the air vents. I'm sure others have helpful hints for you or you can try a search if you have not already done so.
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Buy a bottle of "Febreze" Antimicrobial Laundry Spray. You can buy it at any store that carries laundry detergents. It kills 99.9% of bacteria that causes odors (that's what the bottle says) Spray it in the vents when you are not going to use the car (overnight) Works for me.

H20Vette

This works in all cars, not just vettes.

rfh928

Hey...

Thanks everyone for your advice...I will certainly give this a try. I'm glad that it seems to be a common issue and isn't related to anything more serious.

I've never had it happen though in any other a/c'd car that I've owned. Strange.

ericdwong

Lysol thru the intake of the cowl works too.

rfh928

Thanks - just to clarify...what exactly are you referring to by the 'intake of the cowl'? Not the very front of the car where the air filter assembly is...that would go into the fuel injection system then?

SteveDoten

in the engine bay i would say w/99% certainty the moisture drain is clogged that drains the hvac box

6SPD98

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[connecticut]in the engine bay i would say w/99% certainty the moisture drain is clogged that drains the hvac box
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Hey Steven.......maybe......maybe not. I recently experienced that musty odor for the first time, and I always keep my utters clean.

ericdwong

The vents where the hood meets the windsheild, under the wipers. On the C5 its mostly on the driver side. Those are your air intake vents. Creank the AC to high, use OUTSIDE air, then spray lysol. Oh yeah,remove top and open windows when doing this.

RonJ

RonJ ...

Mike94ZLT1

Do Corvettes use any type of cabin air filter? I know my explorer did, but I haven't encountered it on any GM products.

MHVette

They do not!

Mad_Maxxx

The cowl area is where the wipers and windshield glass area meet. Outside air comes from that area.

greg_nate

This may be a "cheesy" way of fixing the problem, but it worked on the vette and the girlfriend's Camry. I Turned off the air conditioning and cranked the heater to the highest temp and ran it full blast for about 10 minutes....on both recirculation and vent settings.

The theory was that the hot air would force evaporation of any liquid and simply dry up/burn away any odors.

It has worked for me very well.

greg