Weird smell from the vents

[MisteriousMichael87]

In the past week or so, we noticed some weird smell coming from the vents. It's not like a wet dog smell which happens when you force the recirculate feature too much, it's different, almost like something died in a public toilet. It's not too pronounced, but it's noticeable. What can I do to find out where the smell is coming from and most importantly, how to get rid of it?

 

[sedanboostworks]

That's rough, I'd start by looking for anything stuck in the cabin air filter and possibly the vents. You'll need to wear mask, of course. I've had a mouse situation once, and it smelled exactly like that. I'd change the filter and use some AC cleaner spray

 

[Thefather]

That kind of smell usually means mold or mildew growing somewhere in the HVAC system, try replacing the cabin air filter first if you haven't already next, run the AC with the fan on high for a bit to dry out any moisture buildup, you might also want to spray an HVAC cleaner or disinfectant into the intake vents (usually near the windshield) to kill any mold lurking inside

 

[Noah noah]

@MisteriousMichael87 I had a similar issue a while back, and it turned out to be trapped debris and moisture in the air intake causing that funky smell, so I just cleaned out the air intake vents near the windshield

 

[MisteriousMichael87]

I took out the filter, seemed fine, but I replaced it anyway. I also got a can of those AC cleaning things, so I'll see how it goes. At the moment everything smells fresh lemony and I honestly hope it stays that way.