Smelly A/C

[eglade]

97 MKVIII Recently my A/C started smelling like the inside of a nail salon (don't ask how I know) it get's worse over time, then disappears after the car is parked for a while. A/C still blows cold and functions fine. I used the car the other day and there was no smell. My Mark stays parked most of the time and is used maybe once or twice a week. I got in this morning and A/C was blowing cold. About 20 miles into my trip, I started getting the nail salon smell again, very faint, but it gets stronger over time. It goes away when the A/C is turned off. Anyone hear of this problem before?
Thanks, Eddie

 

[1bad4.6l]

So you are saying it has a chemical smell? Or it just stinks? I would more then likely say you have a clogged drain, unless its a chemical smell. On a good humid day when you know the ac should be dripping check it to see if it is. If it isnt the drain is clogged and you will have to unclog it with a piece of wire or hanger.

 

[Frat-man-du]

BG frigi-fresh spray!!!!!
http://www.bgprod.com/products/climatecontrol.html
I used this in my '85 Tbird it really took the smell out. Of course if you dont clear the drains then the smell will return.

 

[kustomizingkid]

1z vent cleaner... really good stuff... I'll find a link later.

 

[eglade]

It's definitely a chemical smell. Like nail polish remover(i think). I'll check the drain and the vent spray sounds good. Thanks for the info.

 

[MarkVIII93]

Did you have a windshield put in recently or have the vehicle serviced?

 

[lincolnboy]

i wondered, do the mk8 have a cabin filter for the a/c unit

 

[MediumD]

You're the fourth person I've heard of with this problem, the first being my friend, another on this forum, and a guy who came into my store. All 4 have 97 Marks.

This is not a moldy AC smell, it's a chemical smell. We were thinking it had to do with the evap purge coming in through the HVAC, but turns out it's not just coming through the AC. We're kind of at a loss on this one.