Ford Explorer - interior odor

Hey all,

I have an '04 Explorer that is the victim of a stench on the inside. It's
been going on about 5 months now.

It's most noticable in the mornings when I go to the garage. At first I
thought it might have been the trash can but the garage isn't smelly. After
driving with the heat or A/C on (and the windows down) it goes away in about
10 minutes.

I've checked below the seats for any trace of dropped Happy Meals or candy
from my kids and have come up with nothing.

The second scenario would be that the ventilation system has mold or mildew?

If the latter is true, is there anything *I* can do w/o having to take it
back to the dealer? If it must go back to my dealer, is this something
covered by warranty?

Many thanks!

Just Surfing wrote:
> Hey all,
>
> I have an '04 Explorer that is the victim of a stench on the inside. It's
> been going on about 5 months now.
>
> It's most noticable in the mornings when I go to the garage. At first I
> thought it might have been the trash can but the garage isn't smelly. After
> driving with the heat or A/C on (and the windows down) it goes away in about
> 10 minutes.
>
> I've checked below the seats for any trace of dropped Happy Meals or candy
> from my kids and have come up with nothing.
>
> The second scenario would be that the ventilation system has mold or mildew?
>
> If the latter is true, is there anything *I* can do w/o having to take it
> back to the dealer? If it must go back to my dealer, is this something
> covered by warranty?
>
> Many thanks!
>
>
Was this vehicle ever used to transport a dead body?

if it is the ventilation system i saw a product on a the t.v. show two guys
garage that is used for cleaning the ventilation ducks out it was a foam
the was put in the box that houses the heater core witch is wear most
oders start from i can.t remember the name of it but they said it was
available at most auto parts stores hope i was of some help to you

I recall a TSB for HVAC odor on Job 2 Explorers... don't recall seeing it on
something as new as an 04 (but then I haven't seen everything). It is
covered under the base warranty. Have your dealer call OASIS and, using the
correct symptom codes, see if this applies to your car. Even if it doesn't
your dealer should correct the problem.

There are some products on the market... Google up variation on "auto AC
odor" and see what you get. Bear in mind, if you use an "unauthorized"
product that doesn't cure the problem but does interfere with the dealers
attempts at repair, there may be a chargeback.

"Just Surfing" > wrote in message
news
> Hey all,
>
> I have an '04 Explorer that is the victim of a stench on the inside. It's
> been going on about 5 months now.
>
> It's most noticable in the mornings when I go to the garage. At first I
> thought it might have been the trash can but the garage isn't smelly.
After
> driving with the heat or A/C on (and the windows down) it goes away in
about
> 10 minutes.
>
> I've checked below the seats for any trace of dropped Happy Meals or
candy
> from my kids and have come up with nothing.
>
> The second scenario would be that the ventilation system has mold or
mildew?
>
> If the latter is true, is there anything *I* can do w/o having to take it
> back to the dealer? If it must go back to my dealer, is this something
> covered by warranty?
>
> Many thanks!
>
>

"Just Surfing" > wrote in message
news
> The second scenario would be that the ventilation system has mold or
> mildew?

Not unlikely. The insides of air conditioners are dark and damp, prime mold
habitat.

> If the latter is true, is there anything *I* can do w/o having to take it
> back to the dealer?

I've had good results with Wurth Air Conditioning & Heating System
Treatment. It's easy to use, just spray down the AC intake. Not
inexpensive, about $18 for a 16oz can, but it goes a long way.

Not unless my wife has been up to something she's not telling me about.

Thanks for your help, guys!

I'll let the dealer know what is going on when I take it in for the
transmission service notice I just got from Ford.

my explorer had same issue i had so many air freshners in it. then i went
to the dealer he set off a smelly bomb in it. cleared it right up.it looks
like a bug bomb but its for smelly places. auto store should have it.put
paper under it, set off shut doors and windows then wait till its done
odor never came back its been like a year. its in a can.works really good.

As Jim indicated, Ford has addressed the mildew issue several items over the
years with technical service bulletins, though nothing recently that I
remember either. The engineers have expressed frustration over finding a
permanent fix. They do have a product that encapsulates the mildew after the
fact.

A good piece of advice is to allow the heating fan to continue running for a
bit AFTER you shut off the air conditioning. This will help evaporate any
moisture and prevent it from developing on the cold air conditioning system
after you shut off the vehicle. If you are developing mildew in the cooling
system in the winter, that would seem to me that something is wrong, though
I guess it could happen if the air conditioner cycles on in defrost mode.

Of course it also could be that you simply have solved the mystery about
whatever happened to Jimmy Hoffa. Have you checked under the carpet? :O)


--
Regards,
Anthony Giorgianni

The return address for this post is fictitious. Please reply by posting back
to the newsgroup.

"Just Surfing" > wrote in message
om...
> Thanks for your help, guys!
>
> I'll let the dealer know what is going on when I take it in for the
> transmission service notice I just got from Ford.
>
>

I had the smell of cigarette in my explorer, and a bit of smell in the
vents. I took it to get a good detailing job , and interior shampooing,
(Headliner Carpets Mats Seats) and they did something to the vents with
high pressure air and aroma treatment. The truck smells like it came out of
the factory. You are looking at about $190 Canadian, but well worth it!

-Andy
"chellwil" > wrote in message
lkaboutautos.com...
> my explorer had same issue i had so many air freshners in it. then i went
> to the dealer he set off a smelly bomb in it. cleared it right up.it looks
> like a bug bomb but its for smelly places. auto store should have it.put
> paper under it, set off shut doors and windows then wait till its done
> odor never came back its been like a year. its in a can.works really good.
>