Smell when turning on the heater in a car - causes and solutions.
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An unpleasant smell when turning on the heater in a car often greets drivers with the onset of cold weather. You should get rid of it immediately, without experimenting with basic means for deodorizing the air in the car interior.
How to remove unpleasant odor from a car heater
Fragrances and aerosols will perfectly freshen the air inside your car. But not for long. Literally after a while, when the stove is running, it will again begin to tickle the nostrils, being not just an irritant to the sense of smell, but also a threat to health.
There are two ways to solve the problem:
- • in a car service;
- • on one's own.
In the first case, the stove is cleaned by a master using a hardware method. In this case, a device is used that performs complete sanitization with a mixture of gases containing chlorine. With this approach, all microorganisms that have settled there in the air conditioning system die. The method is certainly effective, but somewhat expensive.
The cost of using the second method is zero, but it presupposes that the car owner has certain skills: knowledge of the components and assemblies of the car and the ability to apply them in practice.
The first step to cleaning the stove is replacing the cabin filter. After removing it, you need to wipe the place where it is located and the space around it, because... An impressive amount of dust usually collects here. Did not help? Does the smell reappear when you turn on the stove? So, look for the problem further.
Debris and dirt deposits may be in the furnace blower fan located in front of the filter. The skills and abilities mentioned above will be needed precisely in order to get to the indicated place - for this you will have to disassemble everything and even remove the dashboard, including the fan, fan box and box with the cabin evaporator.
The work is not easy, but for someone with experience it is not particularly difficult. After washing the box and desiccant, you need to dry them. The fan should be washed, paying special attention to the blades - a lot of dust accumulates on them. It's easy enough to blow out its internal parts. The evaporator is treated with an antibacterial agent purchased at any auto store.
After cleaning the insides and installing a new cabin filter, you can enjoy fresh, clean air while enjoying a comfortable and safe ride for your respiratory system.
Causes of unpleasant odor.
Where does the hated smell come from? Over time, harmful microorganisms (viruses, spores, mold, mildew) and pathogenic bacteria accumulate in the air conditioning system.
In addition, road dust, leftover leaves, small particles of debris, poplar fluff, etc. can get into the interior from the street. In the summer, moisture condenses on a running air conditioner, creating an ideal breeding ground for the formation of various microorganisms harmful to health. Plus, don’t forget about insects that can inexplicably get into the most inaccessible places. Over time, dying and decomposing, they can also cause an unfortunate smell.
What are the dangers of using a contaminated stove?
If there is no cabin filter or if it is not replaced in a timely manner, the air, passing through the dirt-clogged filter and the evaporator of the stove/air conditioner, enters the lungs of the driver and passengers in the cabin, saturating them with spores of pathogenic fungi. Therefore, for prevention, it is recommended to change the cabin filter once a year, depending on the intensity of use of the car, and regularly carry out antibacterial cleaning of the inside of the stove.
How to eliminate household odors in the car interior
The unpleasant smell of rot can come from wet carpets or seats, from forgotten spoiled food and stagnant water, from a clogged air conditioner. To get rid of unattractive odors, you can do the following on your own or with the help of specialists:
- wash and disinfect the deflector and evaporator of the air conditioner from fungus and mold;
- inspect the interior for moisture, which, once established, provokes the appearance of a rotten smell;
- remove and wash carpets and seat covers;
- Apply a special product to the surface of the seats and vacuum thoroughly, then rinse them with clean water and dry.
to “Smell when turning on the heater in a car - causes and solutions.”
- Vladimir:
There was a similar problem quite recently. After two years of using the new car, an unpleasant odor appeared in the interior. At first I didn’t pay attention - I just hung up the “stinker”. But every day the smell intensified, it took on a putrid hue. I immediately realized that I would have to tinker with the glory. I removed the stove, washed it under running hot water and treated it with vinegar. I also had to remove the dashboard and wash all the air ducts with vinegar. The smell came from rotten leaves that fell between the gaps of the sabers under the windshield. To prevent this problem from recurring in the future, I glued the finest construction mesh to the sabers, after painting it black. I used epoxy resin as glue. Now the leaves do not fall into the cavities of the cabin filter and do not rot there. Also, instead of the standard paper filter, I installed a carbon cleaning element. Now there are no foreign odors in the car interior. I am calm about the health and safety of passengers.Answer
- Michael:
When I encountered a similar problem, I used a special solution to eliminate the unpleasant odor from the interior. I used such a drastic method because replacing the cabin filter with a new one did not help me. The smell was still present. And there was no foreign debris (leaves, dust, etc.) in the street air intake cavity. In these cases, it is only necessary to carry out antibacterial treatment of the ventilation and heating system. I didn’t buy expensive products or go to a service station, but took a more budget-friendly route. To do this, I bought a garden sprayer and 500 ml (5 bottles of 100 ml each) of a medical solution of chlorhexidine. Next, I poured the entire solution into the spray bottle, then pulled out the cabin filter from the box so that it would not prevent the solution from entering the air ducts. And after starting the car, I turned on the heater (the speed and temperature were set to the maximum positions). The solution was sprayed into the cabin filter box for 2 minutes. The car doors should be opened so that the solution that has not evaporated on the heater radiator can evaporate. As a result, this was the only way to overcome the unpleasant smell from the car’s stove. It is also worth considering that the chlorhexidine solution itself only works at an ambient temperature of more than 20 degrees.
Answer
Yura:
Hi Mikhail, what kind of spray bottle is this? Where should I pour the solution?
Answer
A fairly common problem, it is not new. Many people neglect this and change the filter when the smell really becomes unbearable and dusty, and they completely forget about cleaning. When I once worked at a service station, I had to tinker with cleaning the stove itself, but using the standard tools of the service station itself, this is done much better than doing it yourself. Blowing with antibacterial agents, then thermal blowing.
You can, of course, do it yourself, but the process is quite labor-intensive. First of all, change the filter and clean the air ducts. They also sell disinfectants that need to be sprayed inside the air intake; this is a preventive measure and should be used in the early stages. They dissolve various contaminants well and kill bacteria. Only after this is it necessary to clean the drainage under the evaporator. It is advisable to also check and clean it more often; all dirt comes out of it from the internal chambers.
Answer
I completely agree, in order to eliminate the cause of the smell, you need to solve the main problem, and not drown it out with various aromas. At one time I often bought used cars, so I know that such a procedure should have been carried out immediately after purchasing the car, along with changing the oil filters. You have to take care not only of the car, but also of yourself; it’s much more pleasant to breathe clean air!
Answer
Thanks for the article. The problem is known. I’ll say right away that I personally would choose a car service. But for those who don’t want to overpay, there are many ways. One of them is to take chlorhexidine and dilute it 2 to 1 with water. We take out the cabin filter and turn on the heater at full power and spray the entire bottle inside where the filter was. You can repeat it and the smell disappears. Cheap and cheerful. Give it a try.
Answer
- Gleb:
Strange way. If you open the cabin filter box, remove the filter, and turn the heater on to maximum, the heater will blow smoothly from this open box. How can you spray something there against a powerful air flow??
Answer
I change the cabin filter along with the oil and air filters when I change the engine oil) It’s better to be on the safe side and replace cheap parts all at once than to breathe in something unknown. Despite the frequent replacement of the stove filter, there is always a lot of dust, cobwebs, spiders and bees themselves!!! (we are not surprised, namely bees) and everything that is possible. I don't accept sprayers. I am a supporter of frequent replacement rather than using chemicals.
Answer
Three years ago I encountered this problem. I left late in the evening; I had to travel 600 km. After about 100 km, a smell appeared, which only intensified. It’s night, it’s -25 degrees outside. I was driving without a heater and was cold as a dog. But I couldn’t stop anywhere, because I had to go to work. It turned out that cleaning was required. Now I carry out this procedure constantly
Answer
I tried to remove the smell from the stove myself. I was able to do this to some extent, but to be honest, in the grand scheme of things, it was a waste of time! It is impossible to completely remove the microorganisms inside the stove on your own, which will gradually multiply again and the smell will return again with the same force. Don’t torture yourself and calmly take the car to a car service center. They will thoroughly clean the dirty stove, carry out chemical treatment, and if the car service is good, they will also give a guarantee for their work. In terms of money, it won’t be much more expensive than fighting the nasty smell from the stove yourself.
Answer
A familiar problem, after buying a new car, a couple of years later there was a strange smell. It turned out that the heater radiator was dirty. It’s a bit expensive to take it to a car service; I did the cleaning myself. Using special gloves, I cleaned the filter from scale, rust, insects and dust. Additionally, chemical treatment was used. Once completed, the smell disappeared and fresh air circulated.
Answer
On my Grant, the smell appeared immediately in the new car, the smell of burnt rubber. Moreover, in the cold season at minus temperatures there is no smell. In winter, without problems in any mode, the stove is odorless, as soon as it gets warmer outside the smell appears in all modes on the red scale.
Answer
The smell in the car when the heater is on, the same when I open the hood, the filter is new, it’s not clear why, but I’ll try to clean the heater radiator
Answer
The main reasons why the car interior smells of exhaust fumes.
Leaking exhaust system.
If the exhaust pipe gasket or exhaust manifold gasket is damaged, or if the corrugation burns out, it is possible that exhaust gases will enter the cabin through the cabin filter with the windows closed. As a rule, such malfunctions are diagnosed very easily by increased engine noise.
Agree that it is difficult not to notice the increased noise.
The repair is very simple - restore the tightness of the exhaust system.
Damage to rubber seals.
This is the most common reason for the appearance of exhaust gases in the cabin. The fact is that when the car is moving, in the cabin, the pressure will be slightly lower than atmospheric pressure since the air is supplied through the heater and discharged through the valves.
Naturally, at lower pressure, air rushes into the cabin. Any damaged rubber allows outside air to enter the cabin, bypassing the heater.
Those who once drove “chisels” (VAZ-2109) know that at the slightest damage to the rubber of the rear door, the cabin begins to smell of exhaust.
Often the cause of exhaust gases entering the cabin is the rubber seals of the rear lights - they dry out and crack, or dry out and gaps appear in them. A life hack on how to check the rubber bands without removing the lights - buy regular masking tape and seal the gap between the light and the body in a circle.
The repair is very simple - replace the damaged rubber band.
Custom exhaust system.
Many tuning enthusiasts think that side exhaust and forward flow are cool, but in reality it’s not so. The standard exhaust system is calculated and adjusted to resonate with the engine, thus improving exhaust gas removal. An additional factor that improves the performance of the exhaust system is the location of the exhaust pipe in the area with the greatest vacuum. Accordingly, when changing the exhaust configuration, a situation is possible when exhaust gases begin to fall into the cabin.
The solution to the problem is very simple - install a standard exhaust.
Why does the car interior smell like exhaust fumes when the windows are open?
What stands apart from the rest is the case when the smell of exhaust appears only when the windows are open.
The fact is that when you open the windows, while driving, the pressure inside the car drops very significantly. If the check valve is damaged, air from under the rear bumper will inevitably flow into the cabin.
This is what a damaged check valve looks like (it doesn’t exist at all):
Diagnostics is very simple - we seal the valves with masking tape or bake them with a rag, if the smell disappears, it’s in them.
The solution to the problem is very simple - replace the damaged check valve.
Well, or follow this video instructions and fix it:
If there is a smell of exhaust fumes in the cabin
| If you smell exhaust gases in the car, then you should not delay in solving this problem, because we are talking about your health and the health of your passengers. Let's look at why this happens. |
The most common reason for the appearance of exhaust gases in the car interior is a leak in the exhaust system. It makes sense to start diagnostics from the engine compartment, where exhaust gases can enter the cabin through the stove. Pay attention to the connection between the exhaust manifold and the cylinder head, the condition of the gasket (which may burn out), as well as the tightening of the catalytic converter bolts.
To further check the tightness of the exhaust system, an inspection hole or overpass will be required. With the engine running, we inspect all the elements of the exhaust system (“pants”, the additional and main muffler, as well as the connection points); if exhaust gas leaks are not visible, then we pass our hand over the pipes without touching them (hotly), the flow of the invisible eye will be felt immediately. We also check the boot on the wing.
The exhaust system is completely sealed, but the cabin still smells of exhaust fumes? Then we inspect the trunk (this is especially true for owners of station wagons and hatchbacks); exhaust gases may be drawn through it during rarefaction of air (when the window is opened). First of all, we check the condition of the trunk door seals, and then the ventilation (if any), and the condition of its check valves.
Moreover, we pull out the left (or from the muffler side) plastic trunk pocket; if the car is old, then the formation of through rust is likely.
Also, the smell of exhaust gases can penetrate through the gaps between the body and the rear lights. We remove the lights and check the condition of the seals; if they are missing, you can use sealant. By the way, also try replacing the cabin air filter. Have you ever encountered an exhaust smell in the cabin? What was the reason?
I encountered a problem with the smell of exhaust gases in the cabin, the reason was
- safety
- bad smells
- car exhaust system tuning
>Exhaust gases in the cabin
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