94 Accord EX A/C Smells like Urine
 

Im pretty sure the filter is all gunked up with mold. I havent used the A/C since last fall so mold has probably formed all inside. Is there a how to or pdf that shows the correct way to change the filter and clean the system? Thanks

There is no cabin air filter. Clean out any debris clogging the drain hose from the evaporator on the passenger side firewall. Use a pipe cleaner or straitened coat hanger.

Once all the water drains out, turn on the blower motor on high (no a/c, coldest temp setting) also have the air recirculate in the cabin. Liberally spray Lysol disinfectant into the flap that opens (behind the glove box) to kill off any mold/bacteria left. You may have to do this for a few days to kill off everything.

I've seen threads about rodents nesting in the fan cage. You might have to remove the fan to clean it out thoroughly?

you might also have to remove the a/c evap , clean it with soapy water and replace the insulation foams .By the way make sure to plug the pipes so no water can get inside it ( duct tape works good for that .also get a can of fridgy-fresh or lysol ( i prefer fridgy-fresh) smells better ,,, and when done cleaning the evap,and ready to re assemble , spray it on the new insulators and in the evap cases ,,also spray some in the vents and let it sit for a while before using the a/c system

PA is correct ,there is no a/c cabin filter till 1998 ( first year )

the easiest way to clean the evap is to buy a new one.
if you clean a dirty evap then it will never get completely clean. years of dust, debris and water clog and corrode the lower fins.
you'd better remove the evap and soak it in a bucket to loosen the muck, while your doing that you might as well remove the blower (if you don't have to already) and clean the years of dust on that too.
spray water from the opposite direction to try and remove the muck. you can use a dental pick to pull out stubborn debris (like cleaning teeth) finally spray dow bathroom cleaner (scrubbing bubbles) soak and rinse, repeat 2-3 times or more if necessary.
if you don't have the a/c tools to do the job, remove the blower and try to vacuum loose debris on evap then use bathroom cleaner (follow the directions) and clean the drain tube.
if you wanna do the least amount of work then buy the stuff some dealer use, the cleaner (expensive bathroom cleaner) with a tube on the can so you can spray it in evap by inserting between seals for evap and blower or somewhere?, this is only temporary and will smell again
If you plan on doing the complete clean-up mcgiver or mcgruber yourself an air filter with duct tape and plastic. mine works but hangs a little low.

No it isn't ,,,,,,,,,i have been cleaning a crap load of them , the only thing that you need to buy is the 2 insulator foams , they do retain the smell and come apart
buy the way do you know how much a new complete evap costs???

Smells like urine...yuk. I was wondering if this mold is the bad stuff that will make you sick? I know there is some household mold that CAN actually kill you.

new 4 seasons evap w exp-valve $115 shipped
old parted out evap $20-30
you're old evap free

I always choose free first
have a happy 4th! live free!
it'll be a good day to seafoam the vehicles,
lots of smoke and noise. YMMV

Be Careful !!!
 

If you start changing a/c components, be careful... there is alot more to "just change evap and T E Valve". I am a professional HVAC & R Tech and think an attempt at cleaning is the better idea, for u can cause problems, and damage the "hermetic system" thats jus my opinion, nothin against the other guys idea. Yes its old and has alot of crap on it but u still can try to clean it the best u can and probably get rid of the smells. If ya got alot of cats by where ur car is, be sure to shut the windows, cats will piss any where, including inside ur car... It happened to me ! lol But good luck w/what ever u do.

Sounds like I'm in for a day of losing bolts, bleeding, breaking plastic clips, and cursing. Manual says I have to release the refrigerant?

Whats the level of difficulty of this job, time, and the tools required?
If I opted.. how much would a shop charge?


I have no cats nor are there any cats near my home. Parked in garage.

first: follow pahonda's post it is the least evasive, cheapest and may work to your satisfaction. since your car is garaged it probably isn't real dirty
a question :"I havent used the A/C since last fall"
does this mean fan and/or heater too?
i've driven cars with the faint smell of something not right, as long as the drain hose is not plugged (water flowing freely under car on a humid day) I just turn it on high and let the condensation flush old water out.
of course it depends on your sensitivity to smells,
second: download shop manual remove blower and clean evap from blower's side,
third: since your a/c is working and you don't have the tools you don't want to go there, about $300-400 or more in tools. plus the chance of breaking little plastic parts or worse
happy 4th!

I hope that you are not advising him to leave the evap in the car,, if so ,,that is not a very good advise at all .

..if you want to clean the evap properly YOU HAVE TO REMOVE IT ,,, that is the only and proper way to clean it ,,( and not just clean it while still on the car by just removing the blower assembly ,,,,,,, and also you need to replace both insulators ..
when evap is off the car, you need to separate the 2 cases,( this will remove all the junk that might be at bottom case that plugs the drain hole ) clean the evap core, ( plug the pipes )clean the 2 cases ( soap and water,) replace insulators, spray fridgy-fresh ,, reassemble ...
Now if the core ( fins ) is badly plugs, enough to restrict air flow and you cannot clean it ,then you might have to buy a new evap core

of course to do so, you need to evac and recharge a/c system ,, but this is the only way that will last ,, unless you just by a complete evap assembly and replace it

no need to buy expensive tools, have a shop evac the a/c system , keep track of how much freon in the system , you can remove and clean the evap, when done, have the shop recharge the a/c system ,, it should only cost you around 40-50 dollars, assuming you got some hand tools and don't have to buy them

It is against the law to purposely vent refrigerant that is in a system, but people do it all the time, I have not done cleaned the evaporator yet on my car but am gonna do it soon. Any thing that has to do with a/c can be difficult and to do it u need some special tool also. When u get the eva changed out u will need to vacuum the system, to remove all the moisture and any non-condensables which is very important for the system to work properly. Not sure if ya can just gain access to the evap and clean it w/out removing it . As far as a shop doing it, it will cost a lot of money,period. Shops charge even more cuz of the laws and standards set by the E.P.A, and they wont go around the regulations.bla bla bla. Maybe you can find out if ya can clean it w/out removing it. good luck...

Make sure to replace the 2 pieces of Foam and maybe the grommets.
 

I also had a moldy smell in the AC of my 2005 honda accord.

I tried frigi-fresh several times and it helped temporarily. But I ended up having a mechanic change out the evaporator core for a new one. He showed me the old core and the metal was free of mold. It was the foam insulation around the unit that had mold on it, just like deserthonda mentioned.
Wierd mold, like hair; but black in color. Not what I want to breathe in to my lungs.

They replaced one piece of foam, but only cleaned the other one because the supplier did'nt send the correct part. They claimed to have bleached it.

But now it is back, but more faint. I could have it re-done with all new foam. But there may be another thing to watch for. After calling the Airsept people, the tech mentioned that there are rubber grommets that also have to be replaced.

I am now looking for a new car since it also has a some other problems. But I wish that some one had told me to make sure the mechanic gets all new foam insulation, both pieces, and replace any grommets that could be affected.