Sweet smell from car air con

MrsE_2

Sweet smell from car air con

Its actually a sweet p1ssy smell, smells like an old lady had pee-ed herself in my car every time I turn the air con on:(

Someone said it probably needed re gassing?

Its 2.5 years old & I only started running it weekly recently (I didn't know you had to:o).

Lirin

Leak in heater core, leak in radiator/pipes- unlikely it'll need regassed.

MrsE_2

Lirin wrote: »

Leak in heater core, leak in radiator/pipes- unlikely it'll need regassed.

Hopefully thats not expensive?

Do I take it to the dealer or an air con place?

Lirin

I'd take it to a mechanic first. Depends on what/where if it is a leak- they can be hard to find.

Unsure what your car is, but air-con supposed to last a lot longer than 2.5 years before regassing/ maintenance needed!

MrsE_2

Lirin wrote: »

I'd take it to a mechanic first. Depends on what/where if it is a leak- they can be hard to find.

Unsure what your car is, but air-con supposed to last a lot longer than 2.5 years before regassing/ maintenance needed!

Its a Suzuki Grand Vitara.

This is the first problem I've had with it.

Lirin

Quick search says about 4 years for your air-con. Obviously that depends on a lot of factors.

If it was your air-con you should have noticed a drop in the temp levels- ie, won't do freezing anymore, merely cold on same setting... loses the ability to cool gradually.

The smell is what leads me to think it's likely a leak. Shouldn't be all that expensive to fix, to be honest, but does depend on where it is.

MrsE_2

Lirin wrote: »

Quick search says about 4 years for your air-con. Obviously that depends on a lot of factors.

If it was your air-con you should have noticed a drop in the temp levels- ie, won't do freezing anymore, merely cold on same setting... loses the ability to cool gradually.

The smell is what leads me to think it's likely a leak. Shouldn't be all that expensive to fix, to be honest, but does depend on where it is.

Its still works, its just really smelly for the first few minutes.

muckybutt

Mine smells fusty ! especially if you use it and then dont use it for a few days and then use it again, Halfords sell a air con deodorising kit might be worth spending a few quid on that before going to mechanic ?

Strider590

Ya, I agree it's the heater matrix.... Sweet smell = engine coolant.
The hot coolant is piped into the cabin to heat the air during the winter months.

Check your coolant levels!!!!

Lirin

Halfords kit I tried once, didn't think it was all that good. Just masks.

Usually, sweet smell is the heater core or leaks. Leaks usually the nice cheap option, heater core can be more difficult. It's the coolant you're smelling more than likely, and if it's strong, especially inside, can mean heater core. I'd personally hope it's a leak in a pipe, as it's easier to fix.

Will smell for a few minutes as car warms up.

MrsE_2

Strider590 wrote: »

Ya, I agree it's the heater matrix.... Sweet smell = engine coolant.
The hot coolant is piped into the cabin to heat the air during the winter months.

Check your coolant levels!!!!

Is that the water & anti-freeze mix?

Will get DH to do it, thanks.