Where else can mold hide in ventilation system. Smell is back.

I first tried the lysol in the intake vent below windshield on hood twice.
Next I removed the vent fan. Took it apart and clean it.
I also opened up the dash below the glove compartment and cleaned the AC coil, airbox with drain plug. I used the foam stuff that clean and deodorizer to coils.

Smell came back after 2 weeks later.
I am 100% sure this truck experienced a Florida flood. I found indicators while fix stuff in the truck's interior. I wonder if water got trapped in system somewhere.

Can the heater coil be the next device to clean. If so, is it possible to clean it? Anyone have instructions to clean that?

What else can it be. I do have another post in this forum that show pictures of how clean I got the AC coils,

 

Here is my eailier post showing the things I did to remove the mold. None of this stuff worked because the mold smell is back.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mold-smell-from-car-vents-2003-tacoma.743023/

 

Maybe your vents behind the dash are dirty?

 

Just FYI, the foams attached to the control flaps deep inside the HVAC system are probably degraded and crumbly right now. I've seen mine. They disintegrate when touched. You're probably breathing some in when you have the motor at full blast. Mold is probably hiding in there as well. Any condensation in the cab will get absorbed by the foams and result in mold. Esp if high heat isn't ran on the regular on that old of a truck.

I recommend ripping the dash open one day and doing a thorough clean up. It can be done in one day if you work 12 hrs. To get to the heater, you'll have to drain a bit of the coolant.

 

Also check the carpets. The prev owner on mine had done lots of water crossings. Carpets were moldy. Carpets are gone now.

 

Mold could be anywhere in the truck. Carpet, seats, door panels, dashboard, vents, wire looms........

You may never find it.

Suggest to track down any source of water to make sure the water is channeled out of the cab. Keep it dry as possible. This won't eliminate the mold, but it will slow or stop the growth. Consider using a dehumidifier in the cab for a few hours to help dry everything.

 

if the heater core has never been cleaned .

Then it might be anyplace.

In my case the wet dog smell over rides all other smells

 

This...^^^
Remove all interior trim pieces, seats, dry and clean all metal panels and purchase new carpet. Once the padding/insulation under carpet gets wet it becomes a breeding ground for mold/musty odors.

 

Try this, it works miracles. You add water and it gasses a chemical off. Leave the windows up and blower on recirculation. It leaves the truck smelling like nothing.

 

I'd pull the carpet and run the truck without carpets for a week or two to see if that eliminates the smell. Anything that can soak up water should be treated as suspect until ruled out.

 

They make a “foaming” deodorant/cleaner for auto vents. The idea is the foam fill’s the vents top to bottom. This may be a professional only product, never used it but it exists.

 

The truck itself do not smell like mold. I purchased the truck from a guy who purchased the truck 6 months earlier from Florida. I found the flood damage due to seeing rust and water stains under the dashboard. I smell the mold at startup from the vents for about 30 seconds.

I guess I need to get deep into the vents and heater coil area.

 

Hate to say it but you might have to pull the entire hvac box and clean it out

 

Thanks...

 

Before tearing apart your vent system, I would recommend trying an ozone generator. I used to be certified in odor removal and an ozone machine is hard to beat. Had some critter (probably a cat) piss in my car one night in Alabama. Smelled awful. Put a small ozone machine in the car for 2 days, never smelled it since. I use one in our cabin as well from time to time.

The one I use: Airthereal MA10K-PRO Ozone Generator 10,000 mg/h High Capacity O3 Machine, Home Ionizer Odor Remover, 10000, Yellow

$110 Airthereal MA10K-PRO Ozone Generator 10000 mg/h High Capacity O3 Machine, Home Ionizer Odor Remover, Yellow

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D8MC68M

I bet if you put this in your truck for an hour or 2 with the truck running and vents on recirculate, it would eliminate all odors.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

 

I work at a Toyota dealer and we use BG Frigi-Fresh to deodorize the ac evaporator and vent system. Works great. For really bad mildew odors we do just like shift957 said and use an ozone generator similar to the one he suggested. The odors you speak of are likely from moisture getting into the carpet and insulation/sound deadening materials behind many of your trim panels. Flood vehicles can be terrible to deodorize. I've seen hundreds of them over the years. I know someone who bought dozens of cars down south after Katrina and trucked them up here to Michigan. Several just had to be scrapped because the flood damage was so bad.

 

These are so handy, I've used it to eliminate strong smells in smokers vehicles/rooms and homes with bad pet odors