Mildew Dirty Socks smell from vents

Even with my ac off no smell. Just make sure you clean e filters every now and then. I see what you did there that was funny.

 

Ahhh, thanks. I'll try it out. Haven't really used my locker.

 

This is what I told you to do, read the manual, let it air out. Works on all vehicles.

 

@smitty99 did you get your gym bag smell taken care of yet? I've been following the manual lately for about 20 seconds before I turn my truck off and it helps a ton:

 

This has been a ongoing issue with my wife's RX350 and I've had plenty of time to test different fixes with this. Knowing that the dealer says not to use the re-circulation I have made sure to only use outside air on my taco but it started having that smell as well after approx 3k miles. On my wife's car I've been using a combination of 70% alcohol, Lysol (scent of your choice) and new charcoal cabin air filter with a specific process. I recently decided to try this process on mine without replacing the air filter and it worked very well although for how long it works I can't say. I inspected my cabin air filter thoroughly prior to starting and there was no wetness/smell and it was very clean.

 

Mine has been better because I try to remember to cycle the outdoor air on before turning the vehicle off. But it is annoying to have to push another button in everyday normal operation of the vehicle. I'd prefer the design were to default to the best course of action rather than it have to be an action upon the driver.... just like ECT mode, another button to have to push on the "Pre Flight Checklist" for the truck

 

Here is what I wish Toyota would do. When I push a button on the system...ECT, AC recirculate, or whatever...leave it that way until I push that button again. Stop resetting it to something else every time I start the car. Why is that so hard? Or alternately...let the system learn my preferred settings like every other function in the car seems to do. If every time I get in the truck, I push the AC recirculate button to off within 10 seconds of starting the vehicle, why can't the system learn that "off" is my preferred setting for that system? Seems like for a system with so many other advanced features and logic routines, that would be a very simple one to put in there...

 

You make too much sense

 

Bro it's only 2016. You gotta wait another 10 years for that type of 20-yr-old technology to trickle down to Tacomas.

 

I wish they would have left the 20 year old technology connecting the gas pedal directly to the throttle control in the truck instead of putting a computer between my foot and the engine and letting it try to logic out what I mean when I push on the gas pedal...

 

FWIW my old man's Golf does this and he says the trick is to turn off the AC (but leave the fan on) a couple mins before you arrive at your destination. This will help expel built up moisture inside the vent system which is the cause of the odor.

 

Exactly. Just run the AC with outside air and you will notice that it cleans the odor up tremendously.

 

Right...which is why the truck should be programmed to run the AC from outside air as the default setting unless you ask it to recirculate. That is why it is a bad design. The default setting requires the user to take some other action to prevent their truck from smelling like a dirty gym sock. The default setting should be the one that doesn't result in that.

 

Totally off topic... but reminded me of it any way..... https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-car-smell-making-me-sick.419996/

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! My reply to the post above earned me two days off. WORTH EVERY MINUTE!!

In regards to your actual question, at 15k mine smelled like somebody put mildewed dirty socks in their gym shorts for a few years and then wiped with them. At my 20k service they changed my cabin air filter (not sure if it was actually included or if they just couldn't take the odor anymore while servicing it). Fixed me right up... i'll be doing it every 10k from here out. My '06 Tundra smelled the same way.... I had bought it used though so i assumed it was just funky when i got it.

Before all the comments start about this sh*t and that sh*t... i work out of my truck so it gets professionally cleaned inside and out once every week. If i was the one causing the funk in the vents i would have spontaneously combusted long before now!

 

My girlfriends Camry gets this smell about 2 times a year. I use this stuff
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/LBGA/96030/N0442.oap

Pull the carpet back or go under the truck to the AC drain tube and shoot this stuff in there. Make sure your fan is off and let it sit for about 15 minutes with the vehicle off and then park on an incline and let it drain out for 20 minutes then turn on the FAN ONLY for 30 seconds and then let it sit for another 5 minutes. Does the job for us.

I run with my AC vents open and never have the problem with it. I only turn on recirculate when the GF is in the car because of her allergies.

 

Now Now

 

Doesn't it only run in recirculate on Max AC? Most cars do that because it is the most efficient way to run the A/C. I may be wrong but I'm not in my truck right now.

 

No. That is how most cars operate and it makes total sense. There is no "max AC" setting if you have the P&T package with dual climate controls. On the 3rd Gen, the default setting is recirculate and it comes on that way every time you start the truck and doesn't shut off unless you push the button to shut it off. I know some vehicles it comes on when you start to get it cooled off initially, but then turns off eventually. Not on the 3rd Gen...

 

Not changing the laws... changing their use of the laws. And it is a fluid dynamics issue; not a thermodynamics issue.

 

If you kept reading, you'd see that we discussed that Toyota changed their design, and therefore their use of the laws, and so I agreed that it's a bad design.

VVVV

Also, you are correct that Fluid Dynamics also apply, since proper prevention and evacuation of condensation would prevent the mildew smell. However, air conditioning itself is basic thermodynamics. The mildew smell is caused by condensation, and condensation is caused by heat transfer. It's a phase change, which is directly linked to thermodynamics.

But, honestly, I think that debating the fine points of thermodynamics vs fluid dynamics in a thread about mildew from nearly a year ago is getting lost in minutiae.