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I'm working to resolve the "funky" A/C smell issue... at least for a while, I hear, until it eventually comes back. What I am having trouble with is finding any information of EXACTLY where the evaporator core/coil is located. I have found cleaning instructions that say "stick the cleaner spray hose through the blower motor fins" or "pull out the cabin filter and feed the hose in there and spray". Neither one makes much sense to me, as it seems it will not end up spraying directly on the evaporator itself.
Most of the parts blow-up images found online are for W204's and earlier, and even the blow-ups don't clearly show how I can get directly to the evaporator and/or THE ROUTE to get to the evaporator.
I have removed the blower motor/fan, but that didn't seem to give me any additional access. I removed the interior cabin carbon filter and fed the Klima Cleaner hose into the empty filter cavity and through a side passage that went to the left (to the middle of the vehicle/center console) and emptied the can of cleaner in there. It helped the odor, but it's still there.
I need to be able to spray the foam cleaner directly on the evaporator, but it's literally a shot in the dark at this point.
Anybody know for sure the best specific access point to reach the evaporator directly? Thank you for any help!
I'll ask my techs in the morning... quick suggestion - if your system is zipped back up - run the heat full blast for about 30 minutes - heaven forbid don't sit in there - "cook the system clean"...
Thanks! "Most" HVAC systems have the heater core in the air stream after the evaporator, so the evaporator will only see ambient air, but the heat is a good idea and worth a shot. Can't hurt anything and it would be great to fry the little f-ers out of there :P
I'm in Southwest Florida where it's still hot outside, so don't worry, there's no way I'll be inside the car with the heat on, LOL
Thanks! "Most" HVAC systems have the heater core in the air stream after the evaporator, so the evaporator will only see ambient air, but the heat is a good idea and worth a shot. Can't hurt anything and it would be great to fry the little f-ers out of there :P
I'm in Southwest Florida where it's still hot outside, so don't worry, there's no way I'll be inside the car with the heat on, LOL
Thank you.
Would heat with the recirculate/tunnel mode on force warmer air through the evaporator if that were the case?
Ambient air here is currently 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Just ran the heat for 15 minutes sitting still. Temp Setting: HIFan Setting: HI (7)A/C: OffAir Flow: Recirculate All 4 windows open about an inch (only because I was concerned about the interior overheating).
I will know for sure if it helped when I go for a drive later today.
Should help - here in the Midwest our guys go for 20-25 min - let us know how it worked out for you...
Overall the Mercedes system is quite effective at what it does - including de-humdification - and here when my customers set on "Manual Lo Temp" - or Manually set in the 60's - and leave it in manual mode.
When our humidity here is at 65% or more - in Manual setting the evaporator tends to develop "frosting" (which also cuts down on system effectiveness) - and then when they turn off their MB - that "frost" on the evaporator melts slowly and leave the system sitting humid/moist for the "wet sock syndrome (WSS)" to set in.
Thank you very much for your help fabbrisd1, I really appreciate it. The heat blast I did yesterday helped a bit, took it from an "odor" to a "smell". Before, it hit you right in the sinuses, like you could taste it with your nose. Now, it's more of just a smell, but it's still there.
I will go for a 30 minute heat blast today, as you originally suggested.
Yes, I'm in Southwest Florida where the humidity is generally high year-round. Perfect breeding grounds for fungi, so I'm sure this will be a re-occurring issue. I usually have the A/C set on Manual 70-72 degrees. Running in Auto is not practical for me, as the fan blasts on HI and drives me nuts.
I'm aware that taking it to the dealer will most likely resolve the issue temporarily for $250-$300. However, for a re-occurring issue, those costs will be substantial over the lifetime of the car... so I need my own resolution that I can knock out when needed for a $20 can of Klima Cleaner and/or heat blasting and a bit of my time.
Since I have not come across anyone who can describe exactly where the evaporator is and how to reach it, I ordered a boroscope/endoscope (video snake) that should be here Friday. Colonoscopy time! I'll figure this sucker out!
Additionally... my wet socks smell a whole lot better than the air coming out of my MB. LOL
I also use Klima Cleaner - it has a press on hose w/nozzle - slid down each cabin air vent as far as it will go - press dispense as you pull the tube back up/out of the vent - I generally use 1/2 can for full front cabin treatment.
I was able to find what appears to be a "HVAC Service Port" and I'm thinking this is what MB Service uses as their entry point to spray the cleaner for their "Bio" A/C service. There is a pipe that ends with a white plastic cap above the interior carbon cabin air filter.
I used my endoscope to confirm it leads directly to the rear surface (towards the rear of the car) of the evaporator coil. At least I'm hoping it's the evaporator coil and not the heater coil.
I was able to get both the front and rear surfaces of the evaporator coil completely coated with Klima Cleaner. I will give it a couple of days and if I'm sure the smell is gone (hopefully), I'll start a new thread with step-by-step instructions of what I did.
Picture showing the pipe/service port:
Endoscope Video Going Through the Pipe to the Rear of the Evaporator:
I bringing this thread back from the dead in the hopes that someone, somewhere may have found a decent solution, has any input, or maybe finds the info here useful.
I'm still living with this stupid funk and I'm still miffed that this issue even exists in a ~$50K car. I'm starting to consider trying to cram one of these things in there permanently and power it by USB :p
I bringing this thread back from the dead in the hopes that someone, somewhere may have found a decent solution, has any input, or maybe finds the info here useful.
I'm still living with this stupid funk and I'm still miffed that this issue even exists in a ~$50K car. I'm starting to consider trying to cram one of these things in there permanently and power it by USB :p
Thanks man, that's a great video and very helpful.
I've done that exact process many times and unfortunately it makes the funk smell a little fresher, then returns at full stink force within days. Granted, I essentially live in a swamp by the ocean but it's not that... none of my other cars (non-MB) have had this problem.
10-17-2018, 10:22 AM
What I am having trouble with is finding any information of EXACTLY where the evaporator core/coil is located. I have found cleaning instructions that say "stick the cleaner spray hose through the blower motor fins" or "pull out the cabin filter and feed the hose in there and spray". Neither one makes much sense to me, as it seems it will not end up spraying directly on the evaporator itself.
I'll figure this sucker out!
