GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hi guys I have an '03 Vibe and during the past 2-3 months I have been noticing different smells coming from the AC/heat vents. I believe it happens with every configuration of recirculated air, air conditioning on, hot, cold, vents. It smells like vinegar/(removed)/death...and it is completely unbearable!! Before it used to just happen when I started it up and then would go away, but today it was there for over 10 minutes!! I had to turn it off and stick my head out of the window! Any ideas here?? THanks for anything!!

Move to Michigan where it is 20 degrees F and you will not need the AC.

ever have the cat converter replaced? that or something died in your vents....

Maybe check and clean the cabin air filter?

You need to disinfect the hell out of the HVAC system, it sounds pretty nasty! Mine was the same, it really sucked - I know how you feel. Grab a few dozen cans of lysol and go here:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=19575Replace your cabin air filter too... And once you finally get everything cleared up, always remember to turn off your A/C when you're ~5 minutes or so from your destination - crank the fan all the way up after turning it off so your evaporator and whatnot can get dried out. If you leave the A/C on and park the car, water is going to become stagnant inside your dash and things will get moldy... Not letting that stuff stay in your car is key, I learned the hard way. Now without even thinking about it, I'll kill the A/C several miles before I get to where I'm going, the car never gets parked and the engine shut off with the little A/C light lit. It's working quite well, no nasty stench at all from the new car. The dealer can also do a thorough cleaning, I had to have that done on another car I used to own. They'll take everything apart and use some special stuff to help kill all the crap that may be growing in there...

Remove the glove box and open the cabin air compartment door. Pull out the compartment air filter and replace it. If its never been replaced then 4 years in there and its probably VERY plugged up. I replaced my 2004 compartment airfilter in 2006... it was very plugged and moldy looking.

The thing is I had just replaced my cabin air filter this past summer. The dead animal idea is certainly a possibility. @ColonelPanic - thanks for the tips man, i will definitly start to do that. I like the idea of having someone disinfect the whole thing. I bought the car used and out of state so I never dealt with a dealer before...would taking it to a Pontiac dealer be my best bet for getting the problem fixed professionally? Or will they just rape my wallet?

Since you already replaced the filter, you probably wouldn't have to replace it again when you go to disinfect the system.. Replacing the filter alone won't do anything for the smell, as it isn't the filter that's stinking. It is sturdy enough to be washed though, at one point I put mine in the tub and flooded it with bleach, rinsed it out real good and let it dry. That cleaned it up pretty good.Not quite sure how much the dealer would charge to disinfect the system, it was under warranty when I had it done on my Malibu several years back. I don't even remember what the process was called that they did. It was quite effective though! Although even the lysol trick can make a huge difference.I hope you can get that all sorted out, it sure does stink - literally!

i know we've had a few cars come in with squirrels and lil animals that like to climb up into the car and somehow get into the system..this one lady came in with 2 burnt mice and about 10 walnuts(from squirrels)..and some grass for a nest in her air box

Well I just checked the air cabin filter and it didn't smell bad at all nor was it that dirty. I then opened up the hood and checked the air intake and the whole area was clean. No dead rodents...It seems like the problem only exists when I have the engine turned on. It get quite nasty with the A/C on.I talked to a friend and he suggested it might be the evaporator which is something a mechanic would need to take a look at. Makes sense to me i guess.

We use to clean them at the GM dealer (all kinds of vehicles) if the ac smelled bad at startup, then got better. We would get a can of Clean Start (ac conditioner) and spray it between the heater core and the condenser, it would foam up inside the vents and work every time. Lots of people make it, called Air conditioning conditioner. it's an aerosol foaming solution. sometimes you have to drill a small hole to spray it in, and it comes with a nozzle with like 10 small holes along the sides to really spray well. You plug up the small hole afterwards with tape and/or silicone.

When I had my civic, I took my car to the dealership for basic oil change. They did the normal, replace all fluids and stuff. Well it just so happened that they got a bad batch of windshield washer fluid that smelled like rancid goat (removed). Every time I sprayed my windshiled washer fluid that smell would go through my vents. Check that out, that is always a place to start.