Where I can drill for cleaning evaporator?

[tjdgns97]

Dear All,Recently, I smelled like a rotten egg and I heard if I change the cabin air filter, it'll be gone. I tried it but it didn't work. My friend recommended me clean the evaporator with DWD2. I tried to figure it out and I think the most important point is the location of the hole that I have to drill it near the evaporator to inject DWD2. I saw lot of pictures about that hole but I couldn't find the picture and even any explanation of this for Vibe (or matrix). If you guys tried this before, could you tell me where I drill the hole?Thanks,SH

[ou.grizzly]

Are you talking about cleaning the evap/charcoal canister that is located near the fuel neck and gas tank? That is part of the emissions system, but if you are not throwing a CEL why bother with it? The sulfur smell is more than likely the Catalytic Converter, Toyota and Pontiac released a TSB for this issue a while back.

[tjdgns97]

I'm not sure but I think it's not. The evaporator for the A/C that I mentioned here is normally beneath the passenger seat. And, I heard heater blower motor assembly, evaporator, and heater case are next to each other. Thus, to clean the evaporator, I have to drill the hole between evaporator and blower motor. But I'm not sure where is the exact point for Vibe.

[joatmon]

I thnk he is planning to hose out the interior of the cabin air distribution system with some sort of cleaner, assuming that the rotten egg smell coming out of the air vents is from something filthy in there. There is a radiator like part of the air conditioning system called the evaporator. The compressor compresses freon (I calli freon, I guess they don't use that anymore, but it's easier to type freon than refirgerant) from a vapor to a liquid, which then flows to the evaporator/radiator thing, where it boils away. This state change from liquid to vapor absorbs huge amounts of thermal energy, that's why it gets cold. The freon vapor goes around though some other stuff till it gets to the comprpessor again, gets converted to liquid, and starts around the circle all over again. Sort of like a NASCAR race for freon. endless cycles around the same loop. Anyway, the radiator like thing where the liquid freon evaporates into a vapor is sometimes called the evaporator, and it is located in the AC housing somewhere behind the glove box. I do not have a good picture showing the construction of the air handler in a Vibe, I have one for a Matrix, but that is one component that has always been different between Matrixes and Vibes, that's why a Matrix cabin air filter is too big for a Vibe.I don't know if it is reasonable to expect the evaporator coil to be so gunked up that it woudl put out a sulfur smell, usually in Vibes that is because of the catalytic converter. There was a long thread about "rotten egg smell" I am unfamiliar with DWD2, no idea what that is, how to use it, etc. I'd consider the condition of the cabin air filter, it it was truly terrible, then maybe, but if it was relatively clean, then there'd be no reason to suspect piles of stinky gunk below it somewhere.

[tjdgns97]

Thank you for your replies,I've got the point now. If the smell comes from catalytic converter, how can I fix it? I only can smell when I turned on the A/C. Is this the general problem for the cat. converter?

[Raven]

The rotten egg smell was a common problem with the early '03 Vibes in '02 and '03. I think your problem may be a plugged drain hose for the water collected by the AC. If it doesn't drain properly the moisture stays in the unit and mold and other bacteria develop. Sometimes it backs up and the floor on the passenger side gets wet. On a hot, humid day run your AC for a few minutes and then look under the car near the back of the front passenger wheel well. There should be water dripping. If not, the drain hose is likely plugged. Also if you want to get some cover up fragrance into the air vents, run the AC with the fan on full but not on recirculate, spray your smell of choice into the grill at the base of the windshield on the passenger side, incense works well too. That's where the air intake is for the HVAC system. If you use incense, you'll see the smoke getting sucked in.

[VibeInLA]

Hi tjdgns97 and all others

Did you or anybody else figure out where the evaporator core is located?
My Vibe 05 has a smell like a dirty vacuum cleaner coming from the air con. so I want to give DWD2 a chance

Any guidance is highly appreciated!

[lannvouivre]

Hi tjdgns97 and all others

Did you or anybody else figure out where the evaporator core is located?
My Vibe 05 has a smell like a dirty vacuum cleaner coming from the air con. so I want to give DWD2 a chance

Any guidance is highly appreciated!

Have you already tried easier things? Mostly: Have you tried spraying Lysol/etc into the intake opening that brings air inside the car?

Thread: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=15634&p=470477&hilit=lysol#p171969" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The evaporator--haha, oh I'm sorry, I'm having flashbacks of my blower motor replacement I did on a Nissan Sentra--anyway, the evaporator is under the center console to the left of the blower motor assembly. It is under the "heater case".

[VibeInLA]

Well lannvouivre I don't want to just eliminate/cover up the symptom of the odor without getting to the cause. Breathing in moldy air (odor or not) over time will cause severe negative health impacts as you might know. I think I need to give something like DWD2 a shot as I need to "push"/rinse out the funk.
I will post the outcome so that others might benefit from it too

Hm, sounds like you and evaporator cores have a history

Forgive me, but I still have a hard time visualizing exactly where that is?
- Can I access it if I dismount the glove compartment?

(Did I mention it is a Vibe, 2005?)

[lannvouivre]

Hm, sounds like you and evaporator cores have a history

Forgive me, but I still have a hard time visualizing exactly where that is?
- Can I access it if I dismount the glove compartment?

(Did I mention it is a Vibe, 2005?)

It looks like you'll have to pull the whole dash to access it. I have only ever removed the dash on the aforementioned Nissan Sentra to change out the blower motor, which was pretty much a daisy-chain of UGH.

I'm going to send you some pictures, four of them. Having never done the dash in the Matrix/Vibe myself, I don't know how many steps you could just skip if you needed to only access the evaporator, as ProDemand only goes over overhauls and sometimes takes the most scenic route possible (I'm looking at you, rear motor mount instructions). The procedure to replace the evaporator core is about 20 pages long, so if you need more let me know.

Now that I think about it, you have a little hose under the firewall that drains the condensation out. You may be able to just spray the DWD2 up that and reach the evaporator.

[VibeInLA]

Thanks so much

Yeah taking the dash off seems like a big project (without a YouTube video about it )

Not to be a pessimist, but after watching video of others perform this on other vehicles, I am almost certain that I will not be able to create enough pressure to get the DWD2 all they way up to the evaporator core and make it circulate by spraying it up through the tube

I think I will have to take it by a mechanic here in West Hollywood/Mid Wilshire somewhere and see what they say...