Musty smell in passenger compartment from A/C.

A

anthonybutler@ro

Casual User
You're Celebrated Ontario
Messages
39
Reaction score
24
VetteCoins
746
Province
ON
My C8 Stingray with less than 3000 km and only 5 months old has just started having a musty smell which I have not smelled in any of my cars for over 40 years. Has anyone have had this? Is this covered under warranty? Do i get it fixed now or wait until spring 2027? Your guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Not sure if it's similar but I had the same with my C7 early on. The dealer initially couldn't figure it out, so I did some research myself online and found that there was an 'afterblow' feature which sounds weird but essentially it runs the blower motor after the engine is shut off...to get rid of excess condensation which caused the musty smell.

It was a software fix and once they did this 6 or so years ago I've never had the smell again.
 
anthonybutler@ro said:
That's sounds what is wrong with mine. The smell comes from the moisture when the A/C is running and does not drain onto the ground. The last time I had this was with a new Ford Contour SE.
Thanks for your input and help.
Click to expand...
Is there a puddle on the pavement when the AC is on and you're stationary? If not, it sounds like the drain hose is obstructed. It will trap condensate water in the evap section of the HVAC. It will stagnate and smell. If you can find the drain hose when car is on a hoist, run a coat hanger wire or similar up it to try to clear it. You should get some yucky water out.
 
UPDATE: I got an appointment at Wilson Niblett Service this morning. When I arrived the CSR started the car and put the A/C on full blast and it smelled fine. I pointed out that the musty smell only comes on when I turn off the A/C and raise the temperature and sure enough the smell came on. I was told he was going to get the shop foreman and for me to take a seat in the waiting area. About 5 minutes later, he called me over to the car and was told all was fixed. They sprayed some deodorizer and had a laptop hooked to the car. They must have done a software fix as outlined in "rfh928" post above. The C8 does not have a hose from the evaporator to drain excess moisture. Instead the interior blower will turn on after the engine is turned off to remove any excess moisture. The following link gives a more detailed explanation how this feature works:
Google Search (https://www.google.com/search?q=i+understand+that+my+C8+A%2FC+sytem+has+an+afterblow+feature+to+get+rid+of+excess+moisture.+How+does+this+work%3F&oq=i+understand+that+my+C8+A%2FC+sytem+has+++an+afterblow+feature+to+get+rid+of+excess+moisture.+How+does+this+work%3F&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCjI2MDAyOWowajeoAgCwAgA&client=ms-android-samsung-ss&sourceid=chrome-mobile&source=chrome.ob&ie=UTF-8#lfId=ChxjMe)
One point worth noting is that this feature does NOT come turned on from the factory. I cannot figure out why this is not done.
There was no work order set up for this. it was all done in about 15 minutes in the area of the Service Dept where the customer drives in the car for the appointment. Excellent Service.!!.
 
Funny enough I bought my C7 at Wilson Niblett...great dealership all around, but as we lived at the very eastern Scarborough city limits I wound up taking it to Boyer in Pickering for service while it was under warranty. When I first asked the service advisor (who'd been there for decades apparently) about the afterblow feature he had never heard of it, but when he consulted his Corvette tech they had & got it sorted out quickly.

You're absolutely right Anthony...why would they not do this at the factory?! Clearly it's totally necessary!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

  • Total: 2 (members: 1, guests: 1)
    Back
    Top