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Gmc a/c smell & cabin air filter

cajun_duck

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cajun_duck Enthusiast

cajun_duck

Posted
Posted

Ok, first question, do all of the 2014 Sierras have a cabin air filter? I have an SLE. I brought it in Saturday for an oil change and tire rotation and I asked them to change the cabin air filter. Well, I couldn't pick up my truck until after hours and I was reading my service report and they noted that "these" trucks don't come with a cabin air filter. So, confused there. Second, my a/c smells like mold only when it is set to recirculate the inside air? I asked them to check this also and said they didn't smell anything and that I would have to bring it back, big surprise there. Thoughts and answers?

timstech Enthusiast

timstech

Posted
Posted

The filter will absolutely help with that smell, the problem comes from a very cold evaporator core coverred with condensation, some uplevel European vehicles run the heater and blower after exit to dry the evap,this is not necessarily a good thing,relays can fail and batteries can die as a result of this. I know it is a pita but usually running the heat for very short time will dry the evap,new filter will absorb less odor,I sometimes do this on very humid days but not as a rule

nadrojcote Senior Enthusiast

nadrojcote

Posted
Posted

Your truck should have one, I changed my filter and while I had it out, I turned my ac on high and blew some lysol disinfectant spray in there, It sucked it up and now it smells better and helped with the mildew smell.

ghgmi Enthusiast

ghgmi

Posted
Posted

Best way to prevent the smell is to never shut your blower off. Too cold for AC--run as vent. Still too cold--use heat. Set your blower about halfway (or more) and adjust the temp till you're comfortable.

cajun_duck Enthusiast

cajun_duck

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks, I just can't believe the tech said there is no cabin filter. Now, do you spray the Lysol where the filter goes or outside by windshield wipers?

nadrojcote Senior Enthusiast

nadrojcote

Posted
Posted

Thanks, I just can't believe the tech said there is no cabin filter. Now, do you spray the Lysol where the filter goes or outside by windshield wipers?

I sprayed in where you put the filter, with the filter removed and the door open behind the glove box, I cranked the ac to max and unloaded a good 1/5th of the can. Now it smells like fresh linen scent!

cajun_duck Enthusiast

cajun_duck

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I sprayed in where you put the filter, with the filter removed and the door open behind the glove box, I cranked the ac to max and unloaded a good 1/5th of the can. Now it smells like fresh linen scent!

 

That's the one I plan on using. I love that smell. A very clean smell. Hoping to get to this this weekend... If I don't melt outside. Been too damn hot here lately.

Lawnmower2020 Enthusiast

Lawnmower2020

Posted
Posted

Mold is gonna grow in wet + warm + dark places. And where might that be? All over the evaporator and drip pan in warm humid climates, particularly just after the A/C is shut down. If you use it for daily commuting, you might get away with not drying off the evaporator since new condensation may be able to wash off the spores that accumulated there the last time you used it. The worst thing you can do is run in hot humid conditions then shut down and let it sit unused for a few days which would be perfect to grow Smelly Green Stuff.

 

There's an "Afterblow" (I'm not making this up) function mentioned in some versions of the owner's manual. The purpose is to run the blower on outside air for ~10 minutes after shutdown in an attempt to dry off the evaporator. 10 minutes may or may not be long enough, especially if you're looking at 90+% RH. FWIW, I have not been able to find any evidence of this function in my truck, and have so far forgotten to ask the service people at my dealer if they know about it and what it would take to enable it.

 

I'm a big fan of cabin air filters in general for keeping the crud accumulation on the evaporator to a minimum. In dusty environments they can make a huge difference. Unfortunately, the one that GM uses here is pretty lame. The passages are very large as filters go so until it gets well loaded up with dust, there's practically no chance that it will be able to filter out mold spores which are pretty small. I'm hoping the aftermarket will come up with a better alternative, especially if it has activated charcoal in it.

Robert.jean1 Enthusiast

Robert.jean1

Posted
Posted

Well that's cause apparently you make it very easy! Asked Google about cabin air filter and that pops up first. Good people helping other good people. Keep up your good work!

 

 

 

I love it when I see my videos posted!

Pat Grant Enthusiast

Pat Grant

Posted
Posted

My truck goes in for an oil change and rotation tomorrow. They will also update the nav database. But after a recent trip out of town, while my truck sat at the airport for a week, I smelled a mildew smell when I fired up the truck...It lasted about 2 hours. So they will be looking at that too.

 

I have noticed that since I bought the truck, that on start up each morning, the condensation drain would spit out about an 1/8 cup of water the first thing in the morning, so it's not draining as it should.

waumo1 Enthusiast

waumo1

Posted
Posted

I just put a cabin filter kit in my 2011 and it already smells better and the best thing is the lack of dust in the interior. Cutting out the hole for the filter in the plenum was a real PITA though. I can't believe they were so cheap to delete the cabin filter.

ghgmi Enthusiast

ghgmi

Posted
Posted

I just put a cabin filter kit in my 2011 and it already smells better and the best thing is the lack of dust in the interior. Cutting out the hole for the filter in the plenum was a real PITA though. I can't believe they were so cheap to delete the cabin filter.

 

Frankly, I don't think they do me much good. My windows are down most of the time, even when it's hot.

newdude Senior Enthusiast

newdude

Posted
Posted

From 2003-2013 the GM trucks did not have a cabin air filter. 2014 and newer do have a cabin filter, so folks at your dealer probably still think they don't use one.

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