2018 Limited Musty Smell

[MikeTX01]

We bought a 2018 Limited and after a rain there is a musty smell that comes from the front vents. What should I start looking at for the cause of this?

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Mike.
How long have you had the Explorer? Prior to the rain was there any smell?
There are a few existing threads on similar issues. Does turning the A/C on make it worse or is the smell constant no matter whether it is A/C or not?

Peter

 

[texsn95]

Clogged cowl drains would be my guess. Try some hot water on each end first to see if that will help things loosen up.

 

[MikeTX01]

Welcome to the Forum Mike.
How long have you had the Explorer? Prior to the rain was there any smell?
There are a few existing threads on similar issues. Does turning the A/C on make it worse or is the smell constant no matter whether it is A/C or not?

Peter

Only a couple of weeks. It is only an issue after it rains and then it clears up.

 

[MikeTX01]

Clogged cowl drains would be my guess. Try some hot water on each end first to see if that will help things loosen up.

Hot water wont mess anything up? Would it just be easier to remove the cowls?

 

[peterk9]

Only a couple of weeks. It is only an issue after it rains and then it clears up.

I guess it might be the drains. I really never gave that any thought. GIve it a try and see. I don't know of their exact location but I guess once you've located them you could see if they are draining or not before doing anything. I actually don't recall reading any posts on those drains before.

Peter

 

[MikeTX01]

Clogged cowl drains would be my guess. Try some hot water on each end first to see if that will help things loosen up.

Where exactly would the cowl drains be? I like to see schematics before i start digging. Not having much luck finding any.

 

[texsn95]

The cowl is kind of a pain to remove, as you have to remove the wiper arms from the spindles. Mine were stuck on and didn't want to pop off, but some penetrating oil would probably loosen them up. I believe each end of the plastic has some small holes that drain down into the main drain. Here's a good video on it.

If the passenger one is clogged, then it will mildew up after a rain and the hvac air intake is right on the other side of the firewall, so may contribute to the bad smell until it dries out.

Peter I'm just trying to post a Youtube link and the forum keeps changing it to a MEDIA link and screws it up. Why is it so difficult to post a simple link? I have to add a space to get it to stay.

https://w ww.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ_93Uc7NG0&t=161s&ab_channel=LivinWith3MAutoVlogging

 

[texsn95]

Good idea to check the in-cabin filter too behind the glove box. Plenty of videos on that. Be careful that you don't let the glove box fall forward too much or it will break those plastic pins that hold it in.

 

[smartcookie]

I am currently having the same issue with my 2018 limited! It started 2 days after a heavy rainstorm, but we also had used the AC pretty heavily during the same timeframe. Took it to the dealership, they replaced the cabin filter and unclogged the AC drains. Smell was better, but it's been 5 weeks and it still stinks. Have tried charcoal, baking soda odor absorbers, moisture absorber canisters, baking soda powder on carpets, vaccumed multiple times. No leaks or spills/interior moisture - we have all weather/weathertech mats front to back and nothing is wet inside the cabin. The dealership has used 2 cans of FrigiFresh in the AC system, but can't figure out where the smell is coming from either. Following this thread for updates!

 

[peterk9]

I am currently having the same issue with my 2018 limited! It started 2 days after a heavy rainstorm, but we also had used the AC pretty heavily during the same timeframe. Took it to the dealership, they replaced the cabin filter and unclogged the AC drains. Smell was better, but it's been 5 weeks and it still stinks. Have tried charcoal, baking soda odor absorbers, moisture absorber canisters, baking soda powder on carpets, vaccumed multiple times. No leaks or spills/interior moisture - we have all weather/weathertech mats front to back and nothing is wet inside the cabin. The dealership has used 2 cans of FrigiFresh in the AC system, but can't figure out where the smell is coming from either. Following this thread for updates!

Welcome to the Forum.
Did you also check the spare tire well? Could it be a deceased rodent somewhere perhaps in the engine bay or HVAC system? Have you tried leaving it parked in the sun with all the windows down for an extended period?

Peter

 

[smartcookie]

Welcome to the Forum.
Did you also check the spare tire well? Could it be a deceased rodent somewhere perhaps in the engine bay or HVAC system? Have you tried leaving it parked in the sun with all the windows down for an extended period?

Peter

The dealership checked spare tire well and found no issues. It's not a dead animal smell; definitely a mildew/mold smell verified by service manager and tech at the dealership. The smell isn't concentrated in any one area; you can smell it upon opening any door at any time. In reading other threads, wondering if it's something to do with pano sunroof drains? But there hasn't been any moisture on carpets or headliner.

 

[smartcookie]

The dealership checked spare tire well and found no issues. It's not a dead animal smell; definitely a mildew/mold smell verified by service manager and tech at the dealership. The smell isn't concentrated in any one area; you can smell it upon opening any door at any time. In reading other threads, wondering if it's something to do with pano sunroof drains? But there hasn't been any moisture on carpets or headliner.

It is parked outside all the time with windows opened as often as possible - hours at a time. Just so odd that this smell came on so suddenly.

 

[peterk9]

The dealership checked spare tire well and found no issues. It's not a dead animal smell; definitely a mildew/mold smell verified by service manager and tech at the dealership. The smell isn't concentrated in any one area; you can smell it upon opening any door at any time. In reading other threads, wondering if it's something to do with pano sunroof drains? But there hasn't been any moisture on carpets or headliner.

The usual sign of blocked moonroof drains is water in either the front or 2nd row foot well but you mentioned that you have the WeatherTech liners so there is no carpeting to soak up moisture. Since this happened after the rain storm, it seems to be connected. It might not be a bad idea to have the drain tubes checked out since most other possibilities seem to have been covered.

Peter