Funk Smell???

[Todd82TA]

Hey guys,

I have no idea why this is. But I just bought a really low mileage 2002 Ford Explorer Sport, and it smells like ass. There was a slight funk when I bought the car, but I figured it was just musty because it obviously hadn't been driven. At just over 35k miles when I got it, at 6 and a half years old, I figured it was just because the car had been closed up for so long.

Well, as the days have gone by, the funk has gotten worse and worse (the Florida sun certainly isn't helping it).

It smells like vomit, and there's sort of a stain on the carpet near the passenger side where it looks like someone left a chunky vomit.

I'm not sure how to get rid of the funk... any ideas?


I sprayed Febreeze and it just made it worse. I know it's not me because I wear deodorant and take two showers a day.


Thanks!!!

Todd

2002 Ford Explorer Sport 4x2

 

[jad2411]

Well clean the vomit! use woolite, it'll smell nice

 

[Doubt Incarnate]

if you can have it profesionaly cleaned, try that. os maybe just spill something that smells good in there.

 

[bluestream1]

Had a friend who owed a Caddilac and his son projectile vomited up onto the dash and it went down the defrost vents. They traded the car ASAP rather that having it cleaned.

Find the source of the smell..

 

[ThePhoenix]

my mom has a rat crawl into the air duct and die....talk about a stench

 

[my98nnj]

It could very well be a dead animal in the HVAC system. Does the air coming out of the vents have an odor? I'd take the interior of the truck apart and completely clean it. Extract the carpets really good too. If the odor persists, start looking for the dead animal!

 

[Todd82TA]

It could very well be a dead animal in the HVAC system. Does the air coming out of the vents have an odor? I'd take the interior of the truck apart and completely clean it. Extract the carpets really good too. If the odor persists, start looking for the dead animal!

Well, that's the weird thing. Once I crank the A/C, the smell goes away?


I think you're right though. I may just pull the carpets and clean them. They're spotless except near the passenger seat. I don't know if someone puked or s**t themselves...???

 

[$100horse]

Try using Resolve on the carpet. Let it sit for about 10 minutes or so. Then, rub it with a reasonably stiff brush. After that, put some Damp-Rid in there, for about a day or so. Not sure what part of Florida you're in, but, I'm in the Cocoa Beach area (so, I understand about the sun/heat there) and mine had a musty smell as well. Like it had been wet inside. I did this throughout the whole vehicle, left the Damp-Rid in for 2 days, smells almost like a new truck.

 

[fixmyexploder]

Well, that's the weird thing. Once I crank the A/C, the smell goes away?


I think you're right though. I may just pull the carpets and clean them. They're spotless except near the passenger seat. I don't know if someone puked or s**t themselves...???

I think I have this same problem in my neon srt4.... This sounds like you have moisture in your hvac system it smells musty and kinda sweet funk (srt4's are infamous for it, and there's no real way to fix it for the super neon, it's a design flaw in the car)..... your best bet is to try and pull the hvac duct work and wash it out, if there is blackish gunk in there that is most likely your issue

Do the explorers have cabin filters? If so check that and change that if it's gross looking.

Finally open the vents to allow fresh air from the outside, turn the car on, turn air on full blast and spray lysol or something like that into the venting infront of the windshield....

Hope this helps!
Bill

 

[Sbyrne97]

Use this stuff..it's called Turtle wax Interior 1..find at any Walmart or Advanced Auto Parts

http://www.practicalmotorhome.com/product/oct04-13.jpg

this stuff comes with a brush and really gets out all the dirt and smells...i got a seven year old coffe stain and it makes the car smell great....although it may get you a little lightheaded ....so make sure you get ventilation...

Another horrible story...My dads friend had a 2003 mustang cobra and left a chicken in the back over a weekend....It just happened to be the hottest weekend in 2003 and cooked it...needless to say it smelled like rotten animal and he eventually took it back to the dealer........:thumbdwn:

 

[TheJackal]

I'd wonder that maybe when you're turning the air on, it's pulling enough fresh outside air that you don't smell it anymore?

We had a Ranger years ago and somehow my dad hit a bird with it. It was rolled up somewhere in the engine compartment near the radiator but the smell was so bad we could even smell it inside the cabin. You might want to check for things like that.

I bought this stuff called Prestone Interior Cleaner that worked well for taking old Coke stains and who-knows-whatever else out of the carpet. I don't know what it would do for the smell tho.

 

[ThePhoenix]

I thought for coke stains you just sniff them out...oh wait