musty smell when turning on the defroster

[tgh117]

Hi all,

I was driving my wifes liberty over the weekend and went to turn on the defroster and it stank like musty old water or something. She informs me that it smells like this all the time. So I was wondering if anybody else has anything like this going on? I am going to call the dealer and make an appointment, have several other warranty issues on the list to get taken care of, so I figure whats one more item on the list, but I wanted to know if anybody else has any issues with this?

Thanks in advance.

 

[pixeldzn]

I had this problem on a prvious car and it turned out to be a problem with my lower intake manifod gasket. Coolant was leaking and burning off, and the fumes were entering my ventilation system.

 

[-=JoN=-]

yeah, but on the rear defroster?....
hm....dunno, i'd try cleaning the rear windshield. maybe some junky water got splashed on there, and is a bit of residue, and when u turn on the defroster when it fogs up in the back, it sets off that smell...

just a thought

my old neon used to do that....when u turn on the AC during the warm months, it stank....i read in a forum that it was fungus growing when the condenser or whatever sweated...had to use up a can of lysol spray it on the hold right below the windshield to get rid of it....

 

[tgh117]

No it has nothign to do with the rear defroster, just when turing the dial on the controls to defrost, or mix defrost and feet, and then turn on the fan and it will stink up for just maybe 5 minutes or so, then it seems to go away. Just really strange. It sure does stink though, and with only 6 thousand miles on it, it def shouldn't be doing this. I have some other issues to go along wiht it, so I will keep the dealer busy for a while.

Needs something done with transmission, jerks like all heck when backing up, drivers side door motor gear is stripped out again causing the belt to slip and click when opening and closing the window, and I might as well have the recall for the trans shifter paw done right away while they are down there. I had something else to, but can't think of it yet. Oh well, will call them and they can figure it out, thats what they get paid for.

 

[-=JoN=-]

ahh mis read it..sorry...

hmm..I had that issue too w/ my drivers side motor window....
funny, they fixed it....and they made it worse..LoL

 

[AntTrax]

There was a TSB issued about this and/or a similiar problem.

See this: http://www.wjjeeps.com/misc/tsb/tsb_24_013_05.pdf

Good Luck!

 

[kjpilot]

It's something to do with Mopar's A/C. My '96 Neon did it, my '01 Grand Cherokee did it, my '03 Liberty has just started to do it. It smells like someone shoved gym socks in the vents! I took the Neon & Grand into the dealer, & amazingly they could not find anything wrong! :-s I swear, if Jeeps
weren't so cool, I'd never get a Mopar vehicle. I will never buy one new!

For the people who didn't know, the A/C kicks on when you select the defroster. All cars do this for two reasons: 1) it keeps the system lubricated during the winter months when many people don't use the A/C; 2) the A/C system removes moisture from the air, making for more effective at defogging. If your windows are fogged over, the best way to solve (or prevent) the problem is to use the A/C with fresh air.

 

[libertydude]

MOLD

Issue with defroster mode, is it uses the a/c thus it probably has mold on it.. it needs to be serviced..

 

[2003KJ]

known problem with alot of mopar vehicles. A quick solution to fix it is if you can remember to, switch it over to heat for a brief time right before you shut it off, should take care of the mold build up.

I just keep a can of lysol disinfectant handy and shoot some down each of the 4 vents on the dash and down the slots right below the windshield on the outside where the air is pulled in by. Takes care of the smell, only takes a minute or so to do, and usually lasts a couple of weeks, depending on how much you run your a/c.

 

[tgh117]

Thanks for the replys,

It seems it is an issue, and they can look at it when it goes in there, looks like it will be taking a ride there end of next week. Hopefully they get it fixed, as well as the other issues.

I know what you mean Jon about the window thing, they have already fixed the drivers side one twice and the pass side once. I even trying using some WD-40 on the window tracks to make it slide easier. Didn't do a thing, two weeks later the window started to click again. Luckily its winter here, so the windows have been moved a whole lot, but now that its starting to get nice again, its going to have to be dealt with.

That would be rediculous if this thing turns out to be part of the lemon law here in pa because of hte window, wouldn't it. I dont know what the rules are exactly, but I think its like 3 or 4 times to the dealer for the same thing within a year maybe, anyway, its something like that. Sorry to ramble on, and thanks for all the assistance. Looks like I will have to do a tire rotation this weekend, just turned over 6000 miles last night.

Take it easy.

 

[Jaysus]

Mine has the same issue.

 

[JeepJeepster]

Hmm, they have window probs on the cherokees also. My bros cherokee has had 2 regulators replaced.

With the chugging in R, mine does that also. Its only when backing up hills and I have to give it alot of gas. Tell me what they say about it.

 

[tgh117]

I will let you know, it goes to the dealer tonight. I gave him the list and he was like my your having some problems, and my only response what, it doesnt matter the problems I am having, then need to be taken care of.

 

[ArticJeep]

Musty Smell

I had a musty wet dog smell coming through my vents last summer. I brought it to the dealer and they determined that it was the heater box. So they cleaned out the air vents with an a/c cleaner and I haven't smelt anything bad since then. The air vents just get microbial material stuck inside and need to be disinfected in some way.

 

[Jaysus]

out of warranty it is a $225 job at my dealer - ain't gonna happen.. doesn't smell that bad.

 

[tgh117]

They took care of it no problem. Already had a TSB on the issue, as do all the jeeps currently. As for the transmission, they said they couldn't duplicate the problem that I have every single day I drive it, so that will have to wait till some other day.

No more mustly smell, which makes life much better.