A/C Problem Solved

[dcoffin]

I had an interesting problem. I've had my 2011 Pilot for 14 months with no problem at all and then all of a sudden a subtle moldy/corrosive kind of smell began coming out of the A/C. Not something easy to describe. A couple of days later I began breaking out with a rash on my neck and face.

It wasn't until about 3-4 weeks later that I began linking the A/C to my problem. I took it to a dealer and they could not find any problem. No refrigerant leaks and when I picked up the car I could not immediately tell if it was fixed.

The next day I tried the A/C again after about twenty minutes on the road and immediately the problem occurred again. So I drove straight to the dealer and asked for the A/C mechanic. He got in the car, I pushed the A/C button and he could smell it as well. He suggested that I bring the car in later so they can go through the entire A/C system and mentioned the A/C air filter.

A/C air filter? I didn't know there was one, so I asked him if we can check it then. He popped open the glove box and released a hook so it would drop further and slid out the filter (pretty convenient location).

Well, to make a long story short, the filter was covered with tree pollen, small leaves and twigs and I was getting a heavy dose of allergens. We dropped the filter to the ground and tapped a few times then picked it up. Underneath was a small 9 X 9 layer of pollen, seeds, twigs and other debris on the cement.

With the filter removed we started the A/C and no more odor. It was fresh air again! I ended up buying a new air filter which I'll be replacing a bit more frequently because of the area I live in.

The tree outside of my house is a large sycamore and since it was Fall, its leaves were falling to the ground and on my car. Some were getting trapped in the Pilot's rather wide trough at the bottom of the windshield that houses the A/C intake and the windshield wipers.

The lesson I learned? I'll be removing leaves -anytime- I see them trapped at the bottom of the windshield. The mechanic said that Honda's recommendation is to replace the filter after 15K miles but if you live near trees that drop leaves in the Fall, you might want to check more frequently than that. I'll probably be replacing the A/C filter on my car every 8k miles.

[1YESfan]

Thanks for the post and info.

[carguy07]

So what kind of dealer looks for an oder coming from the ventilation system and does not check the filter the first time?