Mold on cabin air filter

[bluecheese]

Do you ever see condensate on the floor after running the A/C? I would expect that you would see that regularly in a humid environment. I see it a lot here in Florida.

Inside the vehicle? No, never.

 

[mikeru]

Inside the vehicle? No, never.

No, I'm talking about on the ground under the truck. If the drain is plugged you won't see any on the ground. Take your truck for a 10 minute drive with the A/C running, then park it in a spot where you can check for a puddle of water. You should have a nice puddle on the ground near where it would run out that drain about 5 minutes after shutting the truck off. Although if it's draining onto the frame rail it may run to other areas under the truck. This works best with humidity above 50%.

 

[bluecheese]

No, I'm talking about on the ground under the truck. If the drain is plugged you won't see any on the ground. Take your truck for a 10 minute drive with the A/C running, then park it in a spot where you can check for a puddle of water. You should have a nice puddle on the ground near where it would run out that drain about 5 minutes after shutting the truck off. Although if it's draining onto the frame rail it may run to other areas under the truck. This works best with humidity above 50%.

Ah. Yeah. I believe so. But its not something I normally check. I ran the Kool It through the evap drain, then drove the truck for 10 minutes after letting it sit. A good bit of water was coming out the drain when I was done.

 

[mikeru]

That's good. At least you've eliminated that as a cause.

 

[Adamcr68]

*Username relevant. Somehow.

Got me again, luckily had just swallowed my coffee, so no spitting.

 

[Gary Fields]

Basic biology is that mold needs 3 things. Temp between 60's and 90's. Food (cellulose) to live on-likes paper like filter media, and water. Gotta have water. For some reason your system is getting too wet. Check drains.

 

[Lee Peterson]

Never had my filter look like that and I'm in cold snowy damp Canada. I use charcoal filters not sure if that helps. Did the truck always have a filter or did you add it? I've seen them without a filter and evaporator gets covered in dust etc that holds moisture.

 

[mikeru]

Never had my filter look like that and I'm in cold snowy damp Canada. I use charcoal filters not sure if that helps. Did the truck always have a filter or did you add it? I've seen them without a filter and evaporator gets covered in dust etc that holds moisture.

5th gen 1500’s all have the cabin filter from the factory. 4th gens didn’t have them until around 2016 or 2017. Since the OP is asking about his 5th gen 1500 his truck came with the filter.

 

[Bighorn_Brown]

I’d throw a can of the a/c system cleaner through it. It kills germs and cleans. Spray in the outside cowl vent with a/c on. The turn the a/c off and spray in the interior vents. Let it sit overnight.

Another thing I read was to drive a few miles with the a/c compressor off and the fan on the high setting. This is supposed to get any residual moisture out of the system. Typically, I do this the last 3-5mi, or so, when headed back to my house from running around town.

This has definitely helped… a lot. My truck sits quite a bit as I work out of time; a lot. There was a time when my a/c smelled like old gym socks and a jock strap. However, having cleaned the a/c system (x2 if I remember correctly), and running only the fan on high for a few miles just before parking overnight has helped tremendously.

I live in Arizona, so my garage gets a bit stuffy in the summer. Also, my truck is a 2024 with roughly 30k on it. So, essentially still pretty new. Shouldn’t have experienced that foul odor so soon in my opinion. However, Mother Nature says differently here.

Hopefully, that’s all you’re experiencing. If that’s the case I’d say it’s pretty extreme.

 

[bluecheese]

Never had my filter look like that and I'm in cold snowy damp Canada. I use charcoal filters not sure if that helps. Did the truck always have a filter or did you add it? I've seen them without a filter and evaporator gets covered in dust etc that holds moisture.

Truck came stock with the cabin filter. I change it twice a year. Not sure what the previous owner did though.

 

[bluecheese]

I’d throw a can of the a/c system cleaner through it. It kills germs and cleans. Spray in the outside cowl vent with a/c on. The turn the a/c off and spray in the interior vents. Let it sit overnight.

Another thing I read was to drive a few miles with the a/c compressor off and the fan on the high setting. This is supposed to get any residual moisture out of the system. Typically, I do this the last 3-5mi, or so, when headed back to my house from running around town.

This has definitely helped… a lot. My truck sits quite a bit as I work out of time; a lot. There was a time when my a/c smelled like old gym socks and a jock strap. However, having cleaned the a/c system (x2 if I remember correctly), and running only the fan on high for a few miles just before parking overnight has helped tremendously.

I live in Arizona, so my garage gets a bit stuffy in the summer. Also, my truck is a 2024 with roughly 30k on it. So, essentially still pretty new. Shouldn’t have experienced that foul odor so soon in my opinion. However, Mother Nature says differently here.

Hopefully, that’s all you’re experiencing. If that’s the case I’d say it’s pretty extreme.

I ran two cans of Kool It through it on Friday. The AC never really had a smell to it, which is why the filter surprised me. I'll check the filter in a few weeks to see if there's anything on it.

 

[DanAR]

Just curious - are you sure that wasn’t a filter with charcoal granules in it?

 

[joesstripclub]

If you haven't bought some damp rid yet, you can buy 5 lb bottles of desiccant beads off amazon that are reusable for about the same price as a couple packs of damp rid. They turn colors so you know they are working then you can put them in the oven to dehydrate. They come with mesh bags too. I needed some for my camper and have found a few other uses for them as well.

Amazon

 

[bluecheese]

Just curious - are you sure that wasn’t a filter with charcoal granules in it?
View attachment 581736

Pretty sure it was just the base STP filter I picked up from AutoZone.

 

[madtrucker2016]

I just did my semi annual cabin air filter change and noticed mold on the old filter.

I’ve never come across this before. Is it normal?

Any suggestions on how to DIY clean the truck’s hvac?

View attachment 581524

Put it in a ziplock bag and save it after you take a picture. You have a biohazard in your vehicle. Bring the truck to the dealer and explain it . My sister had the same problem with a new Malibu, and the dealer had to replace the vehicle because it was a biohazard and spread into other parts of the car.

 

[BossHogg]

This might sound a little strange, but you might buy a small container of "Damp Rid" and put it in your truck to see if it removes any dampness or heavy humidity from the inside. It will at least let you know if there is a problem inside the truck.
Jay

Not strange at all.

I use the Damp Rid containers in my firearms safe, both trucks, under the kitchen sink, in the clothes closets, and on my boat during winter storage. The OP is in a high-humidity environment, and he may not be running the truck's AC long enough to completely dehumidify the interior. He could try running the HVAC system on recirculate to reduce the amount of outside air being filtered through the cabin filter.