imp

Hi,

Just bought a 2006 beauty and now I'm on a mission to get rid of a funky smell that the Z came with.
Now, describing smell over the internet is not very easy but while for me it's sth between leather and very old nicotine leftover (I'm saying 'Nissan' leather as I remember very similar smell from an Infinity I rented once - that was definitely mixed with tobacco though), I may be totally off on the description as my wife claims it's sth chemical (plastics/glue/fabric) and the guy that was refilling the aircon unit swears that it's the clogged aircon water drain.

The question to you guys is: where is the aircon drain and can I access/clean it from under the car?

Other than that, if you have any experience with identifying source of smell in a car and can suggest where/how to pinpoint the root cause I'm open for ideas.

Thanks

xzotklr

iTrader: (2)

Try these sites:


ODOR REMOVAL:

http://www.howtodothings.com/home-an...ette-odor.html


http://www.topoftheline.com/comodwipsys.html

http://www.biocidesystems.com/auto3hslanding.html

bmccann101

iTrader: (16)

a few things..

I am told we have no cabon air filter, which is usually THE casue of this.

I live in AZ, and its been super humid.. i see puddles of water under my passenger side front fedner often after parking, and assume its from the condenser etc..

Also, there is a spray you can get at Checkers for the cowl vents etc and is an antifungal.. and is quite powerful, crisp smelling. It is for this purpose.

If you find anything else out, pleae comment back.

The reason this happenes is when you run the Ac, it gets condensation,and then when you run it until the car is shut off, it jjust sits.

My Cadillac STS would blow the fan still a few minutes after the car turned off.. dries it off, no more stink.
If mine gets any worse, i may install a cheap turbo timer to run the fan.

jtabraham

iTrader: (46)

I used this the last time my car had kind of a mildewy smell, and it worked great. When you first spray it, it has an overpowering chemical odor, but spray it and leave it for a couple hours, and it works wonders.

davidv

iTrader: (2)

Sorry but Arizona is a desert and one of the least humid states: http://web2.airmail.net/danb1/usrecords.htm

davidv

iTrader: (2)

I recommend that you did NOT cover the odor with a spray.

Open container of baking soda under seat.

Silica Gel Dry-Packs under seats.

bmccann101

iTrader: (16)

Hmm.. we have both been proven right by harnessing the powers of SCIENCE!
yee haw!

Dude, I know.. and its a really awesome research link you have there, really it is. My nose is usually really dry all summer from having to use the ac all the time in my house.. wake up w blood when i snot in the shower, etc.. really just great stuff all around.

But in this lovely desert ( thats currently 112 degrees outside btw) we get these 3 lovely weeks every july-august called MONSOON..
now whats a monsoon you may ask?
Well Dave I gotta tell ya, its an extremely hard and heavy rain.. and let me tell you what powers of science fuel all this,and why I thought i would write on this post.

The mountains ( tiny ones, albeit) just to the north and east of scottsdale ( mind you still in the desert) take all this moist wind from the same places that make hurricanes around the same time and blow that **** to us from the gulf and from cali too.. it hits the mountains, gets forced up and cools rapidly and creates a super heavy rain.. humidity is around 28-31 percent at 112 degree temperatiures w overnight lows of nearly 100 degreees...THEN the dew point reaches above 50-53... thats how the monsoons start, and THAT , David, is why I say its been humid this week and why I wrote on this post.

haha.. not a dick post.. not flamin etc.. just being a dork cuz im bored. Hopefully its a funny in print as it is in my mind.. werd.

So in summary:

• New York is indeed more humid that AZ.
• AZ is indeed a desert, but so is my hometown of Fairbanks alaska
• You call it a desert if it has an anual rainfall of less than 12 inches.. not due to humidity
• Ozium makes it smell fresh but doesnt kill the fungus
• The spray from checkers does
• my codeine is kicking in now finally, i think ill go grab a mt dew and be up out this piece.

( drops mic.. im out)
peace.

bmccann101

iTrader: (16)

Imp.. where u from btw?
I noticed it says EU.. euopean union i assume?

Im friends w some people on streetrace.uk..

davidv

iTrader: (2)

I will be visiting Tucson in October, and report the humidity here every day.

zaperroni

iTrader: (17)

^ lol

imp

Thanks for all the replies!

Alright, so today I've spent 4 hours in a pro interior-wash cleaning *every* single piece of plastic, fabric and leather inside the Zed. I'm talking leather cleaning & conditioning, fabric vacuum & wash, plastic wash and plaque.
And before all that - 30 min of ozone (which by itself didn't make any real difference).

Right now, so just after the 'intervention' the result is pretty impressive. The original smell is not entirely gone but I'd say it's almost unnoticeable and anyway overpowered by the 'fresh leather' smell of the conditioning product. Driving is FUN again! Well - less audio, but that's the next project...

Interestingly enough, as two adult guys were sniffing every corner of the interior (which must have been quite a show for folks passing by), we noticed that the most intensive smell was coming from door plastics and roof upholstery.. No clue as to the root cause...

I'll keep you posted - tomorrow is the judgment day. Worst case scenario - Ozium, fridge-it, baking soda and vinegar to the rescue

--
Answering the btw - I'm from Poland. The good side of the area is: 350z is rare. The flip side is ... 350z is rare

shaun123

I wonder if you have a leak and it is mildewing in your door? You might want to check this. Good luck

imp

3 days after the operation. The smell is back

Well, interestingly enough a couple of friends came over to check out the car and I asked their opinion - they claim it's a funky leather smell and it doesn't bother them one bit. Same opinion as the previous owner's, so perhaps there's sth to it...
Still, I want to get to the root cause though beyond a shadow of doubt.

Geez.. Here's the plan:
1) while replacing front speakers I'll ask the guys to check for mildew on the door
2) when it's garaged for the winter, I will take trim off the seats and put it in a small tight container for 2 days followed by a smell test - this should rule out leather
3) if 1 & 2 fails I will take off the roof upholstery and put it in a large plastic bag for 2 days. Smell test.

Having said all this - I would say that I'm more sensitive to smell than average person, but don't want to give up on a car for sth that minor...

Detailed Image

iTrader: (27)

If you know the source I would recommend wiping down the areas with the Chemical Guys Sofast Odor Eater or the Chemical Guys Extreme Offensive Odor Eliminator - Concentrated. Both kill bacteria build ups, not just cover them up temporarily. If the smell is coming from mildew from the AC then try the Einszett 1Z Klima-Cleaner AC Odor Remover. It kills the bacteria that can form around your condenser so you don't have that terrible smell.

blitz2k1

BUY THIS.... and thank me later!

http://www.performancemotorcare.com/...ick-Fresh.html