My Toyota Tacoma A/C Smells!! Here's How to Get RID of it (easy + DIY)

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In today's video, I get rid of the stale/musty smell coming from my Toyota Tacoma's Air Conditioner! Plus I share some tips and tricks to helping prevent the odors in the first place.
Things I Mentioned
- Tacoma Cabin Air Filter (OEM) 87139-YZZ09: www.sparksparts.com/oem-parts...
- Toyota AC Refresh Kit (OEM) 00289-ACRKT: amzn.to/444WmZS
- Cali Raised LED A/C Relocation Kit: caliraisedled.com/products/ac...
For further information, check out this video from one of my favorite channels, The Car Care Nut: • TOYOTA OWNERS! Here's ...
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Video Chapters
0:00 - Background
3:03 - Stage 1: Airing Out + Preventative Maintenance
6:33 - Stage 2: New Cabin Air Filter
9:05 - Stage 3: Cleaning the Evaporator + Deodorizing
10:48 - Tacoma Gen 3 A/C Drain Relocation
12:01 - Stage 3: Cleaning the Evaporator + Deodorizing
15:16 - Final Thoughts
#maintenance #toyotatacoma

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6 авг 2024

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Комментарии : 262

@carydagostino 11 месяцев назад

I've owned a few different models of Toyotas that have this problem. I had the odor return after a short time even after using the condenser system cleaner you used. I've solved the issue doing a few things: keep the recirculate off as much as possible, make sure to run just fresh air in the vent for a few minutes at end of trip to equalize the temperature in the system to ambient so you reduce the amount of condensation when you turn off vehicle and most importantly hook up a shop vac to where your cabin filter is located (I fit cardboard cover on cabin filter opening to get tight fit of shop vac for maximum suction) while mostly covering up the exterior intakes and have the vents open inside. There is accumulated gunk in there that the condenser cleaner will never get out. Using the shop vac and then keeping moisture out of system ongoing I've fixed the problem.

@johndough1264 8 месяцев назад

Exactly they knew about it and didn’t fix it. Just had a frame recall on a newer truck and I had the same recall 12 years ago on a different Tacomaz

@mutedxanime 3 месяца назад

Could you make a video of how you use the shop vac? It would be really helpful

@DeuceDeuceBravo Год назад

Pro tip: Turn the syatem off a few minutes before you arrive at your destination. It gives everything a couple minutes to dry out before it sits parked and gets funky. 👍

@ryoung6725 11 месяцев назад

I've heard that from others "in the know" too, so it must be true. My problem is remembering to do it.

@scottgorman7166 11 месяцев назад

You bet! Leave the vent open for fresh air and fan on.

@DeuceDeuceBravo 11 месяцев назад

@@scottgorman7166 Actually you want to shut everything off: AC and fan. Running only the fan after having the AC on causes condensation issues in the ducts.

@johnvang5581 11 месяцев назад

I do this 2 min before my destination and it's a night and day difference. No more stench when I first turn on the AC now.

@Jackal436 11 месяцев назад

Actually the fan has to be running otherwise the moisture and humidity is trapped in the system. You don’t want that.

@SwordManiac84 Год назад

Hi Chloe, first off. Thank you for all your help and hard work. I’m new to the Tacoma world and you’ve been the GOAT since I’ve gotten it. Being a care enthusiast for Honda Civics, I can see you care and move carefully when explaining. I’m just here to say….Thank you Thank you Thank you, incase we (the ones who watch you) don’t say it enough

@jubidiah 11 месяцев назад

My taco came with the musty smell from the factory. At 10k miles I’m so stoked to watch this video.

@ryoung6725 11 месяцев назад

I've seen this on some other sites, but yours is the first to actually show where the drain is supposed to be. I've had this smell in my Tacoma before, but not this year for some reason. Our last Camry had this same issue, I wish I knew then about how to clean it out. Thank you for all you do on here!! BTW, coupon at SparksPart took, but they don't ship to my area, Tucson AZ. Oh well.

@kamaboko1 Год назад

I don't own any Toyota cars/trucks, but still find your channel interesting.

@andytn6507 11 месяцев назад

What has always helped my AC vents to smell normal is after you run your AC either fresh air or recirculating air is when you park run your vent fan on high with AC off with fresh air for about 30 seconds with outside air and it will prevent moisture sitting in your vents.

@EdwinCV-dh8qc 11 месяцев назад

Thanks Chloe,your info is always on point/informative and easy to understand.

@kerrygibbs8198 11 месяцев назад

I got a new Tacoma about 2 months ago. You give a lot of good information and present it so that first timers can follow it. Thanks!

@Boobtube. 11 месяцев назад

Thanks Chloe for the tips. I like the extended drain hose idea to get the water off the frame. But 1 thing I would of done differently is this. When spraying the stuff up the drain hose, I would of temp disconnected the longer hose you added and tried to hook up the can directly to the factory drain hose. Reason for this is so the fluid does not have to travel so far before it gets to where it needs to be. And it might even travel farther into the AC system due to starting out closer to the innards of the AC. Maybe this is something to keep in mind for the next time you clean your system. Again, thanks for all you do for the Toyota Tacoma army.

@prescottosegie Год назад

Thank you for the information I appreciate the truck gems Chloe keep up the good content 💪😎

@mtnslyr 11 месяцев назад

Awesome, I learn new things to do with a car every time!

@ClarkeSLR 11 месяцев назад

Hi Chloe, I am from Barbados. I don't have a Tacoma, I have Hilux and I find your videos very useful even though some are not applicable to my location. Nonetheless, keep up the great work. Cheers!

@RecBuddha 11 месяцев назад

I have a 20 Tacoma and one of the first things I did, within a few weeks of getting it, was to put in a drain relocation tube on it, similar to what you showed. I also have noticed that funky musty smell sometimes when running the A/C and was always concerned where it was coming from. Also I recently figured out it was only when the recirculation was on, so it seems this video is confirmation of that! I thought maybe the drain relocation tube was plugged or causing it to backup in some way and that maybe was the cause. (Kind of) glad to know that isn't the issue and it is just common to not only Tacomas, but Toyotas and maybe even many other JP vehicles, based on comments here. (Though my wife's Corolla has never had this problem, so YMMV.) Definitely saving this video for future reference. I'll start with replacing my cabin filter and trying to remember to run it with the A/C off for a few minutes before turning the truck off. I am so used to just leaving it in "Auto" mode though, that will be hard to do. Thanks for the tips and other content on your channel!

@santarosa6676 11 месяцев назад

Nice body shots. Quick double punches! Great info. Thanks

@alfreddominguez2750 11 месяцев назад

Thanks for the tutorial. My Ram smells bad even after changing the filter which the dealer chose not to change since 2018. I guess I'll have to ask them to flush the coil if they ever figure out the battery drain and other problems it has. Lucky I got the extended warranty. Lot's of love from the 305 ❤

@marchayes2943 Год назад

Someone has been watching the car care nut😊. Toyota master

@Wklambert 11 месяцев назад

Gonna go order two kits rn. My wife's car's AC has always been a lil funky. Not terrible, but juuust enough. And, of course, one for my Taco :) Thanks for this!

@rwill80 11 месяцев назад

Hey there! Just recently discovered your channel, and as a fellow Toyota fan, I saw this one in particular and will be picking up the refresh kit soon for my Prius. Love the Tacoma and hope I see you driving around someday (I work in the SD area!). Take care and thank you for all the awesome videos! Toyotas for the win! :)

@udance4ever 10 месяцев назад

SD peeps unite! :) what year is yr Prius? I have a 2019 & noticing the funk too. lemme know how the refresh kit works out for you - guessing you're likely to get to it before me!

@rwill80 10 месяцев назад

@@udance4ever I have yet a chance to grab one yet lol but I have a 2015, and while it doesn't have any odors, I'd like to use it more as a maintenance item rather than if I actually had any real issues.

@JasonExplainsThings 11 месяцев назад

Thanks Chloe! I think some of these steps might be due on my 4Runner. I just replaced the cabin filter a few days ago and it was pretty embarrassingly dirty.

@polancorosahn 7 месяцев назад

Excellent information Chloe pretty long video but very informative thank you for sharing.

@Naut1188 Год назад

I have this problem. I intentionally run the AC without recirc (except when it's really hot out), and use a carbon air filter for the cabin. I never knew there was a kit for this. Thank you!

@joeykahng6219 11 месяцев назад

This was awesome! Great info! 🤙🏼

@df6580 7 дней назад

Thank you so very much, very informative also easy to do and follow.

@AkshayBhavsar1989 5 дней назад

Thanks for the instructional. Tackling this in my LX470 soon.

@bballerforever 11 месяцев назад

Good information! I recommend wearing eye protection and an N95 mask when using the pressurized cleaners.

@BADD400 11 месяцев назад

Great video Chloe

@steverinehart787 11 месяцев назад

Great tip thank you! Very helpful. 👍

@EngineeredMojo 11 месяцев назад

New sub to your channel, great content for Tacos and Toyotas in general

@coastalcustomlure 11 месяцев назад

The CaliRaisedLED A/C drain relocate hose was the very first mod I made to my brand new 2022 TRD Sport. I previously had a Gen2 Tacoma with an extreme frame rot nightmare.

@ABetterLifeWalkthrough 11 месяцев назад

Great stuff here 😎

@rastersplatter 11 месяцев назад

Great infotainment. 👍

@ScottMeckley66 11 месяцев назад

Love It Chloe!!! Thanks

@MrAlvarez23 10 месяцев назад

First time warching your video excelente. I need to do this to my Rav4 2009.

@airshow82junkie5 11 месяцев назад

Hell ya that’s been happening to me for the last month. Thank you

@MrRedHotChiliMan 11 месяцев назад

Some good information on here. I ended up spraying a half of a big can of Lysol into my outside air intake and half into the inside air intakes (on recirculation) with the blower on high to suck it in onto the evaporator more effectively. Just be aware to have your car windows down and maybe a mask/safety glasses if you don’t enjoy inhaling Lysol. Works pretty good vs. a $35-40 kit from Toyota. Although I have heard you can get a similar kit from Subaru dealerships for less. So you could go that route as well.

@jimtalbott9535 20 дней назад

I have a 2004 Tacoma, the AC Fan knob fell off - I searched for that…..and here I am. Glad I landed here though, the AC in that truck is a bit funky smelling.

@hamr84 11 месяцев назад

Chloe, love the channel! I saw a clip where you were using some kind of ceramic coating specific for off road applications but I couldn't find it when I looked later. What was that product?

@frankm7707 День назад

The reason is the moisture inside the air ducts turning into mildew. In the last minute before arriving to your destination, turn off a/c, open the fresh air intake vent, turn up the fan and temperature to high heat. Let it run for 30 seconds and it will dry up the moisture in the ducts. It’s tough to do it in the summer but this works well

@DaveW812 Год назад

I had a mouse chew through the worthless plastic grill above the cabin air filter. The mouse had built a nest on the cabin filter and had babys... I didn't realize it until getting home from a trip. My blower motor made some noises and the smell was horrible. Basically the blower motor had chopped up some babys... The dealership did horrible job of cleaning it and replacing blower motor. So I used Clorox wipes and replaced motor. I also removed cowel panel under the wipers to investigate and ended up putting hardware cloth screen over the intake so they couldn't ever get back into cabin filter area. I've tried the Lysol in the intake to kill any bacteria but gonna also try what your showing in this video. I don't have the bad smell currently but sometimes it doesn't smell fresh..it's a 2019 Taco with 20k miles so thanks for making this video!

@Lkom24 Год назад

Evacuate the system get some guages and vaccum the system out and fill her up with refrigerant and you're good togo

@erniediaz2433 11 месяцев назад

Thank you loved you tips

@nomar5158 11 месяцев назад

the evap core actually removes moisture,so recycle is better than fresh air that is very humid..

@halleffect1 11 месяцев назад

on some cars you can remove the blower motor(3 screws) and spray the cleaner where it needs to go, directly on the evaporator.

@mercurials54 11 месяцев назад

4runner has the same issue with drainage on chassis, I used tube to redirect drainage to floor.

@matthewholzinger1042 11 месяцев назад

I've seen articles that say to turn off the AC a few minutes before your arrival. But that can turn hot inside the vehicle very quickly. I found a block away is adequate.

@donnymillet3821 Год назад

Cool...would the same process work for my Toyota 4runner?

@lvxleather Год назад

Damn, Chloe has some moves! 🥊💯🥊

@irisbaez1972 Месяц назад

what move?

@RyanBurnsRed 11 месяцев назад

Yes the infamous Toyota/Lexus AC smell. In the manual for my RC350 it says to switch to outside air if you’ve been using it for awhile on recirc which it will be on for 99% of the time for efficiency. I just shut mine off since it switches to outside air anyway and it helps, but turning it off and driving with the windows down for about a mile before you get out the car will keep the smell from coming back

@marshallosantos9035 10 месяцев назад

You couldn’t spell recirculating ?

@2-old-Forthischet 11 месяцев назад

First I've heard of this issue. I had a 2003 Tacoma with about 197K miles on it before I gave it to my son last year. I live in So Cal so ran the AC a lot also. The only difference I can see is that it had no cabin air filter. The AC had never been serviced in those 19 years I owned the truck.

@user-nx1jx6cd9q 5 месяцев назад

In this video, (Off topic), does your truck have a lift and what wheel and tire specs? Please and thank you.

@BackyardEngineer334 Год назад

Chloe you’re just now telling us you’re a boxer complete with a clip of you beating some dudes a**. Lmao 🤣 you surprise me with something new almost every video.

@steveb591 Год назад

Google her. She's a 🏆 🥇

@ChloeKuo 11 месяцев назад

😂

@GIZZMOTORSPORTS 11 месяцев назад

I guess how many ways can you do this vid, they all look similar. The thing I’d do different is lift up the cowl cover and spray the deodorizer directly into the air intake. I showed this in my vid, 😆

@luisjimenez5898 2 месяца назад

My 2017 needed the new 1234 refrigerant a year ago with only 22,000 miles. Now, last week of May, I'm replacing the evaporator. Blowing warm air driver's side, cold air passenger's side. Clogged drain constantly. And smelly.

@wilburyuen 11 месяцев назад

How do you dry out boxing gloves?

@a1parra 5 месяцев назад

Thank you!

@stevescamping 11 месяцев назад

Fresh air and fan on 5-10 mins(play with numbers) before arriving will help clear the condensation in the vents.

@greedygringoprospecting6941 11 месяцев назад

its gotta be really hot for me to use a/c. i eat in my truck. just had 3 tacos and a orange soda. have a good day boss

@downundermtb4744 11 месяцев назад

Love the Toyota’s . We all get comfortable in them from time to time and fluf of not knowing. 😊 don’t leave any smelly items in you vehicle 😂

@TA-op3vn 24 дня назад

Good stuff, but you need it to do all that without the cabin filter. Coz it should go in after

@tonynelson7 11 месяцев назад

First addition your supposed to let it sit in evaporator for 10 minutes and then drain and reaped steps 3 and 4 and sit another 10 minutes ?

@cbayless4294 Год назад

For what SPARKS charges for shipping it's way cheaper to pay MSRP at the dealership for parts.

@AFGixxeR88 11 месяцев назад

Chloe or anyone else do you guys ever feel your 3rd gen doesn’t blow air hard enough? I don’t really feel my air unless the bars are maxed out on the fan speed

@coochieslayer7 6 месяцев назад

I noticed some water drips on my passenger side carpet after using ac,any ideas?

@vancehadley3962 11 месяцев назад

doesn't air conditioning dry the air? wouldn't recirculation help?

@macallanvintage 3 месяца назад

Fantastic video. Thanks so much!

@ackerrj 22 дня назад

Nice video. Helpful. However: I think you made a mistake with the filter. The arrow indicates the DIRECTION OF AIRFLOW, which at least in a Highlander (my vehicle) is DOWN. So, your filter might be wrong side up. Best wishes...

@GRACIELA9959 Месяц назад

Can I use the cleaning kit on a Honda Accord 2019?

@graysonhill1366 11 месяцев назад

Is there a way to reprogram the lock on an Undercover tonneau cover?

@user-xr9tj7pv5h 11 месяцев назад

Hello everyone! please tell me what wheels are the maximum size I can put on sr5 245/75 r16

@soloflight1975 Год назад

I just use lysol disinfectant spray, spray into exterior vent when ac is running and let it stand overnight, cost $5, very effective

@darenhouser427 11 месяцев назад

I wouldn’t recommend that. The chemicals from the spray will eventually eat through the evaporator coil, which will eventually cause a leak. Just my 2 cents.

@adquinta 2 месяца назад

Better pro tip: instead of just turning the a/c off and leaving the fan on for a minute or two, turn the heater on or adjust to around 78° for a minute or two. The heater dries out the air more than just regular outside air. Works fantastic in humid areas.

@gamefixersvideos 11 месяцев назад

Another fix for this is to move to Texas. lol. It get SO HOT here that NOTHNIG stands a chance of growing in the vent system or the cabin of the vehilce for that matter. I've got an 02 4RNR and have NEVER noticed a musty smell coming from the vents in my vehicle during the summer months. A bit in the colder months but it only lasts a few seconds after firing up the system so I've never worried about it. Great video BTW!

@dtrn750 10 месяцев назад

Is this the same procedure for the 5th Gen 4Runner?

@justinkimball1399 11 месяцев назад

dose your ac drip onto the passager floor on a really humed day

@tpharo34 11 месяцев назад

Cool you box👍

@spencermacgillivray7777 3 месяца назад

Thank you.

@danav3387 11 месяцев назад

This is way easier than my Mercedes. You gotta unbolt the bottom of the glove box area then unbolt the filter then carefully and fully cover the carpet because you gotta spray from The inside under the glove box.

@ricardomartinez-ne5gq 10 месяцев назад

One tip...turn on heater full blast in summer for 5 minutes and vice-versa in winter and turn thinks back on to normal and that we'll fix the problem ..I have new lexus 2022 I don't drive the car much and I have ones the funky smell and I did that and problem goes fix

@chrisjones2569 11 месяцев назад

Could you do more videos of you using your tacoma ex you bought a tent go camping

@josephmunn15 11 месяцев назад

Do they make the kits for other car brands?

@roycef6632 2 месяца назад

best fix lysol spray works great

@ryannowak1284 10 месяцев назад

I have 310k miles on my Tacoma and I think I might have changed the cabin air filter maybe twice. It seems kind of a waste to change often.

@steveb591 Год назад

Do you leave the cabin air filter box open or close it up without the filter?

@MrRedHotChiliMan 11 месяцев назад

Close it up w/out the filter

@Kamal_AL-Hinai Год назад

Thanks sister

@furiousfragment7082 11 месяцев назад

Big fan

@klauskujawa7858 11 месяцев назад

Super!!!

@antoniovalisno3994 10 месяцев назад

The main reason for the car AC to have some funky smell is using wax based air freshener, use paper based fresheners like the tree. I made that mistake and made the AC smelled really bad. To get rid of that smell you have to run the AC with the recirculating mode on, lowest fan setting, and lowest temp on AC. This will made the condenser coils(coils inside the AC system that gives you cold air) sweat and sort of wash the coils, you have to do this when it is very humid. This works because I tried it.

@zepp3lin 11 месяцев назад

Here's a tip, you don't pull it out straight away, you wait about 5 to 10 mins then you pull out the hose nozzle tip, same for the second spray. Let the chemical sit and soak the evaporator for a while and do the work. If you pull out straight away the chemical does not have a chance to dissolve or clean the dirt & mold from the evaporator. There's 1 more that I did to really have a fresh clean smell and extra cleaning of the evaporator. You use a normal foam A/C cleaner(Not Toyota brand) that you can get from those selling at mega mart for cheap. Spray it just after the blower, You have to go under the dash and open up the A/C blower resistor to do that and spray from the blower resistor hole. Use a towel to stop the foam from flowing out, then run the blower for a while like 5 to 10 mins to dry up the Evaporator. This way it's like you're rinsing the chemicals from the Toyota A/C refresher foam that contains chemicals. And don't throw the hose and nozzle away, you can use it for the next service if you like it or you want to save some dollars just use the normal A/C foam from any stores you can get and use the hose to facilitate it.

@needhelp2453 3 месяца назад

I just bought a similar kit labled for Subaru at my local Subaru dealer for $15.

@angli232 11 месяцев назад

A female vision of Chris fix 👍

@wernhsp772 Месяц назад

Can you use this on a honda

@FreedomAtRisk Год назад

our 2007 tacoma AC smells like it has a family of mice living in it

@Gaminmonke Год назад

My A/C has no smell because the A/C don’t work. I live the open window life now. I used to hate having windows open above 40 but now I don’t care even going 65.

@isaiahbadua8174 Год назад

😂😂😂😂

@DeuceDeuceBravo Год назад

Then it probably has a family of mice living in it. 😄

@pollxxv Год назад

If you have an "auto" system in your Tacoma like I do, you should always be running it in auto. It helps maintain your system and keeps moisture and temperature under control.

@RecBuddha 11 месяцев назад

I have the auto climate control system and basically leave it in that all the time on my 20 Tacoma, but I still get the musty smell sometimes when recirc is on.

@Bruh-ix1fm 11 месяцев назад

Set your ac to recirculate and you will not have any smelly problems and it'll also help your ac from working extra hard.

@aznballer19 11 месяцев назад

3/8” ID hose will not fit. Please correct that. I just spent $10 getting the wrong hose cut to length

@PankajMohan Месяц назад

Run with fresh air heat for an hour, best if you could drive somewhere. That nasty smell will go away to a certain extent. But this doesnt replace this type of cleaning.

@SunnyWu Год назад

The charcoal ones really help if you're driving past a landfill, or during the really bad California forest fires where you can actually smell burning wood in the air (like several years ago). I know this because I had to use 3M respirators during the forest fires many years ago, and the filters with the charcoal filters pretty much cut out all the smells.

@tinytinker 11 месяцев назад

+1 The charcoal ones helped during California fires, had it in the 4Runner and forgot to put one in the Prius. Was able to notice the difference between the charcoal and standard cabin filters.

@barrya.6212 11 месяцев назад

IF ONE has a DIFFERENT smell, like a chemical smell, that indicates your Evaporator core / coil is leaking and that chemical smell is refrigerant.....usually will do mainly at beginning of startup of AC....and then of course before long you'll notice AC no longer cooling.....no more refrigerant left...