Problem with the ventilation system in the car

[Riccardos]

Hello gentlemen, could anyone help me.
The problem is the smell from the car ventilation.
When I use the warm air in the car the smell feel like chemical as if some plastic or metal part or something is overheating and the air enters the cabin polluted. It is difficult to determine but there is a perceptible smell that should not exist.
I replaced the air filter a little helped. Next, whole engine spray with a brake cleaner, to get rid of any oil that could be there also helped but still when the engine reaches the temperature heats up the smell is noticeable.
It is best to feel it when, for example, I drive to the gym after an hour or two I start the car again and then when I start use air ventilation for first two three minutes flies this intense chemical smell.
Then it gets better until the engine heats up again. It's very hard for me to describe this but I hope you understands at least partially what's going on. Have any of you gentlemen had such a problem? Does anyone have any idea what it might be? How can I find it.
If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer as accurately as possible.
Thank you.
Regards.

 

[JvdBosch]

Is it only with hot air? Did you smell around the engine bay to see if it matches somewhere?

 

[Pedro]

Gas from the Aircons smell like rotten eggs maybe a leaking system ?

 

[Flanners]

get one of those AC anti-bac mist cleaners from ECP etc......

 

[Riccardos]

Is it only with hot air? Did you smell around the engine bay to see if it matches somewhere?

Hi Thank you for reply. Only with hot air. I don't smell it when I open the hood on a warm engine. I can only smell it from the air vent.

 

[Riccardos]

Gas from the Aircons smell like rotten eggs maybe a leaking system ?

Hi it's not that smell, I would compare it to overheating some plastic. Thank you for reply.

 

[Riccardos]

get one of those AC anti-bac mist cleaners from ECP etc......

Thank you.I can try is cost much but don't think it will help.

 

[Riccardos]

Or maybe you know a good and not too expensive mechanic who specializes in these cars because the ones I use are useless. Around Hertfordshire, north London.

 

[JvdBosch]

Hi Thank you for reply. Only with hot air. I don't smell it when I open the hood on a warm engine. I can only smell it from the air vent.

Mmmm... I was leaning towards an overheating heater blower or so, but then it should also smell with cold air... Does it also smell when set to hot air, with a cold engine?

 

[Riccardos]

Mmmm... I was leaning towards an overheating heater blower or so, but then it should also smell with cold air... Does it also smell when set to hot air, with a cold engine?

 

[Riccardos]

Thank you for reply. Yes I can smell this straight away when I start car on the morning cold engine and switch hot air on.

 

[JvdBosch]

Well, if you think it’s hot plastic, a culprit could be the blower motor I think. But then it also should occur with cold air… Does the smell get worse on higher blower speeds? Or there is something rotting in your hvac system? Ozone/ClO2 treatment?

 

[Riccardos]

Thank you for your reply. In the cold air everything is ok. the blower speed does not change anything either. I found some oil in this plastic pipe when I removed this metal clamp. This may be the cause of the problem, it looks like it's connecting to an air filter. Please look at the photo

 

[Riccardos]

Thank you for your reply. In the cold air everything is ok. the blower speed does not change anything either. I found some oil in this plastic pipe when I removed this metal clamp. This may be the cause of the problem, it looks like it's connecting to an air filter. Please look at the photoView attachment 15310

 

[JvdBosch]

The big filter is the engine air filter. The cabin filter is to the left of the engine in the bulkhead, but you already replaced that one didn’t you? Those pipes you marked are also part of the engine intake afaik. I don’t know how much oil, if any, is allowed there. I’ll check mine soon.

 

[Riccardos]

I'm sorry, as you mentioned, the cabin filter is on the left side. My mistake.
I also don't understand why there's oil in that pipe.
I don't know where it's coming from (turbo??), and there was quite a lot of it. It's very strange.
That's why I connected it to the smell—maybe the oil is getting in from somewhere else and causing that smell.
If only I had a good mechanic nearby, I’d have it checked, but unfortunately, the ones around me are terrible.

 

[Pedro]

The pipe is the bypass for oil vapours which are blown back into the rocker cover to be burnt off you may have a issue with the PCV valve ?

 

[Petrus Doyle]

I'm sorry, as you mentioned, the cabin filter is on the left side. My mistake.
I also don't understand why there's oil in that pipe.
I don't know where it's coming from (turbo??), and there was quite a lot of it. It's very strange.
That's why I connected it to the smell—maybe the oil is getting in from somewhere else and causing that smell.
If only I had a good mechanic nearby, I’d have it checked, but unfortunately, the ones around me are terrible.

I had a smell coming into cabin from vents after a change of exhaust system due to catalytic converter replacement. This whiff came through on cold start and was to me like dilute exhaust fumes. It would clear quickly and I thought that as exhaust system runs through the turbo which had to be removed as corrosion had locked it in place, then there might be a leak of fumes from joints and then taken into air draw Anyway problem cleared after a few weeks but a home mechanic suggested the leak answer as he'd had that experience.

 

[Riccardos]

Hello everyone, thank you very much for your responses. About a week ago, I bought a spray for cleaning car ventilation. The description states that it removes all odors on a molecular level. I followed the instructions, with one small difference: instead of 15 minutes, I left it for 45 minutes with the fan running. So far, the smell is gone. I'm curious if it's permanent or just temporary. Time will tell.
I will check PCV valve as well.
Thank you guys.

 

[JvdBosch]

Which spray product did you use to clean?