# Camry fan smells

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/camry-fan-smells/86599>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [August 14, 2014, 4:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/camry-fan-smells/86599 "2014-08-14T16:35:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gcf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba8739/32.png) [@gcf](https://community.cartalk.com/u/gcf)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 4:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/camry-fan-smells/86599/1 "2014-08-14T16:35:27Z")

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I have a 2011 Camry. When you turn on the vent the air smells bad, kind of a musty fowl smell. When the a/c is turned on, no smell. I changed the cabin filter a week ago and no luck.

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**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/camry-fan-smells/86599/2 "2014-08-14T18:00:31Z")

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Mold or other gunk in the evap chamber. Remove the cabin filter. Turn the air conditioner on high speed and shoot a can of Lysol into the intake vents. Be sure to work the head/foot/defrost switch while you’re spraying so that the spray can get throughout the whole system. Then replace the cabin filter.

Hopefully that will take care of it - it should, unless there’s some sort of growth medium in the chamber and insects have laid eggs - if that’s the case it’s gonna require a cleanout.

To prevent in the future, turn the air conditioner off a minute or so before you get to your destination, to let the evap chamber dry out. As the air conditioner runs, the evaporator pulls moisture out of the air - the whole inside of the chamber gets damp. If atmospheric conditions are right and it’s warm out, it won’t dry out on its own, and bad-smelling things love a warm, moist environment to grow in.

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**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/camry-fan-smells/86599/3 "2014-08-14T18:02:33Z")

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I think you have some mold in your vent system. A good detailing shop can get the smell out. That or you can run the vent for a nice long drive on the interstate with the windows down. That will sometimes make the vent air fresher. If it’s still there you can also visit your local detail shop.

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**Author:** ![wesw](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wesw/32/2713_2.png) [@wesw](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wesw)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/camry-fan-smells/86599/4 "2014-08-14T18:10:58Z")

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my first 75 ford had one problem I could not solve.  
apparently someone had puked so violently that it went down the defrost vents in front of steering wheel.

whenever I turned on the defrosters the smell of puke came out as soon as the air got hot. I was never able to fix this in the 6 or so years I had the truck.

at first it smelled like puke every time the truck sat in the sun, but I figured out that the steering wheel wrap was the culprit. every time the sun shined on it , the smell would emanate.

removing the wrap fixed that, but I used ice scrapers and kept a towel to wipe the inside of the window, and avoided the defroster for years