I have a 2000 Ford E350 15 seater van. It has AC in front and rear. Recently the AC stopped cooling as well and I added R-134, which helped some but now it smells horrible whenever the AC is on. It smells like a mens locker room or something climbed in the vent and died. Someone told me my evaporator could do this. Is this possible?
A plugged evaporator drain can cause this. Usually the condensate from the evaporator drains out while you drive. If the drain gets plugged up with crud and algae, the algae can start growing on the evaporator. One way you can verify the evaporator drain is to park it after using the A/C on a muggy day and look for a puddle of water under the general location of the evaporator location. If the drains are working, you may need to use a A/C disinfectant to kill the algae. Check with your parts store or dealer.