# Smelly air **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [May 11, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/smelly-air/13882 "2008-05-11T16:31:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mamma2tybrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@mamma2tybrad](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mamma2tybrad)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/smelly-air/13882/1 "2008-05-11T16:31:59Z")
When I turn the air or fan on the air smells. Some friends say it still smells like cig smoke, I think it smells more like chemicals. I recently had to replace the cooling system and both the replacement and my quiting smoking happened at the same time so who knows. It’s just nasty. What to do? ---
**Author:** ![admitted\_amateur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@admitted\_amateur](https://community.cartalk.com/u/admitted_amateur)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 4:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/smelly-air/13882/2 "2008-05-11T16:44:50Z")
First thing to do is check in your manual and find out if your vehicle has a “cabin air filter.” Many vehicles don’t, but if yours does changing will almost certainly help. Second, I’ve not done this but have heard that it can work - the major intake for the air that comes into the car is a cowl that is usually just below the windshield - often a black plastic vented looking thing. Get a few cans of something like an air purifier/bacteria killing spray - not just an “air freshener” b/c those often just pump perfume around. You want something that works like Febreeze or Oust or even Lysol. Start up the car and turn the fan on high. Blow a bunch of this spray stuff thru the cowl (my own inclination would be to remove the cowl and put it back when done). Maybe get a bunch in there, shut the fan down for a while, let it sit, and turn the fan back on. Let it blow for a while to clear out the bulk of the spray stuff you sent in there.