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lou’s garage

Whenever I accelerate up a parking ramp, a foul smell blows out of the air vents of my 2005 Subaru Legacy GT. Twice my Subaru dealer told me that there was some spilled grease, which it hosed off. However, the problem is still there. The car never emits this smell at any other speed or in any other situation. – Simon

This is an odd one, Simon, but here is one possible fix.

Buried deep within your dashboard is one part of your vehicle's air conditioning, known as the evaporator, which cools the interior cabin air by transferring heat energy into the system's Freon. The process cools the air so effectively that moisture quickly collects and is drained away through a tube, dropping the water onto the ground underneath the vehicle

Over time, leaves and debris get sucked into the fresh-air induction system and collect, obstructing that drain tube, resulting in moisture that cannot be effectively removed. Stagnant water leads to mold, which cultivates within the Styrofoam insulator that surrounds the evaporator. When you drive up a steeply inclined ramp, some leftover water likely runs to the back of the evaporator, exposing the smelly, rotten debris and mold.

The ultimate fix is to remove the dash to replace the Styrofoam that surrounds the evaporator – but this is costly. The easier, yet less effective, repair is to have your shop clear the AC drain tube and then use an AC deodorizer/disinfectant to lessen the impact on your nostrils.

Lou Trottier is owner-operator of All About Imports in Mississauga. Have a question about maintenance and repair? E-mail globedrive@globeandmail.com, placing "Lou's Garage" in the subject area.

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