I'd do the bio analysis so at least you know what you're dealing with, which will give you a steer on how to deal with it. It's no different to an engine problem - unless you do the diagnosis all you're left with is the hit-and-hope approach.

 

Absolutely right. Fingers crossed, Monday i am scheduled to perform the bio analysis. hopefully i can nail this B**** down!

 

I had the same issue with my newly acquired barn-find '05 XK8 convertible until I got a couple of cans of "10 Seconds Shoe Disinfectant & Deodorizer" from Amazon.com, borrowed a nozzle with a long straw from a WD40 can, stuck the straw as far into the vents as I could, and fogged all 4 air vents pretty seriously. Voila! Took 3 applications, but all the mold was killed and the mold smell has gone away.

 

I think Radu would shoot himself if the solution turned out to be so simple! ;-)

 

actually i am SURE the solution should be simple as i have already did everything that was complicated )) this is why i have told my story on this forum. Any insight or hint might help. And yes, that deodoriser can be one solution. For the moment i'm scheduled to have the analysis on Monday morning and then we'll see.

 

I had problems with a musty smell i coudn't get rid of. Eventually I traced it to water getting in through the metal frame of the roof gutter and after loosening it and filling it with silicon it settled down.
regards
john

 

What do you mean by "the metal frame of the roof gutter"? Is your car a convertible? I also discovered a leak in the roof, somewhere above the windshield, on the left side, there are some metal segments welded together and in a certain point there's a rust spot. Rest of the roof looks like new. Now i realised that while the roof lining was out i never tested if that still leaks or not. And also my hair stinks really bad after each ride. Hmm...

 

Mine is a coupé. From memory the gutter is formed by a metal strip screwed to the body. If you pull out the rubber seal you'll find some rusty screws behind. The water leaks through the seal betweek the strip and the roof.
Regards
John
​​​

 

Hi All, just a short update. I performed the bio analysis on Monday and a preliminary result just came. They performed the test with two different methods in two situations: engine off car doors shut and windows up, engine running, ventilation at max speed on recirculation (correctly set up this time). They have found bacteria and fungi, especially when the ventilation was on, that leads to the conclusion that the infection is somewhere in the ventilation system.
Tomorrow i will get the detailed report, however they were mentioning that ozone might be a solution. The 7000 mg machine has arrived, tomorrow we'll do a few sessions. Hopefully this long story will have a happy end. Thank you all for the patience and the great advice. I'll keep you posted.

 

Hi All, i'm afraid the updates are not that satisfying...brought in the 7000 mg ozone machine, finally correctly set up recirculation and yesterday we performed 3 1-hour sessions, followed by 30 minutes of leaving the ozone work and turn into oxygen. We did two on high heat and one on AC. I must say it smells the same, if not stronger, which leaves me to believe a few things:

the main problem is clearly in the ventilation system. Not that there are some parts that maybe need changing (for example we performed the sessions in the sun and that i think heated the roof lining and maybe that is one cause of the smell). But leaving the car for one hour with ventilation in full speed brought more spores from somewhere.

I also tend to believe that the roof lining should be changed. Heats activates those *******s i guess, the car stayed in the sun for several hours and it stank worse than before.

now, for next steps, i am thinking as follows:

should we try even longer sessions? Max time for the apparatus settings is 120 mins. I'm thinking to go all in and perform 3-4 sessions like this.

one other idea i have is to try to isolate the interior from the ventilation system, by closing it and closing the ducts. I would put an extra fan inside together with the ozone machine and perform a session like this. To see if at least in interior it will make a difference.

also i have spoken with the guy that sold me the ozone machine and he had a cool idea - he said that maybe the recirculation does not close the system shut (as this car does not have a pollen filter) so there is still no conditions for ozone to form. So he was mentioning to put the car into a small garage, seal off the ventilation, put the car inside with doors open and start the system like this. Basically the whole car will get "immersed" into ozone, so it will penetrate all nooks and crannies . Would that damage the tires?

This is the current situation...not giving up but i must say i was waiting for a miracle and it didn't happen yet...anything i did wrong?
thank you

 

It sounds to me thay you have a reservoir of mould somewhere. The air con evaporator condenses out water from the airflow through it. Normally this drains out through one or two pipes somewhere near the exhaust. Can't recall if there's one either side on the xk8. Over time the drains get blocked with mould and so you end up with a foul gloopy mess in the bottom of the evaporator. If it was me my next task would be at least rodding out the drain tubes with a long tie wrap or wire to see if it'll drain. I think you're probably past that working as there will be too much gunk in the evaporator.
so unfortunately I think you'll need to get to the evaporator to properly clean it out which isn't likely to be quick or easy and likely will need the a/c gas to be taken out to take it out.
if I'm right then no amount of ozone is going to get rid of what's in the evaporator.
Regards
john

 

From what i remember the AC system was cleaned and fluids replaced as last year we've taken down the blowers and the dashboard. Now i'm not sure that the evaporator was cleaned. there's also a part called receiver drier that looks a bit greenish...although i heard pressure inside is huge and i don't know if mold can develop there. but for sure we'll check out the drains if they didn't already.

 

Don't forget that the ventilation system has TWO blowers. If one of the blowers is dead, I suppose there will be no air flow on that side, and mold could remain there.

To figure this out, identify the blower fuses (in the dashboard when you open the door), and remove them both. Validate that the blowers are not running when you activate the fans from the controls. Then restore the fuses, one at a time, to double check that each blower is in fact running. Do one at a time, and double check which one is running. The side vent near the window with the blower running should have more air flow.

If you are not confident the recirculation is sealing off the cabin, you can always block off the air intake in the cowl. Unfortunately, you have to remove the wipers and a bunch of trim (same as for reaching that pollen filter). It could be blocked off with cardboard and duct tape.

Just to be thorough, you should do the opposite, too. Duct the output of your O3 machine to the car's intake in the cowl, Apollo 13 style, to make sure that intake is cleaned-up, too.

Last, some car collectors use plastic "bubbles" to cover the entire car. I believe these come with air blowers to keep the bubble inflated. Maybe something like that combined with your O3 machine would help. Engine off, of course.

Best of luck, we are all gunning for you.

 

Thank you. I am pretty sure that both blowers work. Also, the biological result came and it is clear that the problem is in the ventilation system. With it off they found 70 pathogens per cubic meter, with the system on 1100. So we need to find the source. Might be the evaporator, might be the drier or those draining pipes. The blowers are clean.

I was also thinking about car bubbles, i need to see if i can find a collector willing to rent it. Although i am not sure the bubble can host the car with the doors opened.
at least i have some more options opened...

 

Another thing: have you looked into acquiring a (cheap) USB inspection camera? Popping the center wood trim and gaining visual access to the heater core/evaporator is not that hard, even with a mechanic's mirror (pop the trim, remove 2 screws). I assume a camera on a flexible extension would show a lot, like the status of the vent flaps and the mold itself. Also, I believe the bottom of the air box has drain tubes (possibly even in the foot wells) for the condensation. Maybe popping those off would offer good access for such a camera.

I doubt someone would want to rent it knowing the whole purpose is mold-related. But I am sure you could come up with your own with cheap painter's plastic sheet and duct tape.



The more I think about this, assuming the O3 would in fact clean this up, it is becoming increasingly evident that you are not having this O3 flow over the rest of the mold. Assuming the mold is in the ventilation system, you must make sure the O3 flows in and around it. I suppose there are a number of scenarios where the O3 is not hitting it. You definitely need to check the status of the recirculation flaps in each of the foot wells. Also, double check the status of the outside air flap. I am not positive how to do this for sure, but be creative. What about a small amount of ammonia in the cowl? If you smell it inside the car, the outside air is getting it, and that flow of fresh air will keep the mold untouched. Would it be possible to generate a small amount of smoke? Put it in the footwell, and see if it comes out the front vent. If not, your recirculation is not working and these ducts are remaining free of O3.

Trying to help...

 

When you had the dash out did you replace all the soft foam bits that act as the seals for the duct work and vent mechanisms? Those were so bad in my car that just touching them turned them into compressed goo.

 

Fmertz, your insights are deeply appreciated. Please do not refrain from any other ideas you might have. I'm in luck to have a workshop that's specialized in aircon systems so for sure we'll nail it. Thank you again.

 

Yes, those were badly attacked, removed and replaced with new materials. Same goes for all the insulation of the car (between the dash and the engine, behind the rear seat, door panels, rear panels etc). It wasn't attacked but it smelled bad. We've replaced it with Dynamat (great product btw).

So back to work. Keep you all posted.

 

The idea of introducing 'smoke' into this experiment also entered my head. Perhaps a stick of burning incense near the outside cabin air intake to check for leakage. Or a quick sweep of the incense in front of the interior vents to check their function along with the Recirculation vent. The burning incense is just to check for function and leaks. Not to fix the problem itself.

Jip

 

Yup, i'll do that. Actually i called a priest tomorrow to say a prayer and he will throw in some incense. Will recirculate it and see what happens. Not kidding, i really think i'm dealing with Christine here (if you read the book).