[Rooster]

Lately I have noticed that when the Air Compressor first turns on, that air blowing over the evaporator coils stinks. Has anyone experience this on their QX60? Mine has the advanced ionization system, so I'm surprise it is doing this. I'm thinking it means I have blocked condensation drain. I'll call the dealership tomorrow, but in the meantime has anyone else experienced this?

 

[Rooster]

It was 80 in LA today, my apologies to the East...probably won't get much sympathy

 

[yeller]

Unfortunately the problem you're experiencing is very common with auto-AC cars such as the QX60. The coils never have a chance to dry out and allow mold to grow. That bad smell is the mold growing on the coils. The negative-ion generator won't clear everything.

The easiest thing you can do is have the dealership clean the coils, and spray a cleaner/sent in the intake blower.

You can obviously do this yourself, but the coils are hard to get to and the intake blower is also buried in the engine. You can buy a can of spray at the local parts store.

The best way to avoid this is to turn off the AC (not the fan) a few minutes before you arrive, allowing the coils to "dry". In Texas this approach doesn't always work since the outside air can be 110, so after 5 seconds of heat blowing in my face I end up turning the AC back on.

 

[Pwambach]

We have the exact same problem. You would think that after spending this much on a car it should now smell like a dirty gym bag. We have brought it to the dealership and they put in a deodorizer in but it still after two days smell is horrible.
I'm sure it can't be safe to be breathing in mildew air.

 

[bsnguy]

In my case, the foul smell I has was due to leaves and such sucked into the air intake. There was a large amount of junk on the cabin air filter. Replacing that, and removing the junk, fixed it. I presume you or the dealer checked that, too?

 

[DrJassim]

well, I'm from Kuwait and I also suffering from this issue, I called the dealership and they replied as they were familiar with the issue. they told me that it's not big deal it only needs to be cleaned. my cousin have the same car but the older model the JX never had this issue.

 

[yeller]

I'm from Kuwait

Any issues keeping your QX60 cool in your extreme heat? My AC doesn't seem to work as well as my M35. The dealership said the AC is working fine.

 

[Sinecure]

yeller, you've probably already tried this, but make sure you have the rear A/C set to the same temp as the front. If you have it at a higher temp, the whole thing works much harder. Be sure to press "Rear", set the temp, and then press "Auto" so it auto-adjusts the rear fans.

 

[yeller]

Thanks, for the suggestion. I typically just leave the front on manual (~3 fan level, recirculated) at 60 degrees and the rear off. When I use the rear, I'll make sure I use auto.

Per my original post, when the M35 AC is on manual-recirculated, at 60 degrees, roughly 3rd fan level and I put my hand over the vent, it's noticeably colder. I'm sure there are a thousand reasons why (location of compressor, length of hose before the front vents, etc...), I just wish my QX60 was the same coldness.

 

[bsnguy]

I bet the m35 has about the same cooling surface area as the qx60 but the later has much more volume to cool and more volume (vent area) to send it out of. I know you said it feels cooler, but if you put a thermometer in the vent, does it read significantly lower on the m35? I bet it's no more than 2-3 degrees lower which means it's a volume issue.

Frankly, I think the qx cools really well. I put it on 73 degrees in the summer and am comfortable even on the hottest days. Takes a few minutes to cool down after sitting in the sun, but it does. And using the seat cooler really helps, too... Note, I'm always got! Others in my family usually turn up their temps when on a long trip with me

 

[Sheldon Smith]

Lately I have noticed that when the Air Compressor first turns on, that air blowing over the evaporator coils stinks. Has anyone experience this on their QX60? Mine has the advanced ionization system, so I'm surprise it is doing this. I'm thinking it means I have blocked condensation drain. I'll call the dealership tomorrow, but in the meantime has anyone else experienced this?

I have the same problem a few years ago with infinitiqx60 but at that instant i called the dealer and they replaced the air conditioning compressor. After that my car ac blows air but it doesn't stinks.

 

[RadioguyJ]

Resurrecting an old thread here....has anyone located the condensation drip hose? I see there are products that can be introduced to the evaporator core via the drain line. I’m considering it, since I am getting that foul smell when I start my AC. I changed the cabin air filter, but the smell remained. It goes away after a few seconds, but I don’t want to be breathing in that nasty stuff.

 

[Tex]

Thank you for bringing this up. Today I bought a 2015 QX60 with a little over 27k miles.

I was the only one smelling that nasty stuff and it was super strong on the drivers side.

When I test drove the car car it smelled fine today it smells exactly like all of you have described the only difference was that it was washed today. ?

I wrote down all of your suggestions and possible solutions.

Am taking the car to a hand car wash tonight if that is safe then a full service car wash tomorrow.

Am doing a buyers check on Tuesday.

Will keep you posted.

Thank you sooo much.

 

[Tex]

I took my car in for the same issue it is a well known issue with Infinitits ?I was told the A/C coils need to be chemically cleaned

Then turn the a/c off for a minute or two to let the blower dry up some of the moisture.