Musty smell through vents when A/C is OFF

Hi guys.

I have a new 2014 GT and since it's summer, most of the time i'm in the car i have the A/C on. With the A/C on the air smells perfectly fine. When the A/C is off and i'm just blowing in air from the outside, there is a very musty smell. It's pretty bad to where i had to turn the air source to recycled air to stop the smell.

I have found threads where it talks about musty smell when A/C is ON but nothing about it when the A/C is OFF. Any ideas for what I could do before bringing it to the dealer?

Thanks!

maybe clogged AC drain ?

Hi critic81,

did you ever get this resolved ? I had the same issue even when my AC was off

and it turned out to be a clogged A/C condensation drain.

(I suspect it was the recirculating outside air going thru the AC coils even when the AC was off)

I took mine to the dealer and they unclogged it, a bucket of water came splashing down.

After unclogging it the musty smell went away or another culprit may be a dirty cabin filter.

From past experience also, in humid weather, the condensation in the air ducts also causes the smell, so it's

always best to turn off AC five minutes before reaching your destination and let the air blow dry the

condesnation. Otherwise, you get mold and mildew growing on the stagnant moisture in the air ducts when

parked in the hot sun.

here are two video links to where the AC condensation drain is:

I found it easier to get to it from the passenger side, the second video shows the exact location better,

just use a can of compressed air with the tiny red attachment "straw" on the nozzle and shoot the

compressed air up the drain or you can use a small vacuum hose to dislodge the clog, be prepared for

~ gallon of water to come splashing down.

Evaporator Foam Cleaner thru A/C drain

Also, I forgot to mention that after the dealer unplugged my clogged AC drain,
they sprayed this stuff thru the same drain underneath the car
to get rid of the mold and mildew on the evaporator and heater coils:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

"When mold and fungus spores are sucked into the AC of your vehicle, they land on a nice, dark, damp surface (the evaporator and its enclosure) and begin to grow and proliferate. KOOL-IT evaporator and heater foam cleaner is the quickest and easiest way to remove and neutralize mold and mildew in the AC and heater core systems. When used as directed, KOOL-IT evaporator and heater foam cleaner is released into the HVAC system through an easy to find drain plug (it's where the water from your AC drips out under the car). Unlike other products that simply mask odors, KOOL-IT is not an air freshener. It travels deep into the vehicle's evaporator and heater core unit and actually flushes out the mold and mildew deposits, leaving behind a very mild fresh, clean scent."

Thanks for the info guys!