Foul odor in the car

I recently purchased a used 2004 Mitsu Galant LS, and i love the car, but it does have an odor. When i purchased the car, it was from a dealer that purchases from carmax auctions but i did notice that there were mildew stains on the front passenger door trim and on the gear indicators. I checked all around the car from top to bottom for water damage, but i cant find any. The carpets are clean, the headliner is clean, the seats on top and underneath are clean but theres a odor that sticks around, as if something is or was wet. Can anyone recommend how to get rid of the odor. Ive also just replaced the air filter and the odor is still there

might just be mildew on your evaporator. take out the plastic cover in front of you windshield. with max AC on spray an entire bottle of Lysol into it to kill all the bacteria on your evaporator. should help. good luck

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Originally Posted by E_Emerson88

might just be mildew on your evaporator.

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+1

thanks, ill try this today. I need that smell gone

Also take out the cabin air filter and change it out if it hasn't been changed. It should be located behind your glove box. Also check for leaves in the left catcher (the plastic cover in front of your windshield as E_Emerson88 said). You'll have to open the hood and check under there. Clean them out as necessary.

After you have done all this, leave the windows down and the car in the hot sun for a couple of days, mold hates the sun. Remember to close the windows in the night, as dew can get in the car overnight and worsen the problem.

so tonight as im driving home and im wearing flip flops, i notice that the carpet is wet(my left foot was sideways). Once i got home i checked the area. The drivers side was wet but only my section. Maybe i found my real culprit. Would this be a clogged drain?

Yeah it could be. On the left and right of the "leaf catcher" there are two holes which allows water to drain from the windshield to the bottom of the car. Blow compressed air out those two holes and see if it fixes the problem.

i was just reading about "08-55-007 SEP 08 A/C - Water Leaks Onto Front Floor Area"

i cant say that its completely block because i can see water dripping from underneath the car right in the middle of the car from the firewall, but i cant actually see the drain from the upside of the car

but then i found this
TSB-11-55-003 WET CARPET ON DRIVER'S SIDE FLOOR

TSB 11-55-003 <-link

so im going to do what you suggested but then also follow the steps in the TSB

Great find! Looks like the TSB is your friend in this scenario. Pretty much describes the location of where your water is. Mine is also an 8G, so yours is more applicable. Good luck and keep us posted.

So im happy to report that the I have not had anymore problems with the water overflow and my car smells great now

Which method did you use? Did you do the fix in the TSB?

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Originally Posted by tamim13

Which method did you use? Did you do the fix in the TSB?

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yes, i attached a elbow hose to the drain hose. i've been checking my floor since the fix and no problems

Great, thanks for sharing!