Rotten smell from vents

[Kennedy1220]

So since I’ve gotten my Jeep there’s been a rotten/fishy smell that comes from the vents whenever I turn the heat on. It smells like something crawled into the ducts and died. I have tried spraying Lysol and mold killer into the fresh air intake several times, but the smell always comes back. I was wondering if there was any way to clean out the ducts without removing the entire dash. If I do have to remove the entire dash do you think it would be worth replacing the heater core while it’s out. My Jeep has 94,000 miles on it but the heat blows hot still.

 

[Chris]

Sounds like something did indeed crawl into your dash and die. Unfortunately there is no way to remove things from the HVAC system easily without taking off the dash

You could remove the cowl panel on the hood and check to see if there is anything dead in there. That's easy to do and definitely where I would start.

 

[Kennedy1220]

Sounds like something did indeed crawl into your dash and die. Unfortunately there is no way to remove things from the HVAC system easily without taking off the dash

Ah man that sucks. I checked the cowl nothing rotten in there. But thanks for the reply.

 

[Chris]

Ah man that sucks. I checked the cowl nothing rotten in there. But thanks for the reply.

No problem. Hopefully you don't have some dead mice that somehow crawled down in there.

 

[TJ4Jim]

You could also remove the fan from the firewall and look in there for remains.

 

[Kennedy1220]

You could also remove the fan from the firewall and look in there for remains.

I was hoping to do this but in the 2003s the fan is behind the glove compartment and in the cowl, it’s not in the firewall.

 

[Imapepper]

Is your plenum AC drain unplugged?

 

[TJ4Jim]

I was hoping to do this but in the 2003s the fan is behind the glove compartment and in the cowl, it’s not in the firewall.

See if you can get your hands on a borescope and have a look around then. A lot easier than pulling the dash.

 

[Kennedy1220]

Is your plenum AC drain unplugged?

I’m not sure what that is how would I check that?

 

[TJ4Jim]

J

I’m not sure what that is how would I check that?

Just below where the heater hoses enter the firewall there will be a small rubber tube sticking out that drains the condensate pan.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I was hoping to do this but in the 2003s the fan is behind the glove compartment and in the cowl, it’s not in the firewall.

The fan is still easily removed from there, it twist locks into place. Just remove a couple screws holding the kick panel cover above the foot well to get to it.

 

[Kennedy1220]

The fan is still easily removed from there, it twist locks into place. Just remove a couple screws holding the kick panel cover above the foot well to get to it.

Do I remove it from above in the cowl or from inside the car?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Do I remove it from above in the cowl or from inside the car?

Yours is new enough so it should come out from under the dash inside. The fans came out from the firewall in the engine compartment in older TJs but I don't know when that change was made, my guess is 2003.

 

[Kennedy1220]

So just to update the thread, I probably should have checked this earlier but the coolant is the source of the fish smell. I’m pretty sure coolant is supposed to smell sweet like syrup som I’m gonna go ahead and change that. Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[mushdogs]

You shouldn’t be smelling coolant in the cab, either fair or foul. If you're smelling coolant you’ve got a whole other issue.
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/anti-freeze-smell-with-using-heater.29873/

 

[cliffish]

I would flush it several times with distilled water and run the heater to see how it smells before you fill it with anti-freeze. If it is ok, then maybe take a chance and refill with proper anti-freeze. If not do the over haul of the heating system.

 

[Kennedy1220]

Yeah that’s what I was afraid of. Looks like the dash is coming out anyway.

 

[Kennedy1220]

Flushed the coolant with distilled water until it ran clear and there is no longer any bad smells coming from the vents. Also no smell of coolant in general, so for now I will hopefully not have to replace the heater core.

 

[Leroy_TJ]

Do not mean to hijack the thread, I have the same smell. Plans are to replace the heater core. What is the part number to the recommended heater core for a 2006 TJ ?

 

[Chris]

Flushed the coolant with distilled water until it ran clear and there is no longer any bad smells coming from the vents. Also no smell of coolant in general, so for now I will hopefully not have to replace the heater core.

Glad to hear that, that's great news!

Do not mean to hijack the thread, I have the same smell. Plans are to replace the heater core. What is the part number to the recommended heater core for a 2006 TJ ?

Here is the OE heater core for your 2006:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=303150355264

The OE heater cores are made by Valeo for Mopar. Get them while they last, as I don't think they'll be here forever since they've been discontinued.