Ford F150 - Smell in the cab!

I hope someone can help us. My husband just bought a used '04 F150 truck and he's getting a horrible smell in the cab. It smells the worst in the glove compartment. He arrives at work sick from the smell and the same on the return trip. Any ideas what the problem might be, guys?

skgarner

If it smells like antifreeze then it is most likely your heater core. It would be strange though for a heater core to go bad in a newer truck like yours.

It could probably be a dead animal like a bird, rat, etc, if I were you guys I would just take it back to the dealership and have them check it out

i was going to say it might be something to do with a/c condensation but the smell shouldn't be that bad from just the a/c.

i remember hearing about a boa constrictor climbing in behind a dash board and dieing. the guy couldn't figure out what the bad smell was until they removed the dash.

Is it worse when the a/c, heater or fan is on??

Its a pretty grewsome story but I had the same problem. Turns out it was squirrel in my wheel well I hit a few days ago. Now that Ive been up north and the skunk population is huge, I stear clear of any chance of hitting a critter.

Thanks for all the ideas! We've checked the wheel wells. He has everything shut off now and he doesn't smell it. So I guess it must be the A/C or ventilation system. We're taking it to the dealer on Wednesday.

I'll let you know if we get any answers.

skgarner

I had the same problem on my 04 f150 it only smelled when i ran the ac, i sprayed the vents with lysol 3 or 4 times, the smell went away after about a week or so, ps if you have the same problem i did it smelled like someone pissed in my vents.

Everything checked out okay with my husband's '04 F150. The AC hose was clear & discharging water from the vehicle; they found no moisture in the cab; they didn't see anything growing anywhere.

The Ford dealer used a disinfectant/deodorizer from NAPA Auto Parts, stuff specially made for vehicle ACs. It was sprayed into the vents from inside the truck, including the one behind the glove compartment. They also used something in the cab called Odor Bomb that they got from a local business called Car Clean.

I bought a can of Lysol spray--and I'm not afraid to use it--along with exorcism. But right now the odor seems to be gone, and we know what to do if it comes back.

Once again, thanks to all for the suggestions.

skgarner

Okay, admit it. You guys knew you'd be hearing from me again, didn't you?

Well, the smell came back with a vengeance. My husband took it to a Ford mechanic he knows. You know the kind, an older guy with diesel in his veins and a Ford emblem for a belly button. Anyway, he found a leak right away, showed my husband where it was, and told him to take it to the dealer because the truck was under warranty.

My husband took it in and showed them. They gave him a rental as a loaner. The air conditioner drain was only going through the firewall about a quarter of an inch. Everything under the rubber mat (no carpeting) on the passenger side was soaked. They put in a new a/c hose that actually exited the vehicle, rolled back the matting, sucked up all the water they could, deodorized it, and let it set with a fan running on it for two days. Of course this means they were blind the first go-round.

So far, so good.

skgarner