Hi I'm a newbie and not really mechanicaly inclined and can use some help. I have a 04 stratus sxt and when I use the defroster it blows a really bad smell that I can't identify. It dosen't smell like anti-freze or oil and after a few minutes I begin to whease and cough. I thougt it might be some dust buildup so I kicked it to 4 and opend the windows. No luck there. Also when I first start the car and turn on the heater I get that same smell for 5 seconds and it goes away. I spoke to a dealer mechanic and was told to spray lysol into the vent to kill the mildew or mold. First of all that won't kill any mold or mildew. Second it doesn't smell like that. Third I don't recall pouring any liquilds down the vent. It's a heavy smell like when you were a kid beating 2 chalkboard erasers together. I did some research, can it be that the heater core has a leak? Why would it just smell when I have the defroster fan blowing? Any help would be great. Thanks.

 

well if the heater core had a leak you would either see some anti-freeze on the gound after you shut the car off or you would posibly get some inside the car on the carpets, i believe the passenger side carpet. You would smell it either way but your not. Maybe something crawled in there and is rotting, does it smell real bad or is it just like a faint smell that just gets ya after a while? thats wierd. Does it change if its cold air coming out instead of hot air or does it still smell the same. im lost, very strange, if it were dust it would have cleared up by now, i would take it to the dealer and if it still has a warrenty have then check the wiring and the motor for the defrost fan, maybe thats starting to go or something, good luck

 

I didn't try to run it on cold I could try. It's not a rotting animal smell or a moldy smell it's just a kinda suck the air out of the car choking smell. It's really hard to describe...kinda chalky. I do have an extended warranty but the dealership doesn't offer a loaner and it's a drag getting to work. Thier answer on the phone was to spray lysol in the vent. Not a very helpful suggestion. I will bring it in because I have a nagging electrical problem as well. The lights and heater will die down at a red light when the engine is cold. They ran a diagonostic and didn't find anything so they updated the computer chip. The same problem is happening again. Wonder how the lemon law works.

 

i think the lemon law is either 3 months or 30 days, hopefully your still within range, good luck

 

Could it be that the smell is electrical, like burnt wiring? I have this smell in my 2004 stratus and I am on this forum trying to figure out what it is.

 

i think if it were wiring you would see some smoke coming out of the vents or wherever your smelling it. when the wires burn they give off a white smoke from the plastic coating they put on them.