Ther's a rotting/garbage like odor in my Explorer; but nothing was spilled! How do I get rid of it?

Answer 1

Seems like the heating and ventilation system is loaded with germs and bacteria. Yuk!

Buy a can of Lysol or equivalent spray all the carpets and upholstery. Start the vehicle turn on the AC full blast. Take the can of Lysol outside of the vehicle and spray entire contents into the intake vent below the windshield.

The vehicle should reek of Lysol therefore killing all those nasty germs.

Leave the recirculating switch to fresh instead of recirculate. This should stop bad breath germs from manifesting inside the ventilation system.

Does this help any?

Answer 2

If all the above solutions don't cure your dilemma, check the drain for your air conditioner condenser. This is the area where you see a puddle under your car in the summer. There is a drain that lets the moisture out of this area. If it becomes plugged, you can acquire mold, mildew, allege, and all kinds of other gross stuff. It can cause this oder, and sometimes it can also make you ill. If you check with a local auto detailing shop, they would be able to help. They deal with this type of thing every day.

Answer 3

EWWWW.......you'd better check the undercarriage and under the hood...

If it's getting cold where you are sometimes animals (stray cats in particular) will crawl up in there.....it's warm if you'd just returned from somewhere and they like the heat. But then they get stuck and when you start your car up the next day.....EECH!

TRUE!!! I've had it happen! A stray cat had gone up into my car from underneath. I NEVER knew it was there, it never made a sound. Apparently it had gotten wedged in there pretty good and couldn't get out, so ....well.....let's just say he got a little TOOO hot! And...yeah....it got to be REALLY stinky! Now when it gets chilly at night, I check under my hood EVERY morning before I leave. I NEVER want to have THAT happen again!

Answer 4

Umm, have you tried the following
Rebooting the thing
Mine on Version 6 using XP seems fine.

Oh wait it is a car, weeell what is the color?




Did the carpets get wet recently, like when you step in from the rain? That can do it.

Answer 5

did u run over something? maybe something u were eating or carrying around slipped under the seat. do a once over in ur car and see if anything is hiding. if u ran over something then try going thru car wash so that it can scrub the underside of ur car.

also something might have crawled inside ur engine or that area. during the winter months animals (rats, mice, opossums, cats, etc) do this to stay warm and if u started ur car with something under there it didnt have a chance to escape so u've basically cooked it to ur engine. u will prob have to take it in to garage to have this cleaned up, if thats the case.

Answer 6

Get a tin of Jeyes fluid. that is disinfectant specifically formulated for kennels and different exterior components. combination a million capful with a bucket of water and slosh down. looks and scents similar to tar. that is costly yet somewhat is going a protracted way.

Answer 7

Does it smell like rotting eggs? If so, most likely it gasoline with a high sulpher content burning in you catalytic converter. Try finding gas with a lower sulpher content, or change catalytic converter.

Answer 8

In the old days a plugged catalytic converter would smell like rotten eggs. If you are also loosing power you might have that checked out.

Answer 9

find that taco you left under the seat :) ( happened to me:) really tho frebreez works,,,, and the animal things other folks suggested can happen too,,, good luck

Answer 10

maybe try using febreeze