help - Mold \ Mildew smell after rain or car wash

[isis]

Check your door drains too. Mine would hold water.

 

[Nex]

Try running the line up from the pinch welds under the truck. More times than not it's blocked from road debris.

 

[Oldfart]

Threads like this make me glad I ordered mine with no sunroof! Sorry to hear all your hassles with this OP, that would drive me nuts. Hope you find what the hell is stinking up your truck.

 

[Nex]

Threads like this make me glad I ordered mine with no sunroof! Sorry to hear all your hassles with this OP, that would drive me nuts. Hope you find what the hell is stinking up your truck.

No sunroof means for .50 cal mount. Gotta think ahead.

 

[rxnate]

Well, today I took my truck to a local shop that is highly trusted for their work on sunroofs and leaks.
They spent 3 hours looking it over and trying to see if there was some sort of drainage problem with the sunroof. (I approved this, wanting to figure it out)
They say absolutely nothing wrong with the sunroof drains, rails, or any of the liking. They checked the carpets, peeled back parts of the head liner, see no issue with mold etc.
So that was a bust.

yesterday, before taking it in, I tried to do a 50/50 water\vinegar solution to just clean out all the drains and rails and maybe hopefully kill any mold or w\e is causing it.

It rained today after I got my truck back from the sunroof shop, and it's still there....arrrgghh!!!


I'm well over a thousand dollars trying to figure this out..
Doesn't appear to be issue with sunroof
doors are draining, and I pulled the plugs, no water came out
The first shop I did did a big ozone treatment and ran the heater\AC incase it was something in the HVAC system. To confirm, I haven't used it since and issue still happening
I've tried spraying some lysol in the fresh air inlets or w\e on the top of the hood area (some other suggestions I found online)
visible inspection of 3rd brake light doesn't appear to be any sort of issue.

My last test I did was a suggestion where I used water and sprayed sections of the truck, front of the truck, mid, and bed rear cab.
It's so hard to tell, but I really think what activates it is the roof. Which adds up, if I pull the sun shade back so I can see through the sunroof, and I stick my head as far back in the corners as I can... I seem to smell that smell. Even after the Vinegar though, it didn't fix it. So, idk if it's somewhere else back there or what...

What an annoying issue.

 

[HighwaySentinel]

If you don't have any dampness in any of the carpet after a rain and you are not triggering it with use of the HVAC system, that just leaves a few options. I know you said that the first shop checked the cabin vents behind the rear seat, but I would definitely be checking that with my own eyes. Fold down the back seat and see if there is in fact no water coming in any of those vents.

How long after it rains does it take for you to get the smell?

 

[rxnate]

If you don't have any dampness in any of the carpet after a rain and you are not triggering it with use of the HVAC system, that just leaves a few options. I know you said that the first shop checked the cabin vents behind the rear seat, but I would definitely be checking that with my own eyes. Fold down the back seat and see if there is in fact no water coming in any of those vents.

How long after it rains does it take for you to get the smell?

It only takes a few minutes.
I can take the truck through a touch less automatic car wash and before the cycle is over, it’s already smelling bad inside.

I washed my truck with a small power washer, total time on various parts for about 10-15 minutes it it was happening. Maybe not as strong, but also not as much water..

For the rear cabin vents, I suppose I could check those for myself.
I thought those vents were not visible from the inside? Only view from outside with the bed off?

 

[Nex]

Good news on the drains.

The rear cab vents are a known issue. I would definitely give those a look.

Give this a shot also for the smell.

Odor Exterminator®

Eliminate musty car smells with Odor Exterminator®. Easy-to-use formula eliminates odors caused by bacteria, molds, and mildew.

www.griotsgarage.com

 

[isis]

If it’s that fast I’m still pretty sure it’s the doors. Even if they aren’t plugged now, they were at some point and when that stank gets wet, you smell it. And they leak quickly and often. I cleared the clogs so they don’t hold water but the smell comes back after a soak.

 

[HighwaySentinel]

It only takes a few minutes.
I can take the truck through a touch less automatic car wash and before the cycle is over, it’s already smelling bad inside.

I washed my truck with a small power washer, total time on various parts for about 10-15 minutes it it was happening. Maybe not as strong, but also not as much water..

For the rear cabin vents, I suppose I could check those for myself.
I thought those vents were not visible from the inside? Only view from outside with the bed off?

You can see the vents if you remove the carpeted piece on the back wall. I think it is just a couple plastic clips to pull out. To replace them, you'd have to slide the bed back.