2012 FX4 .. I can only describe this smell with one word. Manure. It seriously smells exactly like manure. WTH. This started earlier in the year. Anyone else had something like this happen with their truck? I don't want to even consider that something might have crawled up near the air intake and died but WTH else could it be?

 

yes sir.. on a few of the other sites, more and more are starting to have this issue.. I have a 2013. with about 36K miles. smell started about 4 mos ago. I regularly hang out with a buddy who actually has cattle. I thought it was from it sitting 50 ft from cattle lot. however truck is not running and all windows are up..

its in the shop today for a list of things. I will see what they say.

I know there are a few who have had dash tore apart. and air plenums replaced with no difference.

 

How many miles are on your truck, hohlraum? Have you had your dealer take a look at this?

BETCHER78,

Was your dealer able to take care of this for you? Let me know how it went.

Ashley

 

29,000 miles. Still under warranty. My 30k mile service is coming up in a week or two. I'll have them check it then.

 

I posted about this in the 97-03 section

my truck had the same issue as did my 95 mecurey g-m before it
the problem is it seems caused by rain water falling in through the open top cowel

I guess it allows enough in to flood the heater/ac box and somehow it dosen't drain properly

I thought it was from the neighbour's dumping manure on their gardens or something like that but no it's a mold / mildew issue

the stuff the dealers and a/c shops spray in to kill it gives me headaches so that's no help in my case

but , the fall of the year before last I bought a street scene smooth fiberglass cowel top for my truck

last summer I noticed the stink was much much less
and this year it's just gone - so far

the only draw back is because the truck now breathes through it's body work it sucks up low clouds of exhaust fumes from cars at drive throughs in front of me - but the fix is easy , I just turn off the heat or a/c for that short time that I;m waiting behind someone
recirc on the a/c might also solve that issue if it's really to hot to turn the a/c off

I got my cowel top from summit

 

link
- it seems they might just make these for ford trucks of newer body styles - maybe

http://www.4wheelparts.com/parts/man...d=S/S&catid=64

expect to have to fiddle with it for fit and you need to prep and paint too

my white 01 looks so so much better with just the thin white gel coat finish instead of the black plastic junk at the bottom of my windshield

paint will be even nicer when I get the body work done

 

Run the truck with the windows down and heat on full hot for about 10 minutes. You are growing mold in the HVAC plenum. You can also keel the smell down by switching from cold AC to full how a few minutes before parking at the end of your trip.

 

Sounds like a plan, hohlraum. Let me know what your dealer has to say.

Ashley

 

lol
I posted the solution - anything else is going to be only a treatment that won't stop it from reoccuring

I just took the dog to the vet and back - ran the a/c all the way in both directions with not a hint of smell out of the vents and there's been nothing sprayed into the heat a/c box for 3 years now

though , to others my truck would probably smell like dog - he spends a lot of time rideing in the truck

 

My truck has never been in more than a sprinkle of rain, so I doubt that is a solution for everyone...

 

.. never seen more than a sprinkle of rain ..
lol
I'll bet you keep that truck pretty clean to - what about water going into the cowel vent at the car wash ?

water is water

 

I wash it by hand and not much water gets in there. I live in a very hot and dry area, water doesn't stand long enough before evaporating to have mold as a concern.

 

evaporated water , heat and a lack of sunlight are what's required to grow mold blooms

a flooded basement dosent go moldy until the water evaporates

 

I don't like the look of those at all. It is not a solution, it is a band aid.
The issue shouldn't be happening at all and needs to be addressed by Ford.

 

like I said - my 95 merc did it too

way to much open top or not enough splash shield around the opening from the cowel area to the box under the dash

either way, poor design has continued on through the years
but nice little make work deal for the dealers and a/c shops

kinda like their bad coil and sparkplug bs - I've decided not to continue rewarding them by buying more coils from ford - now that my dead coil count is in the low teens

and like I said , the stink is gone from my truck's a/c & the mold killer spray stuff gave me headaches
- I suffer from allergies to boot so my own air intake system is pretty sensitive

my white 01 looks better without the black plastic at the bottom of the windshield &
it dosen't look like it has a little dinky ranger hood now either

the corners of the new cower top are a little to rounded off but I solved my main issue of the stink ( without trying btw) so it's all good

but I suppose , if you really prefer the stock vented cowel top , you could pull it off and make some sort of shield to go under it to direct the water away from the intake to the heater box

a sheet of plastic like they print the advertiseing on for the sides of the city bus would probably work really well
it's pretty ridged , and a little thicker than a model car body

you could cut a piece that would cover the entire cowel top area and even leave enough on the ends , front and back to make tabs you could bend after heating them to make supports and leave it free standing under the vented top

I happened to solve the stink by accident by simply keeping the majority of water that falls into the cowel top out with a preformed part
but the solution is keeping all that water out and the leaves twigs & dust that dam up the body drains from the cowel top I suppose

fixed without duct tape lol

... were you maybe thinking I was refering to one of those kiddie car wiper cover cowel top tuner things ?

no ... mine's flat like an old dodge dart / duster cowel top - but without the vent slots

the first pic in my album shows it ( not screwed & cliped down so ya the pass side is sticking up )
lol the third shows it missing in a light sprinkle if rain - but the wipers were / are fixed