liberty crd stank

riggler · **Posted:** Tue Dec 30, 2008 12:12 am

hi guys, newbie to the liberty crd , and the site. Bought it about 5 weeks ago we have put about 3500 miles on it, so far, so good..... Highway fuel economy is double my pickups...
Anyway I have what may be a dumb question . Do diesel liberty s have cab stank?? Whenever I get in it to start it up , this one has a stink to it in the cab.....Not diesel like, but not pleasant....sorta reminds me of my grandmothers grand torino ford with the landau roof and leaky fuel system in the 70`s. Once started it clears up quickly, so i wonder if it could be normal and they all have this trait.
Bought it from a dealer who took it in trade on a grand cherokee diesel, the first owner was meticulous about it, and i had a friend of mine do a vin check at another dealer it came up fairly clean (had a turbo at 39k and 2 previous service calls)
It has leather (flawless), immaculate dry carpets, a sunroof (no visible leaks), but the stink has me baffled.....
Anyone else have the stink factor or do i need to start checking stuff?
thanks for reading, steve

geordi · **Posted:** Tue Dec 30, 2008 12:31 am

Well, I know my KJ doesn't smell funny at all. But then again, I have a Limited without leather seats, no sunroof...

If the smell clears up when the car is running for a minute or two, that makes an assumption that the AC comes on when you start it.

So based on that, something in the AC ducts is probably the cause of the funk.

I'm not certain about the KJ, but all of the previous cars I have owned have had an air inlet on the passenger side at the bottom of the windshield. Far too accessible to outside incursions for my tastes. Anything from mice to rainwater can get in there, and create all manner of "interesting" aromas. That would be the first place to look. Find that intake. It's possible that the cabin filter just needs to be changed out.

Or, pour a whole bunch of lysol down there, and clean out the intake of whatever ails it. There is a liquid drain at the bottom, possibly it is plugged up and you are smelling trapped rainwater.

Diggerfreek · **Posted:** Tue Dec 30, 2008 1:20 am

http://www.atmosphereproducts.com/product_images/ozium/index.html

can get it at wally world for 3 to 5 bucks

baddabing · **Posted:** Tue Dec 30, 2008 1:40 am

A friend of mine had a bad smell in a chevy full size van. After a going crazy trying to figure it out, it came down to rats crapping somewhere in the engine compartment.

mackruss · **Posted:** Tue Dec 30, 2008 7:43 am

The KJ does not have a cabin filter so you have to get used to the crappy smell, try an odour eliminator.

tonycrd · **Posted:** Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:02 am

My guess is A/C too. Get a good deal of that spray in to it and it should clear up.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:06 am

there's also an AC drain - it should go outside - but if the hose is loose - it could drip water inside the cabin - which would give you a mildew smell

geordi · **Posted:** Tue Dec 30, 2008 6:46 pm

Fastest way to test the condition of that hose is pouring a gallon of water into the AC intake. It *should* start coming out almost instantly behind the passenger tire, from the drain tube. If it doesn't, a long thin screwdriver shoved into the tube will usually clear the dirt so it does flow. Then just rinse until clean, with a bit of lysol to kill any mildew.

retmil46 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 30, 2008 7:23 pm

Perhaps a dead Daimler bean counter, purposely trapped under the rear seat by the assembly line workers, a la Twilight Zone? :lol:

moto-scoot · **Posted:** Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:30 am

pull pass side carpet back ,check for mold.
then check for water leak....{windshield}

riggler · **Posted:** Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:41 am

geordi wrote:

Fastest way to test the condition of that hose is pouring a gallon of water into the AC intake. It *should* start coming out almost instantly behind the passenger tire, from the drain tube. If it doesn't, a long thin screwdriver shoved into the tube will usually clear the dirt so it does flow. Then just rinse until clean, with a bit of lysol to kill any mildew.

That sounds like a good idea.....now would you tell me where the a/c intake is located?

geordi · **Posted:** Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:51 am

Based on the location of the drain hose and the airbox... I would hazard that it is at the base of the windshield on the passenger side. I don't know for certain, but there will be a big intake covered with a screen somewhere in that vicinity. It has to be there tho - Anywhere inside the engine, and it would be inhaling engine fumes (if there were any) which is a safety concern, and hot air all the time. The blower is behind the glove box, and that needs a constant supply of fresh or recirculated air. Recirc comes from the passenger footwell, fresh... From above.

tonycrd · **Posted:** Wed Dec 31, 2008 2:24 pm

Here it is, you can just see the intake grille ( so no filter ).

warp2diesel · **Posted:** Wed Dec 31, 2008 11:43 pm

retmil46 wrote:

Perhaps a dead Daimler bean counter, purposely trapped under the rear seat by the assembly line workers, a la Twilight Zone? :lol:

I love this one, Happy New Year :!:

liberty crd stank

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