Air freshener spray, official A/C cleaner spray from parts store, even clean inside through fan mounting if not done when it was out.

A/C drain is at the front in the firewall, under/between the coolant hose connections.

Would NOT try to get compressed air to that for fear of possible damages, good chance of damages if used anywhere else as well. Duct seals are just foam, old foam could be blown out of position even easier than new.

 

You may have the condition I found with debris that went through the outside air intake due to the car being shipped without a cabin filter. The debris (mostly leaves) had piled up behind the evaporator coil and basically made a mulch pile.

I suggest that you remove the fan and fan resistor block and look behind the evaporator for debris. You can either use a flashlight and a mirror, or use your cell phone to video that area.

I know you already know how to remove the fan and block, but for those that read this and don't know how, look at this thread... http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/.../forum/general-technical-chat/245260-how-zetec-ac-heater-fan-motor-removal.html

The debris can be removed with a wet/dry vacuum. First suck all you can from inside the car by snaking the vac hose in behind the evaporator by going through the fan opening. Next, connect the vac to the drain line under the car and suck it clean. You can even spray some water behind the evaporator with a garden hose while the vac sucks the water out the drain. I know that sounds weird, but I washed mine quite clean by doing that and it smells sooooo much better.

 

The debris can be removed with a wet/dry vacuum. First suck all you can from inside the car by snaking the vac hose in behind the evaporator by going through the fan opening. Next, connect the vac to the drain line under the car and suck it clean. You can even spray some water behind the evaporator with a garden hose while the vac sucks the water out the drain. I know that sounds weird, but I washed mine quite clean by doing that and it smells sooooo much better.

I should have check the evaporator before installing everything back.[?|]

Anyway, I took the things apart again, and found some debris piled up at the end, and some dirt/mold on the coil?
(So the evaporator is connected 90 deg to the duct[?|][mad])

I'll see what I could do to suck the debris.

But are you sure about spraying water with garden hose? Are the evaporator chamber sealed till the drain pipe? Any risk of flooding the car or the parts?

 

This^^^^^+ w/ the a/c on spray some air fresher spray in the inlet vents.

 

A couple times a year I turn the AC on full blast and spray *disinfectant* (i.e. Lysol or similar) liberally into the intake vents. The stuff kills mold and mildew and theoretically should help care of odors. I've always done this to every car I've owned. Air freshener by itself might not help if its only fragrance and doesn't disinfect.

 

I use Mean Green Mildew Killer for anything like that. It has bleach as well, so it'll kill any smelly bacteria that might be growing. Just keep it off foam seals so it doesn't harm them--fine for plastic and rubber. I discovered the stuff when refurbishing fridges and freezers, some of which had been closed up for months and had all manner of nastiness growing in them. Spray, rinse, done!

It's $4-5 for a big spray bottle.

No, I don't own shares in the company.

 

Just keep it off foam seals so it doesn't harm them--fine for plastic and rubber.

I believe the seals for the ducting and the case are foam. Sooooo.....

 

Updated title a bit for you, as noted in the requests thread.

 

Wow! Looks a lot better now!

It looks like you still have some debris in/on the coil at the far end. Perhaps you could fashion a right angle sprayer from some copper pipe or similar to get back there?

The Lysol is not necessary, but it will help with the smell for any lingering crap on the coil. As for foam cleaners, they would be okay if they are safe for use on aluminum and plastic.

Don't worry about the evap coil being wet, it is normal for it to be wet with condensate when it is being used anyway. The rest of the evap case will dry out if you just use the A/C.