# outside odors w/ recirc on



## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

slothcruzer said:


> Someone suggested I post here, I will give it a shot. I must have a gen 2 2016 ls manual shift. When the recirc button is on (we dont have auto hvac, just manual buttons) we still get outside odors strong as if the windows were open and I have severe asthma so this is a rather large issue. I do hear the cabin air pressure change when you engage the recirc button so I assume its covering it right.
> I had asked the salesman and a service tech if it had a cabin air filter in it from mfg as our last car (toyota yaris) did not I was able to rectify that myself tho'. This car has a fully molded glove box non removable we've already ironed that fact down.
> So I can only assume if it has a filter its under the air grid below wipers...I did unsnap it to peek in but did not remove wipers (dont know how hate to attempt it, but will if I must since dealer is avoiding the issue).
> Just wondered if anyone else has this in newer 2016 gen 2 cruze's.
> ...


2 things to touch on...

*Verify there was a filter. My other car the 1st production year didn't get a filter in the filter tray for the HVAC. Took half the car apart to replace a non existent filter for all those years for owner 1 and me.

*Must have fresh air drawn in even in recirc mode. Was gonna post a bunch of fancy links and stuff but I'm gonna save the redirect. You need fresh air to come in to prevent a fester of germs being recirculated around the cabin on long trips. If you get bored and want to read, sick building syndrome google topic.


Only fix you can do to lessen this is installing a carbon hvac filter over the traditional one.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Does your owners manual mention a cabin filter in the maintenance schedule in the back? I really can't see GM removing this from the new model, even if an LS. I did see the first few years of chevy volt came with a tray like our cruze with no cabin filter installed! 

I suspect though this is something your going to have to learn to live with, even if you add a cabin filter or a better one you will still get outside smells in the car. Problem with using recirculate instead of fresh air? Those smells get trapped in the car 6X longer. You should have seen me drive though smoke from someone burning leaves next to the road in my Gen1 cruze with a carbon cabin filter installed, entire cabin filled with smoke!!! Same thing I do after passing a stinky farm, I put the windows down to clear the smell.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

spacedout said:


> Does your owners manual mention a cabin filter in the maintenance schedule in the back? I really can't see GM removing this from the new model, even if an LS. I did see the first few years of chevy volt came with a tray like our cruze with no cabin filter installed!
> 
> I suspect though this is something your going to have to learn to live with, even if you add a cabin filter or a better one you will still get outside smells in the car. Problem with using recirculate instead of fresh air? Those smells get trapped in the car 6X longer. You should have seen me drive though smoke from someone burning leaves next to the road in my Gen1 cruze with a carbon cabin filter installed, entire cabin filled with smoke!!! Same thing I do after passing a stinky farm, I put the windows down to clear the smell.


Yeah, that's how my Subaru was. $36k window sticker and $80 for a dealership to look and see if there is one to change it. Reason owner #1 didn't bother and a few years later they made it easier to change w/o taking the center console and radio apart to get to it. This was me changing it a year after I put one in. No wonder people have HVAC issues years later cause all this is inside the system. Look how flimsy this filter is vs ours in the Cruze. It's a drier sheet on steroids for $60-$80 if you just get it from dealer or let them install. Reason you see most of us wrenching cause we can't afford simple maintenance. 










Now when it came time for me to change my carbon filter on the Cruze, this is what I had to look forewarn to in a years time frame. 




























Sucks for me as there is a huge forest cut down to build my job so there is always a dead skunk smell as I drive up. if I don't turn HVAC off 1 minute prior then the smell is trapped inside the car 8 hours later when i come back out to leave.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

My cabin filter looked just like your every fall(about 25K miles). The owners manual that came with my 2012 cruze didn't list any maintenance interval, but later years GM list to change every 22,500 miles. At a minimum I would knock out all the debris every fall. 

To the OP, I've searched Chevy.com for a 2016 Gen2 Owners manual PDF, looks like they currently only have a downloadable manual for the old model 2016 cruze limited. Guess we will have to wait for 2017 to get a new manual available. so its up to you to look in the back of your paper owners manual for the maintenance schedule and see if there is a cabin filter listed.


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## pontiacgt (Jan 12, 2011)

I tried to find it on my 2016 2nd generation all it says in the owners manual is to see dealer. I have a feeling it outside under the wipers.


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## slothcruzer (Aug 19, 2016)

pontiacgt said:


> I tried to find it on my 2016 2nd generation all it says in the owners manual is to see dealer. I have a feeling it outside under the wipers.


 Yup thats what it says. Really ticks me off, if I had known it wouldve been a deciding factor w/ the asthma issue. Being my old car it was behind glove box and I could do it whenever I wanted. I watched a video about removing the ones from below wipers (on other models) and it looks like if you break the factory seal and dont know how to re seal it it will def leak so Im sort stuck for now i guess. Knowing me I will get to it one day.


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## slothcruzer (Aug 19, 2016)

Merc6 said:


> Yeah, that's how my Subaru was. $36k window sticker and $80 for a dealership to look and see if there is one to change


Geez. Thats why Im concerned, my previous new cars were to have them in mfg new and never did.


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## slothcruzer (Aug 19, 2016)

spacedout said:


> Does your owners manual mention a cabin filter in the maintenance schedule in the back? I really can't see GM removing this from the new model, even if an LS. I did see the first few years of chevy volt came with a tray like our cruze with no cabin filter installed!
> 
> I suspect though this is something your going to have to learn to live with, even if you add a cabin filter or a better one you will still get outside smells in the car. Problem with using recirculate instead of fresh air? Those smells get trapped in the car 6X longer. You should have seen me drive though smoke from someone burning leaves next to the road in my Gen1 cruze with a carbon cabin filter installed, entire cabin filled with smoke!!! Same thing I do after passing a stinky farm, I put the windows down to clear the smell.


I hear ya on this and I do open window to evacuate it. Thing is my old car had zero issues w/ this, no fumes no smoke no lawn smells it was great and yeah I did open window too. I know cars are not sealed tight but its never come in this strong in any car previous, it seems something is wrong. thanks for input.


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## pontiacgt (Jan 12, 2011)

However it looks like they made it to be able to come apart if you look at it. It does have snaps to remove part of it. I think they only say go to the dealer because most people would never attempt it.


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## slothcruzer (Aug 19, 2016)

However it looks like they made it to be able to come apart if you look at it. It does have snaps to remove part of it. I think they only say go to the dealer because most people would never attempt it.....

Thanks pontiacgt...I will let that cook for awhile ...since I read about the seal thing but its tempting me...I did work the clips just am not raring to go on the wipers part and the seal part.


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## slothcruzer (Aug 19, 2016)

Well we were on hi' way over wknd and got diesel fumes from trucks in front of us just like window was open, this is really a problem. Our old car had very little if any of this issue Im really bummed cause of my health issues.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

slothcruzer said:


> Well we were on hi' way over wknd and got diesel fumes from trucks in front of us just like window was open, this is really a problem. Our old car had very little if any of this issue Im really bummed cause of my health issues.


Did you get in there and verify there is a filter?


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## slothcruzer (Aug 19, 2016)

Merc6 said:


> Did you get in there and verify there is a filter?


 No I did not get in there to verify (ive come to the conclusion my filter is under cowl under wipers like tech at chevy thought it was)...Im debating about opening it because I read or saw a video online a bit back that indicated if you are not careful when removing cowl and filter area you can break a seal and it will then leak into the car after. Now Im not sure if I should try it or even ask them too? Does anyone know if this is true...the seal and leak thing? I think maybe the seal was near filter not sure. Hate to muck up a new car. 
edit to add my glove box is totally molded in not removable like my prev cars, chevy tech verified this.


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## Greggul8r (Apr 20, 2016)

i posted on the other thread you have going for this what you took a picture of is exactly what you have to remove.


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