HVAC exploded view

[bigb56]

Does anyone have an exploded view of the HVAC system? I was trying to locate the evaporator housing to see if there is any accessable point on it to drill a 3/8" hole in order to clean it with some CleanEvap.

AirSept recommends this for their CleanEvap product.

On my Grand Cherokee I drilled a hole in the housing and cleaned it out once a year with the garden hose nozzle. That Cherokee had a terrible odor, but once I did that it never smelled again.

[AVConsult]

Have you tried putting into RECIRC and allowing it to ingest Lysol spray?

[bigb56]

Yesterday I used a can of evap deoderizer from Napa. Right now it does not smell but we will see how long that lasts. I tried to get the dealership to cover me on the TSB but they said they could never smell anything, then the warranty expired and I don't want to spend a bunch of time trying to fight them and possibly getting my dash torn apart and not put back together right.

Last year a local shop injected a foam cleaner thru the drain tube which cost me $85 and did nothing. I suspect it never reached the evap. That is why I want to drill the housing and clean it myself. I had excellent results with my Grand Cherokee, which smelled way worse than the Highlander. After I drilled that housing it was like a new car again. I fitted it with a rubber plug so I could repeat the cleaning every year.

If the smell returns within weeks that is exactly what I am going to do with the HL.

I'll probably just sign up the HL on alldata, hopefully there will be a diagram.

[PhotonDreams]

Same thing with me. Dealership said they would pay about half of the cost since the smell was never strong enough to have it done under the initial warranty. I spray it once or twice a year with Frigi-Fresh from NAPA. Seems to solve the problem but, like you, I've been tempted to try and find where I could drill a small hole and spray directly on to the evaporator then fill the hole with a plug. Usually I just pull the cabin filter and spray near the fan blades.

If you figure out where to drill I hope you can post a pix. You could see the service parts guy and tell him what you'd like to do. If they are friendly I find they will call up the diagram on the monitor and print out a copy of just about anything you need. Good info. hunting.