AC condenser clean out

Been trying to clean out the accumulation of smoke and mildew smell. What bothers me is that I use cans of Kool-It foaming cleaner and empty 8oz. of the stuff, but only about 4 oz. drains out from the drain tube. What liquid drains out is brown, but I wonder if the other 4 oz. is just collecting smelly liquid near the drain out tube area. Drain tube is not clogged. I end up driving a few feet forward and stopping fast just hoping it sloshes out, which it does, but just a little. Took the blower motor off and no debris that I could see or feel by reaching my hand up inside to a limited degree. Wondering if I have to use 5 cans of the stuff before the liquid drains out clear. I feel as if the condenser area just isn’t getting cleaned enough at $12 a pop for this stuff. 4 weeks later the bad smoke smell comes roaring back.Tried using two 8 oz. cans at once. It ends up draining out almost immediately. Not sure it’s foaming up like Kool-It says it does. Anyone used a different brand foaming AC condenser cleaner? That brand might be overrated. P.S. I fed the hose thru the console vents too.

 

Bad smoke smell? You might be smelling a valve cover gasket leak. Oil drips on the exhaust and makes a stinky burning smell

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-evaporator-cleaning.678272/

 

Jeesh! If I want to get to the problem once and for all, that link pulls no punches. Not sure if a ‘97 AC housing is similar to a 2003 Tacoma. There’s probably a build up of smoke residue that totally coats that area. I was a bit disappointed with Kool-It foaming cleanser and how little drained out. Damn, it was nasty brown, just not enough of it. As if I could repeat it five times and still not eventually get clear liquid. Like 10 cans of the stuff at $12 a pop. BTW, there’s only a measly 8 oz. of that “foaming” cleanser per $12 can. That’s not a whole lot. Anyone recommending another brand would also be appreciated. And yes, I always try and not use the recirculating air setting.

 

As far as I know all the 1st gens use the same HVAC housing, it's not terribly difficult to get to the evaporator just takes a little time.

 

If it’s that bad and you can pull it that would be your best bet. Then you can steam it, pressure wash it, whatever and clean out the box too.

 

The only real way to clean an Evap Coil is to pull things apart so you can see it .

Worse case disconnect and remove the complete coil

not doing the first just makes things worse

 

I pulled the inside of mine apart last year and washed it with coil cleaner, it didn’t help the stink on A/C startup. Not sure what is going on with it.

 

The vent tubes are still dirty as is the cabin intake.