[Moskva]

When the ventilation is turned on, there's a swimming pool-like smell that enters the cabin. I thought it might me the cabin air filter so I even already bought a new filter, but I can't seem to get to the old one. People have told me that because my car has no AC it has no filter at all, but then I wonder where the smell comes from.

Attached is a photo of how far I've come. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[mcsport]

Welcome to the Forum

Does this help?

 

[Moskva]

Thanks for the reply, unfortunately not, this guy has a different assembly, with two big horizontal tabs on the right.

 

[2012vengaman]

Are you sure there aren't any release tabs on the black plastic strip?
Every video I've just watched has all models with that plastic door hiding the filter and release clips on either the left or right.
As for not having one, very unlikely as it stops bad stuff entering the fan which can result in a very expensive replace job. Even my 2001 Nissan had a pollen filter and that did not have A/C.
The musty smell might be caused by blocked drains on the front "scuttle" area (the bit directly at the bottom of the windscreen. This causes water to collect and run internally rather than draining. Are your carpets dry in the driver and passenger foot well area? Blocked drains normally causes wet carpets / footwells

 

[xroads]

Maybe somebody used bleach to remove algae and it's lingering in the external drain/air vent/scuttle tray area.
Follow your nose.

see if you can open what looks like a sponge filter up above?

Are you losing engine coolant? In case your heater matrix has sprung a leak. I guess you would see a puddle though.

 

[Jack Daniels]

take a look at the parts diagram on partsouq.com, there may be a filter accessable from the outside, under the hood.

 

[Moskva]

I'll try to have a look at the scuttle area this weekend! On partsouq.com I couldn't find a diagram of the ventilation system unfortunately but I found a Russian service manual.

Just to satisfy my curiousity I feel like opening the whole under-dashboard ventilation assembly and seeing what each part does.

 

[mcsport]

Link to the Ventilation System - The Filter is not fitted to some Vehicles

HEATER SYSTEM - HEATER & BLOWER | Kia Picanto Picanto Passenger | Parts Catalogs | PartSouq

If you are looking for HEATER SYSTEM - HEATER & BLOWER Parts for Kia Picanto Picanto Passenger then we advise you to pay attention to the range of our spare parts catalog for Kia!

partsouq.com

You could try an Air Conditioning Cleaner
This sort of thing

K2 PRO 500ml Car Air Con Conditioning System Aerosol Cleaner Fresh Foam A/C Remove Odour : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

K2 PRO 500ml Car Air Con Conditioning System Aerosol Cleaner Fresh Foam A/C Remove Odour : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Moskva]

Thanks for the link!

Today I cleaned out the scuttle area, which contained enough organic mass for planting just about twenty bonsai trees. I can confirm there's no filter at all, I put my arm down the hole in the scuttle area, and could spin the interior fan with my hand. The hardest part was getting the wipers off, those should be folded up before being pulled off otherwise the tension in the wiper arm presses them into the spline on the wiper axle.

The smell is completely gone now, thanks for all the advice!

 

[Jack Daniels]

If that open hole is down into the fan, then you should get hold of a vacuum cleaner style course filter and tape it over the opening. Debris can damage the fan blades and motor as well as introducing bad smelling contaminants.
use one that is course and wont absorb water.
If that area is completely dry with the scuttle panel on then you could even tape on a proper kia or toyota cabin air filter, they are <£10 and are all much the same dimension and fit.