Mold or Mildew smell | Subaru Outback Forums

Any idea what’s involved in pulling the cowl plastic? Maybe there’s a DIY somewhere? I’m hoping it doesn’t involve removing the wiper arms…

My driveway is sandwiched between two maple trees, and due to a variety of factors they were dropping dry leaves all summer. I’m really interested in getting to the trough to clean it out.

It’s not hard. May be a bit tedious. Here’s a video on a 2007. It’s essentially the same as the Gen6….

…it would be a good idea to mark the location of the wiper blades on the window with a permanent marker, before you remove the arms. The arms are splines to the pivots. One or two teeth off on the splines, over a 2.5foot+ wiper arm sweep can translate into inches….where blades may collide or hit the A pillar.

As soon as you get it apart, the HVAC is on the passenger side and very obvious. It’s big. You can fit your arm into it….and a whole lotta tree crud. The cowl plastic drains in the corners. The sheet metal trough under it drains again, in the corners, down into the wheel wells.

Don’t need a special spray.
Turn the fan on high, make sure it’s not on recycle and spray Lysol in the cowl.

What he said^^^^. Pull the air filter. Close the hole flap. Put on outside air. Spray Lysol down the inlet….half the can. The Subaru kit is a can of foam you stick up the drain hole. The second can is essentially Subaru branded Lysol.

Here’s the Subaru kit.