To clarify, I bought the house a year ago. The plastic has been on the dirt/rock ground for one year. The dirt is not drying out & I assume it never will & as is, I am starting to think it will stink forever.. I do not have the money to excapsulate the crawlspace or add an expensive dehumidifier. I have the damp ground, I have 6 open vents, and a box fan running to move the air. So far what im doing isnt workinbg.

Is the fan just blowing the damp air around the crawlspace, or do you have it set up to draw drier air in by blowing the damp air out?

The box fan is just moving air around. Not drawing in nor blowing out..

"The box fan is just moving air around. Not drawing in nor blowing out.."

Then it is not doing anything.

It sounds like you have a ventilation problem. Removing the vapor barrier isn't going to fix that.

So is it a consensus that I install 2-3 vent fans to pull moist air OUT of the crawlspace ? Sounds like a good plan. Should I just leave the plastic down as is or tear it out so the dirt underneith can dry ?
Thanks for your inputs..

Leave the plastic down.

If you are in a hot-humid climate, ventilation can cause more moisture in a crawl space than sealing it up. There can more moisture available from the circulating air than from the ground. What is your climate like?

Where is the smell, outside or inside of the house?

It is more than just a climate issue.

It depends on the exact conditions on the lot and in the crawl space.

If there is a ready source of moisture for the crawl space, it may never dry out and ventilation is very likely to help.

Southern Missouri on Table Rock Lake. The ground is always damp- water table I guess.. The smell is very strong in the crawlspace, until we ventilate the main living floor the smell seeps up from the crawlspace. For now we are only at the lake house about 4 days per month.
* I am thinking of adding 2- double fan exhaust vents with humidistats