Why does my MBP Smell strange sometimes

Question

Level 4

2,312 points

Why does my MBP Smell strange sometimes

About an hour after I turn on my unibody MBP, my eyes and throat burn slightly. There is also a vinegar or lemon type smell. It just started in the last couple of weeks after 2 years. No one else in my family can smell it, but they do not use it very long.

Could this be a battery or capacitor problem? I can't see anything wrong from the outside.

Is the a diagnostic procedure for this? After all, if I take it to the apple store they may not smell it either.

MBP 15 CD, MBP C2D 17, 17 Uni; TiBook, G4 MP500; iMac Grape, Orange,, Mac OS X (10.6.7), 32GiPhone4.64 3G iPad.2TTimeCapsule.60GiPodPhoto.4Gnano.8GiPhone

Posted on Feb 29, 2012 4:23 AM

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Answer 1

Bart1977

Level 2

287 points

Mar 2, 2012 12:40 AM in response to Judy

Are the fans spinning? Could be the fans that are broken.

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Answer 2

Mar 2, 2012 12:58 AM in response to Judy

Assuming that you didn't drop some sweet and sour sauce on your MBP, and assuming that the smell is actually coming from the Mac, it could be anything. A short would cause ozone to form, which has a distinctive smell, but not close to lemon or vinegar.

If you search this forum, there doesn't appear to be anyone who has that particular issue. I'd take it to the Apple genius for a lookover.

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Answer 3

fane_j

Level 4

3,697 points

Mar 2, 2012 1:31 AM in response to Judy

Judy wrote:

There is also a vinegar or lemon type smell.

The Case of the Odoriferous Mac… Dr Watson, I trust you are ready with your notebook?

(1) Have you tried the MBP in a different room? IOW, are you sure the irritant comes from the Mac, and not from something else in the room (or inside the wall space)?

(2) Is the MBP, or a specific area on the MPB, warmer than usual, perhaps even hot? The chemical reactions which generate smells in electronics usually occur when some component gets hot. There are various temp sensors in the MBP which should warn of unusually high temp, but still, they may not be functioning as expected.

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Answer 4

Judy Author

Level 4

2,312 points

Mar 2, 2012 11:39 AM in response to OrangeMarlin

Yes now that you mention it, it does smell like ozone. I used to have a laser printer that would smell like that sometimes.

No sauce on it. I keep food far from it.

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Answer 5

Judy Author

Level 4

2,312 points

Mar 2, 2012 11:49 AM in response to fane_j

1. I think the smell is ozone. And I am not sure it is from the Mac.

That is why I wonder if there is some test a genius could do or see by looking inside, because they may not smell anything either.

But it smells right above the Mac and not near a wall.

What is IOW?

2. Nothing is warmer than usual. The Mac acts normal in every way.

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Answer 6

steve359

Level 6

17,175 points

Mar 2, 2012 12:04 PM in response to Judy

Is the MagSafe near the MBP ... and is the MagSafe hot?

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Answer 7

Mar 2, 2012 12:08 PM in response to Judy

Judy wrote:

What is IOW?

In other words

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Answer 8

Judy Author

Level 4

2,312 points

Mar 2, 2012 12:37 PM in response to steve359

It is relatively near and not any hotter than usual.

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Answer 9

Judy Author

Level 4

2,312 points

Mar 2, 2012 12:38 PM in response to Andrew Wolczyk

I need a good dictionary of all these SMS shortcuts. Thanks.

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Answer 10

fane_j

Level 4

3,697 points

Mar 2, 2012 3:45 PM in response to Judy

Judy wrote:

I need a good dictionary of all these SMS shortcuts.

WIBAMU! Them's fightin' words, pardner. These abbreviations orginated lo-o-o-ong before there was any such thing as SMS, and even before Usenet, in the glory days of the BBS (of which this forum is a descendant).

I think the smell is ozone.

I'm with OrangeMarlin -- ozone doesn't smell to me like lemon or vinegar. At any rate, I see no source of ozone in an MBP; in fact, if it's not unusually warm, I think it's unlikely the smell comes from it. By contrast, if you have an older laser printer (or photocopier), which uses a corona wire, that would be a prime source of ozone. For instance,

<http://support.apple.com/kb/TA46105>

What you need to do is isolate the problem. Use the MBP in a similar but different room -- that should tell you if the smell is associated with the computer or with the work space.

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Answer 11

Judy Author

Level 4

2,312 points

Mar 2, 2012 4:49 PM in response to fane_j

Ok, what does WIBAMU mean?

And where is the best list of shortcuts, regardless of when they came about?

I will move MBP to another room to try to isolate the smell.

I did have a LaserWriter, and the smell and irritation seems the same.

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Answer 12

fane_j

Level 4

3,697 points

Mar 2, 2012 5:37 PM in response to Judy

Judy wrote:

what does WIBAMU mean?

<http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/w/f/What-Is-WIBAMU.htm>

And where is the best list of shortcuts

A list of abbreviations? I honestly don't know. The files I used to refer to, back in the days when the world was young, have long gone to their just rewards in /dev/null. Try Acronym Finder, or just google it. These days, I hear that even the OED is beginning to include such barbarisms. (Does anyone need a better sign that we're all going to the nether regions in a handbasket?). Just don't mistake us veterans, scarred and toughened by the heat of countless flame wars, with these kiddies who run around in wet nappies, ending every sentence with a question mark and LOLing and BFFing each other till the batteries run out.

I did have a LaserWriter, and the smell and irritation seems the same.

Then I should be very surprised indeed if it came from the MBP.

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