this may sound odd ... but i hope someone has experienced it so that i may find a solution when i start the car up, it smells like vinegar in the cabin details ... it's a 2008 Prius, i leave the a/c on all the time (i'm in socal), the car is parked outside, but in the shade, and i religiously change the cabin air filter i've taken to starting the car with the door open, i reach in with my right foot and hold the brake, and reach in with my right arm to hit the start button ... so as not to be in the car when it starts to avoid a blast of it the smell dissipates in seconds anyone have a similar experience? what the ... ?
Are you sure you are not smelling the Antifreeze. It has a distinct sour oder, and if you are smelling it, you have a coolant leak, probably a small one since it seems to go away, but you say its back when you return to the car? Meebee a trip to dealer is in oder order!!
i don't think it's coolant it's only on startup, for a second or two, and it smells decisively like vinegar
There's a TSB out now regarding bad smells involving the AC. It appears you can get mildew in the system. Your dealer should have the details. http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ator-coil-replacement-stinky-moldy-prius.html
Toyota to the rescue! Most dealers stock a two part A/C Power Foam Evaporator Cleaner & Refresher Kit. Dealer will want you to have the service dept. do the job for ~$100, but if you're insistent, you can get the kit for ~$25 and DIY The sales pitch on the can says: 'is a quick and easy to use treatment for the elimination of odors caused by the presence of mold , mildew, and microorganisms. Power Foam's unique foaming and cleaning agents fill the entire evaporator case assembly with highly effective active ingredients which dissolve and wash away contaminants' You squirt the foamy stuff up thorough the evaporator drain tube, which you have pulled up into the cabin. After a short period of time you drain the foam-turned-liquid into a container. I used the cleaner, but not the perfumed 'refresher, as part of clearing a drain tube blockage last summer. Simple, pretty quick and effective in my experience. See also: Toyota Prius 2006 air conditioning ventilation service | PriusChat
Good questions. I used the A/C Power Foam Evaporator Cleaner & Refresher Kit about a year ago. Here's what I think I remember: The evaporator is located up under the dash on the passenger side. It would behelpful, though not necessary, to peer under the car to preliminarily locate the drain tube. It's black, about 3/16 in. in diameter and hangs down 3 inches or so. Inside the cabin, you need to peel back the carpet in the passenger's foot well to get access to the drain tube all the way to where it goes through the floor. I seem to remember that the tube runs through a soft rubber grommet. It doesn't matter if the grommet puls away with the tube when you pull the drain tube back in. I was able to do this without distrubing the hard plastic pieces near the door and the center stack. IIRC, the hardest part of this was reseating the rubber grommet in its hole, and getting the carpet to lie smoothly under the edges of the hard plastic pieces near the door and center stack when putting things back together. Hope this helps.
