Car Air Conditioner Smells Like Vinegar

Unfortunately overuse and misuse of the air conditioning unit in your car and sometimes just bad luck can cause your cars ac to begin to emit some terrible smells.

Car air conditioner smells like vinegar.

If you ve ever had this happen in your car or been riding in a vehicle with the problem you know exactly what we re talking about. If the vinegar smell only occurs when you re using your car s air conditioner that indicates that the problem is in the ac rather than in another component. The actual nature of that problem will depend on what you re smelling. Vinegar when the air coming from your air conditioner smells sour like vinegar the problem could be from an electric motor that is emitting ozone.

Why your car smells like vinegar. Many times when the foul odor comes from the air vents the unpleasant smell happens as a result of turning on the air conditioner. If it goes away turn on the air conditioner again to see if it returns. Then turn the air conditioning back on to see if it returns.

To eliminate odor from a car air conditioner sit in the car but make sure the car ac and fan are all turned off. Of course that sour and acidic smell coming from your a c isn t actual vinegar like the type you buy at the store but the cause can be something similar. When you turn on your car s air conditioner you should receive a flow of cold air that cools the cabin. To figure out if the smell relates directly to the air conditioner you should turn off the air conditioner to see if the smell goes away.

It shouldn t have any discernible smell. Go a little while without using the air conditioning if you can and see if the smell goes away. To double check drive around without operating the air conditioner the smell will likely only occur when it s running. This smell needs to be removed not only because it causes discomfort for other passengers but also because the micro organisms behind it can cause allergy type illnesses.

If you notice strange smells coming from the air vents there s a problem. Spray a disinfectant spray into every vent including the vents on the dashboard near your feet and in the backseat. Possible causes of a vinegar. Other possible reasons could be excess condensation on the coils a malfunctioning filter a clogged condensate pan or mold in the ductwork.