Mac Pro Smell

Just a short update:
Since my previous post from the end of June, the smell has diminished a little bit... but not too much (still enough to give me a dry throat after 2 hours).

Our local Apple Authorized Repair Center could not give me any timeframe when they could check the system ("because we have so much to do") and since I need my Mac nearly every day, I am not sure when I can take it to repair.

Of course I´ll keep you all posted of the results (if something can be done that is).

Cheers
Tom

I recently purchased my MacPro 3 weeks ago and I have the same problem: A terrific smell very powerfull. I have a room well ventilated but the problem maintains.
I live in Portugal, and I found in other forums of discussion's Mac in Europe, equal problems about bad smell in MacPro. I think the solution is to change with a new MacPro...

Got mine a week ago and it was really bad too , so I opened the window in my room left it running continously for over 72 hours with the side cover off.
The odor is 98 percent gone ,and I can't smell it unless I stick my nose on the back of the computer a few inches away. lol The smell was definetly coming from the PSU . I called Apple and they were going to send a onsite tech to replace parts PSU, logic board etc. I called to tell them all is fine now .

Doug T

Support says the problem is with a seal or gasket in front of the psu. I'm waiting for the part to be replaced in mine. It's been a long wait because they're back ordered.
I ran mine for 3 weeks straight and it still stinks.

I thought it might have something to do with it coming from China but we also purchased a 2.66 GHZ MAc Pro, that was assembled in CA, at work and it smells the same.

How can you tell where your Mac was assembled?

Funny that support is saying something like. Of course that could be the case but...
In our case the processor heatsinks have now been changed twice and the last thing that was done in an
authorized Mac service was that the paste that lies between the heatsink and the processor has been cleaned and and changed to another brand. It still smells the same but I'll wait couple of days to see if it goes away now.
Does anybody know how to run Mac Pro on full processor load?

There is a little program from Marcel Bresink called SystemLoad. You can trigger all processor cores to run on whatever load you want. Don't know his website, but you'll find the program via versiontracker.

Since I myself am plagued by a stinky Mac Pro, I don't suppose that this will help...but nevertheless good luck!

I have had a two week saga with the problem of a sweet musty, solvent type smell coming out of a brand new quad pro, a great machine otherwise, but wow, this is bad.
Returned it to apple and got another one. Same problem.
I let each of these machines run for 4+ days..had to move it out in my garage it smelled so bad. Stinking up the home office. Still bad. At first I thought it was kind of like a new car smell, not that bad, but after working around the machine for about an hour, start getting a bad headache, and a metallic taste in my mouth. And the garage is now filled with these fumes, you can smell it when you open the garage door, 20 feet from the computer!
The guys at our local apple store have been great to work with on this problem, but apple definitely has a problem here that needs to get fixed.
Apple said thay would take this second machine back, but now I am stuck. I’m going to try to pick up a used machine somewhere. Or I might downgrade to a new Imac. Sheesh.
Has anyone had this experience and been successful in waiting it out? How long does it take for whatever it is to burn off? Seems like mixed stories/problems/resolutions in these postings so far, which leads me to believe it is a problem with some batches on the production line or something…

I'm on my third Mac Pro (even moved up to 3.0 thinking it might be a power supply unit problem) and it still stinks. Apple says it's a problem with a gasket or seal in front of the psu giving off the odor and I'm waiting for the back ordered part to repair it.
I let my first unit run about a month constantly and the smell never went away. They're aware of the problem now they just have to fix it. I bought mine in March to give you an idea of how long it's taken to fix this smell.

The odor is coming from the compound used on the heat sink seal on top of the processors.
The Mac tech just finished cleaning them and putting a different seal material on. It's running now to burn off any residual odor left behind.
The fumes were getting channeled thru the vent system making it seem like it was coming from the psu area and the whole time it was coming from the area below.
Check out http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61705&page=3

Just one thing:

How many of the machines manufactured in china generate that smell, compared to the machines made in the US?
So, to all of you who have or have had that problem, what is the location of manufacturing of your mac pro?

It could be quite enlightening to see if there is a connection between that problem
and the place it was made, statistically.

Feel free to drop me an email so i´ll put up a comparison here.
siliconreports@aol.com

Hi.

I've had my Mac Pro for about 90 days now. I had hoped that the fumes would dissipate over time, but they haven't, even after 3 months of daily use. And it's not just a matter of an unpleasant odor...my throat burns every time I'm in the room with the computer on. Now that the weather is changing, I can't leave my office window open, so it's time for action.

From all of the threads on this problem, it seems that the removal of the excess thermal compound is the most promising solution.
I've called tech support, and while the rep I spoke to hadn't personally received any calls on the matter, he confirmed this theory based on his years of computer maintenance. I will be covered under warranty to have an authorized repair center clean off the heat sinks.

Before I take it in and have to do without my computer for possibly several days, I wanted to check with those of you who have tried this approach. Did the removal of the compound actually solve the odor issue for you? Anything else I need to relay to the repair guys that might ensure a proper fix?

Thanks!

Fred

FWIW, my Mac Pro box says "Computer Assembled in USA."

I have the vanilla scent too. For me it is similar to the smell of cauchu.

I felt it really intense after a week I recived the new Mac Pro. 3 days ago. Now it seems to slowly decrease day by day. But I am not sure of it.

But I am very afraid reading this thread.

To give back the computer to Assistance for repair or replacement would be a big problem. The only authorized Apple center for assistance is about an hour (with a car) far from my home. And I have just completed to install a fresh Mac OS X installation and all my Applications and to transfer all my work documents from a Linux Box (even if I am a Mac User, latest year I have not been able to get enough money to buy a Mac). I was just ready do make a DMG of the whole system for fast restore.

Now I should re-backup (or rsync back) all my documents somewhere (I already made a lot of changes to them) before to send it to assistance center, if it is the case.

Moreover I tryed to call the number of Apple phone tech assistance (they say that there is 90 days of free of charge assistance); as a result I spent 11 minutes waiting for a response and spent 5 Euro with my mobile phone but nobody answered me (and a recorded voice saying "you will talk with a technician in less then 10 minutes"). Then I closed the phone call. I am very concerned about this.

Tomorrow I will try to call them again.

The Mac seems to be manufactured in China, by reading some of the labels attached to its parts (keyboard, mouse). How can I know if the whole computer is made in China?

Thanks

I thought mine smelt like someone had been smoking cannabis in the room. It was a very strange odour. Seems to have gone now, but it took a month or 2. A bit of BOINC processing does every computer wonders. 🙂

I wouldn't worry about it too much, its probably some mad Chinese person smoking pot at the factory. 😀

I had this occur on a repair - the machine was fine before a heatsink was replaced. I would agree (based on that circumstantial evicence) that the cause is either the thermal paste or the heatsink itself.