**UPDATE 2-16** “warm rodent” vapors?

[eastsidebimmer]

UPDATE: You were all right...I had a nice mouse home under the fan...I used some progressively smaller rubber hoses attached to my Hoover GarageVAC and positioned the inlet between the fan cage and blades and began sucking out all the debris down below. Luckily, it was mostly fabric based and I was able to suck it thru the 8MM fuel line or pull big clumps out with the suction and then go back in for more. After it was visibly clean, I shot some compressed air inside and then went back in with the magic vac wand. With the fan on I sprayed some Febreze and also put in a tub of DampRid inside on the floor. The area under the fuse box was mouse free. I'll follow-up with more febreze and see how it goes... Thanks everyone! Death to all mice!

My 1600 did not see a lot of use from 1999 to 2009 and the previous owner’s garage was not fully critter proof, it seems. When I use the heating/vent system, I detect small mammal odors and get little bits of dirt airborne out of the defroster vents. What is the best way to freshen this up? Perhaps remove the under dash panels for a cleaning, and maybe the vent tubes from the heater box to the defroster and lower air outlets? Are these tubes still available new? I’m tired of my wife telling me “you smell like your car”

Thanks!

[BillWilliams]

First you need to take your heater box out and rid it of the mouse hotel in there.

Any mouse urine smell on carpets can be removed with shampooing and use that pet urine smell remover from the pet store or vet.

But you really need to take the heater box out and remove the litter. This is a good time to rebuild it, good tutorial in the FAQ section above.

This is what I found in my touring

[Mike Self]

(shine a small flashlight in and around the blower motor), you might try turning the fan on full blast and spraying some Fabreze in through the heater intake (around the fan).

I had an early rear seat back that had mice nesting behind it, and I tried everything to get the smell out--including setting out in the sun for several days etc etc. Couple of days treatment with Fabreze sprayed directly onto the gummihaar did the trick.

If you do see a mouse nest down in the heater, though, the only way you're gonna clear it out is to remove the heater and thoroughly clean it.

cheers

mike

[M3M3]

My E30, "ratatouille" has similar problem. (see the "YOU DIRTY RAT" thread in off topic.) litterally had to chase a bunch of mice out of it when i got it. have found numerous nests and thousands of acorn shells throughout the car. think i am going to have to take dash and hvac system apart to get them all. when i turn the hvac fan on there is a rattling noise...i hope it is just an acorn...

upholstry shampoo and fabreze will be our friends.

[JFT]

For what it's worth, it probably is pretty important that you do this, and not just for the smell. If memory serves (and I may be wrong about this, but I think not), rodent feces can carry all sorts of nasty disease. Just inhaling its dust has the potential of making one quite seriously ill. Seems like there was a huge problem with this among the folks who followed the traditional way of life on the Navajo Rez in Arizona a number of years back. Those In Charge had a hell of a time chasing it down. They finally figgered out that microbes (or whatever) in the dust from the mousie poop that had accumulated in the hogans over the years was the culprit. At least I think that's right.

[c.d.iesel]

!!!!!!I agree with wearing a FACE MASK while working on this car!!!!!

and look under the front seats, remove the back seat cushions,

your not done yet

remove the battery,

the screw securing the fuse block, lift the fuse

block up out of the body, enjoy the next clean-up

task inside there

Wash the entire interior(bare floors) with vinagar

and rinse out other areas also

remove the glove box - yer not done yet

and some here claim ABOVE THE HEADLINER

is another great settlement - location, location, location

you'll never remove the stink because it sticks

to the interior fabric and insulation.

it's aromatic PATINA . Get used to it.

some help from laying a large cookie baking pan

with vinagar in the interior - change it a few times over a weeks time

don't drive with the pan in the car !!! the vinagar sucks up the stink

[chipperwerks]

I believe it was hanta virus..... Serious sh!t... Pun intended!

[Harv]

Once when I was flying a Hawker with a stinky lav, I apologized to my passenger, Reggie Jackson. He then told me, "When I have a stink in a car I get a coffee filter, fill it with grounds, and staple it shut. (Looks like a Taco at that point) and throw it in the car. One or two will do it after you remove the source of the stink".

John

[schwarz75]

Ben, when the heater box was removed from my '73 2002 there was a mouse home within it. There was an amazing amout of "stuff" within the heater box and it must have been really cozy.

I now place a product purchased from Tractor Supply Co. called Fresh Cab. It's a packet that is used by farmers, etc., and the odor is supposed to be one that rodents don't like to be around. I have been placing one of these in the cowl area under the hood.