mice in hvac???

[Ewags81]

my car stays in a shed along a tree line. i started getting a smell i think from the ductwork in the last week while driving. i spotted a little bit of rodent evidence (chewing into the dampening material over the fender well liners). does anyone have experience with hvac duct work in the s650 and can you point me in the right direction if i suspect i might have some intruders. i want to catch it early. i'd like to run a shop vac into the ductwork from the outside in but where does that start? thanks so much. eric

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[smurfslayer]

Hopefully Ford has found a better way, but I bought a beater '91 or '92... Exploder Eddie Bauer with about 170k on the clock when I bought it. It read 70k but it didn't have a 6 digit odometer and it definitely rode like it had that many miles, maybe more. Among the many, many adventures I had with that SUV was leaving work one day, firing up the heater and being greeted with billowing smoke from the vents. I couldn't pull over fast enough, shut down and jump out, without a doubt looking like a complete idiot. I had shut off the truck and noticed there was no more smoke. started the truck back up and there it was, turned off the fan, no more smoke. That's weird...
I called a buddy, 20+ year Ford tech, he's like "yeah, common problem, bring it by and I'll clear it out." So some rodent started making a nest at the heater core, and there was a heating element close enough to it to actually ignite dry leaves. I'm not the only one to experience this. He showed me where the leaves accumulated, cleaned it out and I was on my way.

Moral: get rid of the rodent issue, asap. I'm sure Ford has better designs now, but if they chew your vehicle harness through, it's a very, very expensive fix and not a warranty fix.

Good luck.

 

[erocker]

Man that sucks. The HVAC system isn't much different from S550. You should be able to find some instructions on how to disassemble the system.. Which unfortunately is what you have to do for rodents. I just had to do it to my Lexus, wasn't fun. Hopefully they're rummaging around in an easier place to get to.

 

[Skye]

Attached is a recent figure I downloaded on the S550. The point of the attachment is, with various actuator doors installed, that might limit the infestation and damage, 550 or 650.

Fresh air feeds on most vehicles start under the hood, in the cowl area near the windshield.

I'd study how to and remove the cabin filter; this should be associated with the fan assembly and the initial opening into the interior. It could offer you a quick assessment of the extent of the infestation. The filter would make for great bedding material.



For cleaning, most vacuums have a flexible hose, but it's too big to get into tight areas or locations which are weird shapes. Buy flexible auto vacuum tubing of what you think is a good size, then duct tape one end to the vacuum's hose. Leave the other end open. With the vacuum cleaner on, you can now snake the hose through the ducting.

Regarding the current situation and upcoming winter, for you and others...

- If there are any sources of food nearby, remove them. For Members who keep additional supplies in their garage or outside storage, try to find another place, inside the home or secured area. If trees have dropped fruit or cones, gather and remove those

- Any home goods, clothing or shop rags that could be used for bedding material, inspect it for signs of use and get rid of it

- Several report success with mints or mint oils. It's been said that mice do not like strong smells. Some place mints throughout the area, on/around each wheel and under hood. Consider scented dryer sheets as well

- Trap, trap and trap some more. Traps near each wheel and in the general area. Peanut butter and foods like it (cracker-type sandwiches) keep well and the mice like them

- Inspect the area on a regular basis, how often being your general feel for the situation and the environment. When you do, make noise, move things around. Be disruptive and unwelcoming

- Some report success with high-frequency emitters, but these need to be powered. And they should be moved often

Good Luck.

 

[Ewags81]

thank you guys for the info. you'd be surprised. Google searching and YouTube there's not a lot out there as far as the duct work path for the at s550 s650. I was trying to snake a vacuum hose in there from the air inlet before pulling the cabin air filter, just in case they were on top of it. anyway I don't think that they made it into the car as of yet. pulled the cabin air filter and put a small mechanics mirror and light inside. looks pretty clear and no signs of damage in there. picture attached of the stuffing / dampening material over fender liner. looks like they're climbing from the front up over the fender liner so I might pull that liner the next time I've got it up on stands just to put it to rest. picked up a tub of mouse and rat repellent at tractor supply along with four packs of cab fresh. coated the entire floor of the shed with pellets which smell like cinnamon nutmeg and used the cab fresh, two in the engine bay (you can see me holding that up out of the way in the picture) and two in the kick panels of the car. cab fresh is kind of cedar pine. so it's like Christmas all the time now and the new car smell I was trying to hang on to... gone

 

[Zig]

Steel wool might be a helpful pathway blockage.

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