Cleaning Vent Bower and Duct - Mouse

[bryankloos]

Hi Guys,

I had a mouse help himself to my vent duct this winter. I had seen him earlier in the spring and got him, but not before he set up residence in the ducting.

When I turned on the vent today an acorn and some debris shot out of the front middle grill and then the fan started to squeek. I'm guessing it is jammed with mouse nest and other crap.

What's the best wat to clean the ducting, fan, blower etc?

Thanks!

Bryan

[Mtsurfposse]

F’ing f’kers
Soft scrub if it smells. If it’s just a little nest, just vacuum and clean with your favorite cleaner

If they peed a lot, that stench is nearly invincible and soft scrub is the ONLY thing I’ve found to work. I rehabbed an SL500 that was infested prior to our purchase. It would make you noxious to sit in for a few minutes and we tried everything. ALL the off the shelf AND home remedies and Soft scrub was the only thing that could get the pee stench off metal bodywork.

Hopefully it’s not too bad, but clean it before you turn that fan on

[fallingat120mph]

Originally Posted by Mtsurfposse

F’ing f’kers
Soft scrub if it smells. If it’s just a little nest, just vacuum and clean with your favorite cleaner

If they peed a lot, that stench is nearly invincible and soft scrub is the ONLY thing I’ve found to work. I rehabbed an SL500 that was infested prior to our purchase. It would make you noxious to sit in for a few minutes and we tried everything. ALL the off the shelf AND home remedies and Soft scrub was the only thing that could get the pee stench off metal bodywork.

Hopefully it’s not too bad, but clean it before you turn that fan on

Great to know - Soft Scrub that is!

Went trough this with my current 911. Super clean neighborhood, super clean garage/workshop and in south Texas where I had never seen a mouse in all the years we were there. So...not quite sure where it came from...maybe one of my cross country trips.

With all that said, I was noticing a smell in the car and long story short - mouse under the back driver side interior panel, to include possibly the center tunnel.

Never found the mouse but the smell was near impossible to get rid of. Lady luck would have it I was redoing the interior BUT even with that said the interior sat for a month with nothing in it and stripped to the bare. Everything was ripped out and as you stated it was almost unbearable-especially as I keep my interiors always clean. I used a citrus cleaner, not sure which one, and that helped and I did pull it out in the sun with the car interior wide open, no seats, carpets, rear deck, door panels, and finally beat the smell.


40 years of ownerships and never had a mouse in any car (that I know of) and wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Take care of things properly as soon as you can...especially if there is a smell, even faint. Summer heat, heat in general, seemed to make it worse...almost bedding it in to the materials.




Erik

[EC900]

Fresh air vent?
If the fan is jammed then you’ll need to remove it. Though these fans are known to screech when not used for long periods. You don’t want to breathe that air, so if it blows, hook up a vac (w/hepa filter) first before turn on fan unless you’re removing it altogether.
Note:The fresh air drain tube could allow access so check it for tears cracks etc. A bit of screen stuffed into the end can stop them crawling up.

So first and foremost is to find the point of entry and seal it up. There will be relatives coming back in September. I use baited snap traps in garage year around.
Cabin entry…were windows open? If entry was in the trunk, the steering wheel knuckle has a decent sized opening that they get it via the smuggler box and between gas tank.
Tunnel, make sure you have the shift rod boots in place. Once in the tunnel your interior is open range, so pull cover and carpets and check for chewings and dropping.

All rodents are prolific pee’ers and couriers of disease, particularly NM and CO. So disinfect all the better, less parfum - more sanitizer. Diluted bleach, hydrogen peroxide and even Lysol or Microban whatever on the shelf. Fresh scents help mask but the sanitizing aspect is most important.
If you can wipe out suspect ducting and all surfaces where it traveled. And vac the droppings too.
Any duct cleaning best with a cloth on a rod wet with sanitizer. like you would with a rifle barrel.
There are air duct cleaners specifically for AC vents for moldy odors that can mist the insides too but Lysol aerosol drawn in with fan on will do.
You don’t want to brush out or force anything into the paper-aluminum ducting, but snoop around to see if they’re damaged and replace if needed.

[PeteKz]

Just bite the bullet and remove the air distribution box and fan. While you're in there cleaning, do several things at the same time to avoid the PITA of having to pull it out again soon.
1. renew the foam rubber seals on the flap valves in the fan housing ducts. Those are deteriorating by now.
2. Oil the fan motor with ATF or the electric motor snake oil of your choice.
3. Enjoy many more years and miles of trouble free operation.

[TastyReuben]

yeah take it apart, remove fan + motor housing, soak and clean all that plastic. Replace the original soft ducting with new stuff from air spruce. I blasted my evap box with a leaf blower and a bunch of junk came out. Also fresh air blower box can accumulate water if that drain line gets clogged.

An Ozone generator will also help neutralize some of the smell.

[bryankloos]

Are there any good references to guide me through the tear down and rebuild?

[PeteKz]

No need, it's pretty obvious how it goes together. Take pictures before you start.

[WMichelsen]

I agree, it's mostly straight forward to do. But, it's always nice to have a reference doc.
Here's a picture and description I used when I removed mine:
https://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/385784-retrofitting-non-c-ventilation-ducts-4.html#post7780404
If you reach a sticking point, let me know. I usually take a bunch of pics as I do stuff, and can probably address any issue.

[fallingat120mph]

Originally Posted by bryankloos

Are there any good references to guide me through the tear down and rebuild?

Originally Posted by PeteKz

No need, it's pretty obvious how it goes together. Take pictures before you start.

Quick photos and maybe a note pad. I removed all HVAC from a car last fall and had never done it before. Trunk items, floor blowers, etc...

Lots of zip loc bags for hardware, blue painters tape to label items and space to lay things out.

At the time had a three car garage and just laid things out as I removed. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would/could be. Just go slow and be patient with yourself. Key for me with projects like this is start it and finish it within a said time...otherwise months later you can be looking at parts and doing the "hmmm??? where did that go???"

I am sure others will have links or decent photos from their builds, etc...


Erik

[fallingat120mph]

Originally Posted by WMichelsen

I agree, it's mostly straight forward to do. But, it's always nice to have a reference doc.
Here's a picture and description I used when I removed mine:
https://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/385784-retrofitting-non-c-ventilation-ducts-4.html#post7780404
If you reach a sticking point, let me know. I usually take a bunch of pics as I do stuff, and can probably address any issue.

Ha! Nicely done! I remember this thread from my tear down.

Erik