critters in heater system

Paul Crowther · 10-22-2003, 04:15 PM

My 911 is parked in a barn and someone finally decided to move in. The other day the heater emitted a strange smell and when I opened the floor-mounted heater control doors all the way, a yucky burnt smell and nesting material shot out the side and defrost vents.

I haven't looked under the car for the condition of the under-car heater hoses, but wonder if anyone has had this problem (I'm SURE someone has), and how they dealt with it.

I'm tempted first to hook up a shop vac to the far ends of the heater hose maze and see what I can suck out.

Ideas?

Paul

Tim Walsh · Tim Walsh's Garage

err this probably isn't going to make you happy but I bought my car after it had sat for a year to 2 years. The cooling fins were completely covered along with my exhaust being filled with oil and a mouses nest. The smugglers box and the shifter tunnel had junk in it too.

Bill Verburg · Bill Verburg's Garage

It's a very common problem. Mice will get into every nook and cranny of the car, they love to build nests under the fan shroud atop the cylinders.

You need to go to extremes to keep them out:

measures can include but are not limited to

barn cats
copious quantities of rat poison
fabric softer sheets liberally scattered around, under and in the car(if nothing else the car will smell great!)
hermetacally sealed bubbles

Paul Crowther · 10-22-2003, 04:29 PM

I know it's not that bad because it was fine a couple days earlier. I think I already cooked whatever was in there; I just want to clean it out quickly before it attracts more whatever.

Paul

Chuck Moreland · 10-22-2003, 04:31 PM

I had a field mouse crawl through the holes in the flapper box, apparently looking for a warm place on a cold night. He found it! The car was parked for about 2 hours.

About 2 minutes after firing the engine up, a putrid smell of burning fur was pouring in through the heater. Very strong stench, it did eventually cook off.

Randy Webb · 10-22-2003, 04:44 PM

When storing the car, close the vents! You can also put screens over them.

cassisrot · 10-22-2003, 04:52 PM

Randy, do you "close the vents" by simply turning every heat/air control to off, or, are their manual steps that need to be taken? Thanks

Paul Crowther · 10-22-2003, 04:55 PM

Can the hoses be easily disconnected at the flapper boxes to vacuum out ahead of and behind the boxes?

Paul

braddb_82SC · 10-22-2003, 05:11 PM

A couple years ago I sat down in my 'SC and proceded down the twisty mountain road that was my commute to work. About a mile from home I noticed some small slithering flesh-colored runts in my sweatshirt, which had remained overnight in the passeger seat. A mouse have given birth in my car! Worst thing was, the mother had chewed a large hole in my favorite garment for a nest. I deposited the mouselings in the grass on the side of the road. I still have no idea how the mother mouse got in. I never saw her come or go.

-Brad

Doug Zielke · 10-22-2003, 06:54 PM

"Will work for kitty treats." ........

Randy Webb · 10-22-2003, 10:01 PM

put the lever down & look at the heat dumps -- should be open.

Pull lever up and they should be closed -- check to be sure.

Screen the exhaust also.

Jdub · 10-23-2003, 07:46 AM

Doug:

Beautiful kitties! Cats love to hunt them mousies and they are worth every darn can of stinky food!

Remember to put a tennis ball in the exhaust tailpipe. Cinch up the heater levers and be sure the engine tin seals are in top condition. Assume nothing on return to car if stored for any length of time.

John

Formerly Steve Wilkinson · 10-23-2003, 08:09 AM

There's a classic Adirondacker mouse preventive that I use. Take a five gallon plastic Spackle bucket and drill two holes near the top so you can put a dowel or welding rod through the holes. Take a tin can of an appropriate size and drill two holes through the middle of it, so that it is gently balanced on that dowel to tip over as soon as a mouse jumps onto it to eat the peanut butter you've smeared on the top. You may have to drill holes a couple of times to get the balance right. Put three or four inches of water in the bucket and make some sort of little ramp so the mouse can get to the top of the bucket. Put it next to the car. At first, you'll probably have to empty the mouse-filled water every day...

Stephan

steve911 · steve911's Garage

now you guys have me paranoid. we've been trapping field mice in our garage and attic for the past 2 weeks - think we've finally eradicated them. didn't occur to me that they might be using the 911 as a home...

so - pull up on the heater levers and a tennis ball in the exhaust to get them out? must remember to do this tonight!

project935 · 10-23-2003, 08:52 AM

I once had some live baby mice shoot out the vents onto my feet while cranking the heater/blower and driving ... that's a wake up call!!

If there's a way in ... they'll find it. Tin cans make cheap and quick exhaust and vent duct covers.

A shop-vac, compressed air, screwdrivers and needle-nose pliers come in handy for picking out all the nesting material.