How did a Rat get in here?

[LUFTKUL]

New to me '84 that sat for a long time in a garage that obviously had rodent problems. This Rat is/was like 8" long with a huge tail?! Unbelievable how big it was. The alternator wasn't working properly and this is what I found when I took that out. I guess it came in through the fan blades? Or maybe the heater ducts?

Do any of you have suggestions on cleaning the interior where I found lots of mouse droppings and a dead mouse? There is no obvious damage from chewing, just poop everywhere. I've vacuumed it all out, but there is some in the tunnel. I guess I just have to live with it in there if I can't get a vacuum wand in there? I removed the hand brake to get what I could.

[theiceman]

get a piece of flexible hose and duct tape it to your vacuum hose. Be VERY careful with mouse poop . its extremely toxic.
I would think that rat wen in through the fan blades as you suggest, tight squeeze through the fan shroud. I don't think it could get in by the heater box but you never know.

[RSTarga]

wear a mask, use lots of baking soda on carpets to absorb odor then vacuum.

[KTL]

I agree the rodent SOB got in thru the fan blades. These guys can flatten themselves and climb very well. So it's not too hard for them to sneak past the sheetmetal and rubber surround that seals the engine bay rather loosely.

When I brought my car home from my RIP friend's house, I found a stockpile of food in the car. A LOT of food.

Winter Storage Tip

This car was super easy for a rodent to get into because Mark removed a lot of things from the car (trim pieces, A/C components) and didn't close up the openings. So there was easy access into the car.

After I found the stockpile in the center tunnel, a local friend suggested I take a look behind the fan. I already knew this and had looked in there with a flashlight. Didn't see anything. But I wanted to be sure and not regret anything. So I took out the fan housing and sure enough I found another handful of peanuts tucked in the far corners of the engine

[Quicksilver]

Rats have VERY flexible skeletons and can squeeze through anything you can fit your index finger into especially if it only requires they flatten out.

He could easily have gotten in through the fan but how did he get into the engine compartment? More likely he got in through the heater control. When storing it is a good idea to pull the heater levers up.

[LUFTKUL]

Quicksilver, that makes perfect sense and I never thought of that. Open space to crawl right into the heating system.

[jac1976]

Agree with all the posts regarding how adept rodents are at getting into places that you might not believe possible. I would also check against the firewall as that area provides a nice secluded area to bed down.

When I was a kid, my dad fired up the 911 only to have the fan mince and the heat of the engine cook a mouse or rat. Thought we might have to call in the Wolf for cleanup.

[KTL]

On a 3.2, after getting thru the heater valves, wouldn't the rat have to go thru the exhaust manifold heat exchanger shrouding (tight fit, but certainly doable for a rat) and then into the Y-pipe leading up thru the rear engine sheetmetal? From there it has to go up a smooth tube where it turns into plastic tubing and leads into the heater blower motor atop the intake manifold.

Wouldn't the rat get blocked by the cylindrical fan (kinda like a hamster wheel) inside the heater blower before it could go into the plastic plenum that leads down to the shroud on top of the engine? Or is there a sizeable gap in the heater fan body to let the rat keep on going?

This arrangement of parts



Once it gets past the hamster wheel fan it's easy to drop down into the engine and probably be trapped. Although it should be able to get out thru the main cooling fan blades and roam around the engine bay. usually they like to chew upon the insulating pad and make a nest in the corner of the engine bay.

Also worth noting that there's usually a sizeable gap between the insulating pad and the shock absorber crossmember that would allow the rat to climb down onto the top of the transmission. So that's another point of entry/exit.

[T77911S]

they go in thru the engine fan, not hard. a rat can fit in thru a very very small opening.

I found the rats nest/food between the sound pad and the car when I bought my 930. nothing in the engine. also found some evidence in the front trunk

[911tracker85]

LOL

when I had the top end of my 85 911 rebuilt years ago, the mechanic called to review the final parts list/cost and he ask me how many dogs did I have?

I did not have dogs, but the PO did.

what he found was a lot of dry dog food in that same area under the cooling shroud.

never found any other signs anywhere else in the car.



and with the 928, found a bit of bird seeds and stuff in the console area when I replaced the radio.


I have cats, the only mice/rodents/critters I find in the garage are dead ones....

[sugarwood]

Can someone clarify "Got in thru the cooling fan" ?

[RSBob]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

Can someone clarify "Got in thru the cooling fan" ?

Squeezed through the fan blades

When parking for an extended period, always raise your heat lever/levers to keep mice out of your heating system or frunk or cabin

[sugarwood]

You mean he got into the car via the heater boxes, up the ducts, and then thru the fan to get stuck in the bay?

[Rawknees'Turbo]

^^^

A mouse, large rat, and probably even a small kitten () could crawl right up the engine and wiggle past the fan blades - a lot of space between the blades and is then a straight shot to the top of the engine/cylinders/heads.

[al lkosmal]

mmmmm...tastes like chicken...dig in...




regards,
al

[theiceman]

i don't think he could get in through the heater boxes and all the way through .. no way, a mouse maybe but not that rat in the pic.

But definitely past the engine to body gap .. by way of across the top of the transmission then through the fan ..

But obviously it looks like we need to lo jack a rat and follow him to see one way or the other ..