Dead Animal? Suggestions?

[TheBobmanNH]

OK, to be brief - inherited a '93 Ranger with a bunch of problems, one of which was a godawful smell. It got wet, so there was mold, plus years of smoking, plus other things.

Took out the headliner, am replacing the seats, and cleaned the carpet as good as it can be cleaned (may replace it), so it smells... BETTER if not good.

Took it out Saturday to pick up some stuff at the Home Depot, and it was cold, so on the way home I threw on the heater. As soon as it warmed up, we noticed a smell... that had us retching. I HAVE to assume it's a dead animal - it smelled a lot like when you have a dead mouse rotting in the walls of your house or something, if anyone's had that pleasure.

SO. My questions are

- if there WERE an animal somewhere, where would it be? Given the smell came out the vents only when I turned the heater on, could it be in the heater core? I don't know how big that space is (though I did read elsewhere on the forums that it's a relatively easy thing to remove).
- Any other thoughts on where this smell could come from?

Thanks all.

 

[wr250rdr]

That would be my first guess. I live out in the stick and have issues with rodents, check the heater core and the box with the blending valve( can't remember what it is called) then I would suggest new weather stripping. I replaced it when I got my truck and it has kept the rodents out quite well

 

[shane96ranger]

If it is a dead mouse, I would be rather concerned. Those things carry the hantavirus and it's contracted via airborne particles from their feces and urine.

One side note, if you didn't know already..... coffee grinds work great for eliminating smells.

I would wear some gloves and take the blower motor out and have a peek inside. If I remember correctly, there are only 3 or 4 bolts and the rubber vent thingy that hold it on the housing.

It's right here if you didn't know already:

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I would wear some gloves and take the blower motor out and have a peek inside. If I remember correctly, there are only 3 or 4 bolts and the rubber vent thingy that hold it on the housing.

Be carefull with the foam gasket, at least where I shop they are no longer available at parts stores.

When you have a first generation you get good at pulling the blower motor to remove leaves.

It would be good to pull it on yours as well, there are resistors that get fairly hot in there that control the fan speeds. One guy on here had his start on fire by lighting off leaves... a mouse nest would go up like a roman candle.

 

[shane96ranger]

Be carefull with the foam gasket, at least where I shop they are no longer available at parts stores.

I wound up needing to glue mine back on because all of the adhesive was gone.

 

[Mark_88]

MIce??? EEEEEeeeeek!
...
It could be a dead rodent in there...or one of you is off gassing and pretending it's the mouse...they are small and only stink for a few years...should go away before you get the dash pulled apart...

But I'd go with the suggestion of pulling the blower motor...and they can be replaced easily enough because they are similar through at least to 95 or 96 because I have one in my 88 from a 95 Ranger...I think...but my basement had mice from 2011 to 2012...I have pics if you'd like to see a deer mouse climbing a tree...or munching on my nuts...

It's only deer mice that spread the deadly disease and you'd be dead by now or seriously sick...the disease takes about three days to go from annoying illness to full blown death...unless it is caught early...so keep that in mind if you do start to get flu like symptoms in the next day or so...and get to a doctor and tell them you may be infected by deer mouse dung...SERIOUS!

 

[shane96ranger]

It's most common in deer mice. It can be carried by other species of rodents as well.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002358/

Sent from a Commodore 64 using a 300 baud modem

 

[Mark_88]

I sit corrected...the pages I read on that were Canadian content...and probably have a deer mouse hard-on...poor little guys...

 

[shane96ranger]

I think you just like animals with antlers. It's all good Mark.

Oh hey Mark, do you think some steel wool would help out in keeping the mice out of his truck?



Sent from a Commodore 64 using a 300 baud modem

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I think you just like animals with antlers. It's all good Mark.

Oh hey Mark, do you think some steel wool would help out in keeping the mice out of his truck?

I think by the time you got all the holes plugged up the heater would struggle to move any air.

 

[TheBobmanNH]

Thanks everyone.

I'm quite familiar with mice, I don't think I've ever lived somewhere that didn't have SOME find their way in in the winter.

I really don't drive the truck except for trips to home depot or around town - it's still a work in progress and not a daily driver- so I'm not TOO concerned about disease.

 

[Mark_88]

I think you just like animals with antlers. It's all good Mark.

Oh hey Mark, do you think some steel wool would help out in keeping the mice out of his truck?



Sent from a Commodore 64 using a 300 baud modem

LOL...maybe just the firewall, under the cab, and in the door seals...that should keep just about anything out...

From my oil catch experience, I learned that steel wool rusts...what do they feed those sheep?

I think by the time you got all the holes plugged up the heater would struggle to move any air.

Yeah, likely...and the mice can always chew through that little rubber hose that feeds air to cool the blower motor...

Thanks everyone.

I'm quite familiar with mice, I don't think I've ever lived somewhere that didn't have SOME find their way in in the winter.

I really don't drive the truck except for trips to home depot or around town - it's still a work in progress and not a daily driver- so I'm not TOO concerned about disease.

It is extremely rare to get the fatal lung disease, but the last case recorded that I'd found was in a farmer who drove a tractor he sold to the new owner and turned on the A/C there were mouse turds in the vents and he didn't live long enough to spend the money from the sale...

I doubt the last thing on the critters mind was having a crap...probably trying to figure out how to turn on the heat though...

 

[shane96ranger]

I think by the time you got all the holes plugged up the heater would struggle to move any air.

I was being facetious.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

From my oil catch experience, I learned that steel wool rusts...what do they feed those sheep?

Lots of feed laced with iron, irritates the heck out of coyotes.

It is extremely rare to get the fatal lung disease, but the last case recorded that I'd found was in a farmer who drove a tractor he sold to the new owner and turned on the A/C there were mouse turds in the vents and he didn't live long enough to spend the money from the sale...

Combines are terrible with mice, no matter how much they are cleaned you never get all the grain out. Put that with the fact that they sit (usually inside) 49 weeks out of the year and it is a heck of a mouse hotel. I can't say as I have heard of any problems yet.

I was being facetious.

I couldn't quite make out what you where trying to get at.