Mouse in Cabin Air filter!!!

anyone else had this problem??? i got in my truck the other day and out of the blue there was a hint of dead animal smell, thinking that i was from outside i continued to drive, a couple miles later i turned the heat on, BAD IDEA!! i almost puked...

when i got to work i checked my engine air filter, nothing in there... i didnt realise i had a cabin air filter til later on in the day. removed the glove box, super easy thankfully, pulled 2 tabs, there was the filter.

i started sliding it out, i wasnt moving, finally after some prying, came out a ton of chewed paper, leaves and sticks, and then 2 dead baby mice, very tiny, they were still soft, so they werent dead long. so i got a new filter, vaccumed everything and sprayed an ac duct spray for mildew etc. the next day, smells still there... i figured id take it apart again, sure enough i had missed another baby... took that out. sprayed again.

today there was still a strong smell.. so i had another look, i figured id take off the blower motor. 3 bolts, very easy once again. inside the housing i took a lysol wipe, and it came out red... then in the crevices i found a skeleton, obviously from a while ago.. how the hell did they get in there?!

now im going to check my filter every couple months!! i suggest u guys do the same save yourselves the horror!!!!

 

Believe it or not, this has happened to others on the board. I think that there are some things people have done to keep them out. Just wait for them to chime in. I'm actually surprised that you didn't smell dead mice.

1600th post.

 

Yea mice somehow find ways to get into intakes almost all older cars that have been sitting have them but I have never heard of it On a newer vehicle.

 

At work we use a botanical bag of smelly stuff. I think it is call Fresh Cab. It does smell I do not think it stinks other think they stink. It works for us just put the bag in the cab and they will stop going into the vehicle.

 

The blower design is called squirrel cage for a reason.

 

That black plastic cowl panel underneath your wipers comes off with a couple of clips. You have to take your wipers off first as well.

From there its a straight through shot to your cabin filter. You'll be able to see that and how easy it is for critters to get in there. Cover with screen maybe? I'm sure they'll chew through it though.

 

get them out, you don't want this to happen.

 

^thats normal it's a dodge.

 

Have a search, somewhere I thought I posted photos of installing a metal sreen over the air inlet.

Ironically, Toyota builds the sheet metal water sheild with two holes and a flange almost to have a rodent screen factory installed.

Cost about $1 and 1/2 hour of work.

PK

 

WTF

 

well it was made in Canada.
it served me well. but very pleased with the Tacoma. looking forward to many mouse free years with it.

 

That is a very common problem out in the sticks check your air filter housing too they can get in there also.

 

This is not uncommon at all. Try to park on hardtop as to weeded area.

 

This happened to my 2012 3 months after I got it. My 8 year old boy told me he saw a red squirrel going up under my truck so we put out rat traps and caught Momma. But not before she brought in 3 babies. Two chewed through the cabin air filter, soaked it in poo and piss and then died. The third had a James Bond death all squished up against the walls of the squirrel cage blower. I got them out easy enough from behind the glove box by removing the filter and unscrewing 3 screws holding in the blower and motor. I'm definitely going to try and put some 1/4" stainless hardware cloth over the intake under the wipers. Even mice can't get in through that and chewing through it won't work either. Stay tuned until I try that. Anyone else?

 

Haven't hit the Taco but my Mom's Sonata fell victim to momma and baby mice nesting in the cabin air filter. Mom suffered a similar demise in the fan cage.

She keeps a sachet of Fresh Cab in the glovebox ever since, so far no reinfestations

 

Happened to my wife's RAV4. So now we just keep cats under each of our hoods.

 

Maybe a piece of stainless screen on top of the cabin air filter. Wouldn't keep them from dying in there, but it would keep them out of the blower cage. Removing the cowling sounds like a bit of work.

 

Funny you mention that, the wife and I had a Lexus RX400h that had a mouse in it. It wouldn't die!! I tried glue traps, old school mouse traps and even luring it out. It was still in it after about three weeks, we traded it for the Taco..

We laughed and joked about it with the salesman, he must have thought we weren't serious.

 

Hood up, there is a single plastic fastener at the far left of the plastic cowl cover. I think it is freed by sticking a screwdriver blade back under it and pushing the lock pin up. Gently lift/pry cover from the outer end - there are a couple of retaining blades as you work it across. You will soon see the opening for the vent - 11 inches long and maybe 2-3/4 wide. I just clamped my cowl cover to the hood with a soft grip clamp and there was enough room to fit a cover on the open well. Mine had a couple of holes on the upper flange of the opening - just right to bolt the new metal cage in place.


Good enuff?

 

After rats way into my truck's HVAC system on several occasions, bringing nesting material and fruit and leaving a horrid stench of rotting fruit and rat piss, I made a couple of screens out of chicken wire to close off the area.
I pulled the wiper arms off and totally removed the cowl cover to make working in there easier. Cut the chicken wire to roughly the right size, bent it around the raised part of the fresh air intake, trimmed as needed then hit it with some black paint and used construction adhesive to secure it. I made one for the fresh air intake and a pair for either side of the cowl area. Took a couple hours and cost essentially nothing (I had all the supplies on hand already).

Once the rats were excluded, it took me hours to clean up the mess they had made. Had to pull and clean the blower fan and use a combination of an inspection camera, flexible grabber and a shop vac to get all the fruit chunks, rat crap and nesting material out of my ductwork and heater core/AC condenser area. Also replaced the stanky, stained cabin air filter.

It really surprises me that Toyota left this area open from the factory.