New Member - Anyone have a cure for mice/squirrels building a nest in blower motor?

Life in the country. Originally, only mice were getting into the air intake by crawling up the passenger side front tire and wheel well, into the air intake duct and filter to get nest material, and built a nest in the blower motor. I cleaned everything out, twice, then the small red squirrels started storing their walnuts (counted 32) in what was once the air intake filter and charcoal filter. Two days ago I cleaned out another nest in the blower, replaced the air filter, placed a ball of metal screen in the air intake and sandwiched the air filter in metal screen. In the process of cleaning out the blower motor, I dropped it and cracked the plastic fan. Upon receipt of a new motor today, I found two walnuts in the old blower motor, but the air filters are still intact...maybe the walnuts were leftovers in the air ducts? Also in process of replacing blower motor resistor - thanks to a post on Tacoma World. My Tacoma is parked in a car port, in a rural community - I use it for hauling landscaping material every couple of months and as a backup transportation. How do I keep the critters out?

 

Welcome!Hopefully someone else can chime in and give you some advice!

 

I may be wrong, but doesn't the hvac pull air from the cowl? Can't say how they would be getting in there. Maybe spray some repellent around the area?

It's a good question, might want to repost this in the general forum.