Notices
86-95 Trucks & 4Runners 2nd/3rd gen pickups, and 1st/2nd gen 4Runners with IFS
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: DashLynx

Mice in blower /Cowl area

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 05-21-2007, 02:14 PM
  #1  
Registered User
Thread Starter
 
ewong's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Philly PA
Posts: 1,731
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Mice in blower /Cowl area

The fresh air intake is in the cowl area. Under the cowl slotted grille is the "wiper relay rod" box.

From the outsude it looks like the area is sealed off with metal screen.

Unfortunately no.

The fresh air intake is "scoop" shaped.
Thus one can not easily wrap a band camp around the entire intake duct.
It keeps slipping UP on the back side



It looks like it might have a hook on the other side... nope

I ended up cutting a HOLE in the colw just to figure out what was going on





I gave up on wrapping the netting on the outside of the "box".

I did jam some netting over the top, but then I ran the wipers and that just ended up shoving the whole mess off to the side where it can catch leaves and cause cowl rust.

I ended up pushing screen up from the INSIDE.
Not ideal, but worth a try.

You can see the flapper door real nice if you take the glove box off.

The flap is foam covered. In either case - this is the foam that gets mice pee soaked. Spray liberally with Febreeze.
Repeat..
Again.
Again

Dont forget to take the blower motor OUT.
Take the fan cage OFF (8mm nut on top, remove and then lube slightly and pull the cage off)
Then clean under the cage. Where the metal as rusted. From mice pee...

Fun.

Last edited by ewong; 05-21-2007 at 03:22 PM.
Old 06-07-2012, 04:22 PM
  #2  
Registered User
 
Dirt Driver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Antelope Valley, SoCal
Posts: 630
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
I'm bumping this ancient thread because I really didn't find that many on this specifically.

My air cleaner was destroyed by mice, my A/C evaporator blocked up, and I have had to pull the blower motor in my truck five times going on six to clear out rodent debris, including two mice that got shredded by the fan . I park with the fresh air vent closed so they can't get into the cab, but they still pile stuff on top of the trap door and it drops into the fan when I open it. Anyway, I know they're getting into the cowl and that it's hard to screen off the top hat as per this thread, but how are they getting into the cowl itself? From behind the fenders? I am totally ready to pull the fenders if necessary...
Old 06-07-2012, 05:04 PM
  #3  
Registered User
 
yotarover's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: NC
Posts: 789
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
put some peanut butter flavor mice bait in there make some sort of screen to catch them. they'll die. .


just imagine world starts to come to a end, mutated huge mice coming back to get ya. zombie brain eating mice . trick you to some good bbq pork ribs laced with poison lmao. <<< sorry but that was just funny

Serious:

Mice are like roaches, they can get into stuff you'd think they can't.. anything that's food/water they will go after, dark moist area's. for the mice i've heard of backwoods ppl using cat piss mixed with other chemicals. but not sprayed directly near or in the ducts. roaches hate boric acid and 7dust.

Last edited by yotarover; 06-07-2012 at 05:10 PM.
Old 06-07-2012, 06:02 PM
  #4  
Contributing Member
iTrader: (1)
 
James Woods's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Down by the River
Posts: 1,626
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
I have a special coffee container at work for putting mice in after fishing them out from the heater box to keep the shop from smelling, I have heard that dryer sheets help keep them away.
Old 06-07-2012, 08:06 PM
  #5  
Registered User
 
Dirt Driver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Antelope Valley, SoCal
Posts: 630
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
Originally Posted by James Woods
I have heard that dryer sheets help keep them away.
I had heard that too, so I tried it. All they do is stink up the cab like cheap perfume and melt onto whatever the sheets sit on. Mice only avoid the sheets themselves for maybe a couple days. It's not a permanent solution, which is what I'm looking for.
Old 06-07-2012, 11:00 PM
  #6  
Contributing Member
 
rdharper's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Morgan Hill, Ca
Posts: 1,066
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Dirt Driver
I had heard that too, so I tried it. All they do is stink up the cab like cheap perfume and melt onto whatever the sheets sit on. Mice only avoid the sheets themselves for maybe a couple days. It's not a permanent solution, which is what I'm looking for.
Oil (genuine) of Peppermint works for me. Put a couple of drops of a couple of cotton balls under the seat. Not permanent either... usually a few months. But the smell is pleasant. Both the Ridge and the 4Runner had the problem.
Old 06-08-2012, 02:16 AM
  #7  
Registered User
 
Hadmatt54's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Posts: 578
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Your truck must have sat quite awhile for the mice to move in. Though I don't claim to be an expert, I've never seen them in a vehicle that was a daily driver. Maybe they don't like to travel!!!If the mice are not leaving then you probably haven't found the main nest.
You're going to have to tear your dash apart and remove your heater assembly and dismantle that to clean them out. Not only are you dealing with them now but what they leave behind can cause some pretty nasty diseases such as Hantavirus, which can be fatal in humans. If you do any thing trying to get rid of them wear disposable gloves and a dust mask. The virus is transmitted by ingesting the dust from the dried urine and feces so take precautions. Good Luck!
Old 06-08-2012, 06:22 AM
  #8  
Contributing Member
iTrader: (1)
 
James Woods's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Down by the River
Posts: 1,626
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
I get cars all the time that are DD that have nests in them, ask any mechanic its a job we all hate to do but can usually get paid pretty well for it since we kinda got the customer over the coals with it. They will pay pretty much anything to get that smell out.
Old 06-08-2012, 08:42 AM
  #9  
Registered User
 
Dirt Driver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Antelope Valley, SoCal
Posts: 630
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
I live literally up against a brushline that adjoins National Forest. Mice regularly move into my truck over a weekend. I know it's new mice and the old ones are leaving because I'm peeling them out of snap traps. Once the first urine trail is put down, others follow it indefinitely. I've had mice, rats, chipmunks, and even ground squirrels in my vehicles at some point.
Old 06-08-2012, 01:22 PM
  #10  
Registered User
iTrader: (1)
 
wyoming9's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: I live in New Tripoli Pa out in the woods
Posts: 13,381
Received 99 Likes on 86 Posts
Red face

I can`t understand why the smell bothers people rather pleasant compared to the old days between Newark and Perth Amboy.

I have found that Moth balls keep mice and other rodents out of vehicles and tool boxes.
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
kawazx636
The Classifieds GraveYard
34
10-06-2021 03:03 PM
zytra
86-95 Trucks & 4Runners
32
01-24-2019 03:16 PM
whiteyota93
86-95 Trucks & 4Runners
11
09-29-2015 02:31 PM
irv
86-95 Trucks & 4Runners
7
09-29-2015 01:04 PM
mtrdrms
86-95 Trucks & 4Runners
3
09-26-2015 07:12 AM



Quick Reply: Mice in blower /Cowl area



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 02:05 PM.