Truck was stored in a barn for..... 7 years or so
I had put bounce sheets in the car - that seemed to keep em out of the cab - but they still managed to get into the blower... ugh

At least that odd "pee" smell seems to cleared up
After I washed everything out an vinegar/soap rinsed everything...

At least the blower stopped sounding like it was full of rocks...

 

Yuck! How does the rest of the truck look?

 

Cozy!!

 

The mice seem to think so to.

 

I have seen that on trucks that are daily drivers. If it is parked under a tree or an area of a lot of floating debris it can get thru the vents and down to the blower. I created a thread on cleaning the ventilation systems. That is not only just on barn finds. A sign to look for is to loosen the inner fender and mud flap and see what is stuck between the fender and body. Also take a look inside the cowl just in front of the windshield.

Slacker sells ventless cowls that can help prevent that kind of build up.

Cleaning Thread https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...trucks-286766/

A few other things to check for in barn finds is to go thru the entire fuel system and brake system. If I know a motor has been sitting for a few years, I try to see if the motor will turn over with a socket and ratchet. The rings can rust to the cylinder walls. A starter is strong enough to break the corrosion but other thing that tend to happen is that when it breaks the corrosion is it will break the piston ring. Eventually the broken ring will come out between the cylinder and piston and gouge the wall. Then you have to bore the block several sizes over to get rid of the gouge.

 

Living in the garage it is a common thing mice in tool boxes seldom used kitchen drawers if I forget to freshen the moth crystals .

I guess it would freak some people out but I have been dealing with them all my life.

So a 50 pound bag of Purina Rodent Chow twice a years keeps us all happy

to me the vinegar would smell worse then the smell of mouse

 

the vinegar smell dissipates
the mouse pee - did NOT

Vinegar was easier (and I had it around) than bleach....

 

ooops - too late for that advice

It needed a new starter - but I knew that when I put it in storage. It had been sitting since 2007!

Engine had synth... I pulled the coil and cranked it a few times - no untoward noises,
Driving it now.

Clutch seems really low to engage - but that may just me being used to the SUPER STIFF clutch in my 2008 Forester XT

Used a sledge to free up the stuck bell crank.

Next is to run the see snake into the AC box to see if there is more mouse stuff to deal with.

I ran the see snake along the inside quarter panels - not mouse crap there as far as I can tell
If I get motivated I;ll pull the panels to confirm.

I also ought to pull the cowl and put some MESH screwed down over the vent inlet.

I was thinking I needed to rebuild the 22RE, but maybe not.
Sure it has not "power", but it has enough.

 

It happens. Heck even regularly driven vehicles get rodent damage - my inlaws live in a rural area and their 98 Tacoma once had a field mouse chew the wiring harness right against the firewall.
I've got a few cars in storage at their place and I put those TomCat bait sticks all over the place, so far I haven't noticed much activity. Back in the day it was all about the d-CON, they devoured that stuff!