Rodent nest plus dog food HVAC help

[harringtondav]

We got mice in our vehicle, I ordered this from Amazon and it worked beyond my expectations. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JAP7388?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
Enerzen Ozone Generator 60,000mg Industrial O3 Air Purifier Deodorizer (60,000mg - Black)

I got mine a few days ago and fired it up in the Ranger today.
I set it for the max 180 minutes and went back into the garage 15 min before it timed out to turn on the recirculating blower.
18 deg garage with an open ridge vent, and the O3 was thick. Seems the truck was saturated since the ozone was pouring back through the air intake.
I opened the garage door, went outside for a few lung fulls of good air, held my breath and turned on the blower and scampered inside.
The O3 odor clung to my clothes and hair. After the generator timed out I refreshed my lungs, pulled the power on the generator, turned off the blower, scampered back in after closing the garage door. I won't need the truck for a few days. I reckon it will be fully fumigated by then.

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[OldHippy]

Here is a better wide angle shot of them:

You have to pull the backrest or lower it - Depending on Trim Level and also remove the (Loadspace) Carpet & Panels to get to these from the inside - If you look into the space between the bed and the cab - This is the area where these vents (exit) the cabin pressure.

Although it has not yet been proven that critters can actually enter here, as they may be traveling down the tunnel (under the carpet) after gaining entry from the (Air Inlet Door)
As you can see - there is a nice little cubby hole for them to make a living quarters under the back seat.
It's still a good idea - to cover these as well with some screen proven or not.
So far - I have only covered my (Air Inlet Door) but have recently switched employee parking to a parking garage vs remote lot - The Parking Garage has some critters (Rats) I have actually seen them scurrying across the sidewalk.

The old parking lot had a family of stray cats that the employee bus drivers were feeding, and it was surrounded by empty fields. Never saw any critters

So, it should be in my best interest to finish out my (Preventive) for this and complete the project due to the (Possibility) of them getting into the cab.
I have stepped up my - Open Hood and Inspect the Battery Blanket & Engine Cover as these will be the first signs they have found the tasty morsels the truck provides them.
So Far - They are leaving my truck alone.

e

Thnx. I have the storage compartment under seat. The first I had noticed was in the left rear kick plate. There is a small hole, about 2 in, under the trim. They had come through that hole and chewed some wires that run under that trim. Noticed my running board lights were not working and the wire was hanging down. I have since put steel wool and a sealer type caulk over those holes.

 

[OldHippy]

Pull the rear seats and it will be staring at you.

The back part of seat flips down and the seat part flips up, if wanting to. I see from these pics that the padded trim on the back wall is what actually needs to be removed. Seems like I could just remove the back part of seat then remove the carpeted trim from back wall of cab. But Im probably going to pull it all out so I can get under the seat to remove the storage box under it.thnx

 

[OldHippy]

Here is a better wide angle shot of them:

You have to pull the backrest or lower it - Depending on Trim Level and also remove the (Loadspace) Carpet & Panels to get to these from the inside - If you look into the space between the bed and the cab - This is the area where these vents (exit) the cabin pressure.

Although it has not yet been proven that critters can actually enter here, as they may be traveling down the tunnel (under the carpet) after gaining entry from the (Air Inlet Door)
As you can see - there is a nice little cubby hole for them to make a living quarters under the back seat.
It's still a good idea - to cover these as well with some screen proven or not.
So far - I have only covered my (Air Inlet Door) but have recently switched employee parking to a parking garage vs remote lot - The Parking Garage has some critters (Rats) I have actually seen them scurrying across the sidewalk.

The old parking lot had a family of stray cats that the employee bus drivers were feeding, and it was surrounded by empty fields. Never saw any critters

So, it should be in my best interest to finish out my (Preventive) for this and complete the project due to the (Possibility) of them getting into the cab.
I have stepped up my - Open Hood and Inspect the Battery Blanket & Engine Cover as these will be the first signs they have found the tasty morsels the truck provides them.
So Far - They are leaving my truck alone.

e

Sure seems like Ford would have Known about this shot and pit s9me sort of screen wire over these openings. REDICULOUS!

 

[got3fords]

Sure seems like Ford would have Known about this shot and pit s9me sort of screen wire over these openings. REDICULOUS!

Agreed, simple things like this to minimize rodent intrusion would seem a no brainer.

 

[MrJ1s]

I have a SuperCrew

Take your dome light down and poke your borescope in there to see if they have been storing any Kibbles ‘n Bits™ and/or relieving themselves above the liner. They got into mine, someone in this forum said they go up the inside of the A-Pillar. It was a pain to clean out and disinfect but that was not all. They were in the HVAC system, (like your infestation), in the console under the shifter boot and the handbrake boot. They were also in the storage bins under the rear seat and the area behind the rear seat where the jack is stowed. They also got into the base of the driver's side seat back and built a nest on one side and a bathroom in that other side, (if you know what I mean). There were the other signs of infestation in the engine compartment around the batter mats and padding. Worth noting is that the truck is garaged but if they can get into your garage all bets are off.

I did the screening like @airline tech did on the firewall inlets and the vent behind the back seat too. If you can find them read the other posts on this problem by @airline tech, he is a wealth of information on everything Gen5 Ranger.

Greets

Rodents stored dog food in my intake box below the filter and built a nest in the cabin air filter. Unfortunately they seem to have gone through the cabin air filter and i have borescope images of pine needles and leaves in my hvac mixing box on the first blower side condenser.

I noticed the problem due to the sudden appearance of intense dog food odor when using heat. No odor on outside air or cold. I do not see any dog food on the borescope with the needles and leaves, and there was no dog food in the cabin air filter nest.

Now, I know the dog food in the engine intake air box could not have contributed to the hvac odor
There was food also stored in the hood liner.

My question, for anybody who might know, is does the heat exchanger on the blower side of the air mixing box form a rodent impenetrable barrier to prevent them from traveling further into the mixing box and storing food? Is my odor from heated food in the hood traveling through the hvac vents or am i likely to have food stored inside the system itself?

This will mean the difference between a claim, full disassembly of the dash and teardown of the box myself, or just cleaning out the hood and waiting for the residual odor to bake itself out.

Appreciate any insights

 

[Deleted User 38384]

The trick is prevention. Stop the rodents before they ever get near your truck. The solution: Domesticated Bobcats !

We had 4-6 cats that lived in our barn when I was a kid. Zero rodents.

 

[OldHippy]

The trick is prevention. Stop the rodents before they ever get near your truck. The solution: Domesticated Bobcats !

We had 4-6 cats that lived in our barn when I was a kid. Zero rodents.

Yep. I have seen a couple stray cats on my property lately. I used to run them off, but not any more.

 

[TechEditor]

This is what I did years ago. Still working.

 

[OldHippy]

This is what I did years ago. Still working.

Cool. I did the main air intake yesterday. I see you went into the inside air ducts from the outside. Most all others take the entire dash out to get there. Seems like your idea of going through the outside cowl area sure seems easier. Going yo try that today. Thnx.

 

[TJC]

You only go from the inside once the mice have invaded. The rest of us did it from the outside for the AC ducts, and from the inside behind the back seats.

 

[Buckbull]

What a pain in the ass. I dont know if the smell will ever go away.

 

[got3fords]

What a pain in the ass. I dont know if the smell will ever go away.

That was up your ass? Yeah, gonna take weeks of Mexican to flush out that smell.

 

[IdahoRanger]

What a pain in the ass. I dont know if the smell will ever go away.

Get a small ozone generator to do the job.

 

[seasprite]

Look at the bright side your wiring is still intact. I'm still waiting to get my truck back from the dealer from squirrel damage.
Like posted above, ozone generator will get rid of the smell.

There is a bunch of threads with solutions to keep the critters out of the cab

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