Getting rid of odor in heater ducts

[Guest imported_TheColossusofRoads]

I have a '96 Park Avenue Ultra that has basically been in storage for 2 years. A few months ago I found that mice had nested beneath the plastic mesh screening at the base of the windshield near where the windshield wipers are mounted. I removed the screening and used a shop vacuum to suck out the accumulated material which was in what appears to be an air intake of some sort. I ran the engine today and when the heater was turned on that unmistakable smell of a mouse nest came thru pretty strong. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of the odor? I'm quite sure the source (the mice) is gone, but now the problem is the smell.

Any ideas?

[Guest imported_moopar2ya2]

G.M. sells a product in a spray can that they use for getting rid of that musty smell from A/C units. I understand it is quite expensive and it usually just shops that buy it. Maybe your local dealer can "treat" the system. Other wise you may have to tear it apart. Remember that mouse droppings from certain mice contain hantivirus and can be very harmful if not deadly to your health if you breath contaminated air. If you search on it you can see if the mice in your locale are carriers.

[Budd]

You *might* try the yellow pages for the folks who do cleanup after smoke/fire damage. They do a pretty good job of cleaning and getting the "wet smoke" smell out of ductwork in homes, it might be worth a try giving them a call and seeing what they suggest.

Budd

[BamaWildcat]

You probably don't want to hear this, but mice probably got down into your ducts or enough of their nesting/feces fell down to make a sizable addition to the stink fund.

Bet bet would be to pull the heater core and vacuum that stuff out. You could just live with it until the odor goes away, but if there are any fuzzy nesting materials that fell down and are touching the core, you could have a smoldering fire on your hands.

[Guest imported_TheColossusofRoads]

Do you suppose there is any way to vacuum or blow any foreign material out? Perhaps a shop vac using a greatly reduced diameter hose to get into the ducts might do the trick. I've heard that getting at the heater core on this Park Avenue series basically involves ripping the dashboard out, and it involves a lot of hours. One thing I tried today was to shoot Febreze fabric refreshener (at the suggestion of a friend) into the duct area where I originally found the nesting mice, and as soon just as I turned the heater on the stink went away. I don't know if this will be a permanent cure for the smell, but right now it has made it better.

Thanks for your input. Stay tuned.

[BUICK RACER]

Oh yes, that 'new car' smell, as a friend of mine called it. Getting most of it out with the shop vac is a good thing, the febreeze should help, also charcoal that is used for aquarium filters also helps, worked in a fridge in my first house, that stunk. Used it for 4 yrs after that! The things you but in the dryer for fabric softening also may work. Have many stories about getting that smell gone, but the big deal is getting the big messes out first, which sounds like you did.

[55PackardGuy]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Perhaps a shop vac using a greatly reduced diameter hose to get into the ducts</div></div>

There's a nifty little attachment kit for shop vacs that includes all kinds of nozzles for small spaces. Check out the hardware store.

That Febreeze is pretty amazing stuff. Make sure you have the blower fan running while you spray it into the fresh air intakes (the part you vacuumed out) so it gets into the whole system-- dash vents and floor vents. The odor you're smelling has probably been absorbed into all the plastic parts.

The warning about airborne bacteria was interesting. Lysol spray might help for that. Don't know if it would kill all the bacteria, but it might be worth a try. I've used it to treat mildew odor, but it doesn't seem to knock out the smell as quickly as Febreeze.

BTW did the mice get their nesting materials from your underhood insulation? That's what happened on my Camaro.

Also, if you don't get good air flow from the system, you'll need to clean out the blower motor. Mine was packed solid with "fur." Dern critters.

[Guest imported_TheColossusofRoads]

The nest was right at the base of the windshield under the plastic screening across the cowl. It was clearly visible and seemed to come out in one big chunk, so I don't think it went down very far. I was under the hood of the car a week before and didn't see it, so hopefully my vac job got it all. There were about 10 pairs of little black eyes looking up when I emptied the vac, so I hope that was the entire family.............

[imported_buick5563]

Yikes. I'da wet myself. Then got my cat.

Mike

[Reatta Man]

The recommendation for Frebreeze and Lysol are good. If they don't work, keep applying them over a period of a couple of weeks.

I would also run lots of water from a garden hose into the air intake at the base of the windshield. It should drain outside of the car, but if it backs up into the car, the drain hose is blocked, meaning there is more "stuff" in there somewhere.

I've also had very good luck with something called Odor Gun. It is in a gray plastic bottle with red and orange lettering. I've seen it at Wal Mart and Pep Boys for about $4 per bottle. It is sold near those horrible "California Scent" cans and the equally bad "New Car Smell" spray bottles.

Had a rental car once that must have had a smoker's convention in it the day before I got it. Of course, it was 98 degrees outside, so opening the windows all the time was out. Bought a bottle of that Odor Gun stuff, sprayed it in the vents while in the parking lot, and the odor was gone before I got on to the main street.

Hoep that helps. Of course, if the Park Avenue is really nice and you are anywhere near San Antonio, you could just sell me the car......

Joe

[Guest imported_TheColossusofRoads]

Thanks for all the suggestions and tips. A friend of mine at a Jeep dealership gave me an aerosol spray called Air Conditioning and Heating System Treatment, made by Wurth/SoBesto. It has a lemon-like scent and costs about $17 a can. You crank the heat up to "incinerate" and spray it in the vents near the windshield. Then you turn the AC to "iceberg" and spray into the air returns under the dashboard. This seemed to help quite a bit, and I will repeat the process a few more times before I'm done. That Odor Gun stuff sounds like it has possibilities too. And in the meantime, all-you-can-eat D-Con traps have been set out in the garage for the little critters to enjoy..................