Anyone pull out their cabin air filter and see, what I think are, little mouse droppings hanging in there? Do I need to open up the rest of the system and clean it out? I searched online and I've seen some folks with actual nests and a bunch of hair and stuff in their systems. Not sure how long this has been going on for.

maybe they've been crawling around on the cowl?

I'd definitely try to do some cleaning.

Those are definitely rat droppings. Depending on where you're parking and how long you're letting your truck sit, it's hard to avoid. I'd change the filter and monitor it closely. Best prevention is to start it daily.

We had this problem out at our place in the country, especially when it's cold outside. After cleaning it up, our mechanic told us to always switch to recirculation mode before shutting the car down. We have not had any issues since.

Whatever you do, don't tell your wife about it.

I have fought this too OP. It burns my a** to open the hood and on close inspection in the dust to find tiny little footprints, but it happens when you live in the country. Mice are an annoyance; rats are killers. I had a neighbor who had to lease a combine to harvest his crop because his own 3 year-old machine's wiring was so destroyed by rats the whole thing had to be re-wired.

Just be glad you weren't alerted to this by a foul smell. I once had an off smell and went looking for the source, which I became convinced was coming from the A/C. I pulled the fan to see if something was in the evaporator when I found a couple little mice dead in the squirrel cage fan. I guess they could't run fast enough to keep up.

My mom lives in the country. She had to have the wiring harness in her MKZ replaced twice due to rats chewing it. This is what happens when you're a retired lady that only drives about twice a week.

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I once had an off smell and went looking for the source, which I became convinced was coming from the A/C. I pulled the fan to see if something was in the evaporator when I found a couple little mice dead in the squirrel cage fan.

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A similar experience cost my dad's insurance co. about 4 grand a few years ago. The mice/rat(s) had chewed up the wiring and then died. We call it the rat-mobile now, though!

I don't drive my Diesel often, and one day, I found what appeared to be a mole near the tire. Turns out, it was a baby rat. Just born. It has wandered out of the nest that had been built under the drivers side battery down under wiring/intake/etc. It was a pain to clean up. Had those same ones eat a vacuum line and harness wire on the passenger side. I ripped the nest out and fed the babies to the chickens. F--- them all.

That's still better than pecan shell fragments from the squirrel that was camped on in the engine compartment of my old Ranger. Hit the top of a big hill at wide open throttle (needed with the 4 banger) and they lodged in the throttle linkage so it stuck wide open. Turned off engine, stopped on the side of the road and couldn't figure out who was roasting pecans nearby until I opened the hood. Brushed away pecan shells, worked the linkage a few times and went on my way. The wife had to be coaxed back into the truck.

In Colorado it was rabbits that kept getting into cars and chewing the wiring. They ate both O2 sensors on my Audi, and it cost me several hundred $ to replace them.

My favorite rodent/animal story is from Germany. My friend Rob was the rear detachment Officer-in-charge while the battalion was at gunnery at Grafenwoehr.

A Major's wife called him to see if he could help her with her car, which wouldn't start. Rob (who is not a car guy at all) opens the hood to take a look -- not really knowing what he is looking for. But he sees the problem instantly, and says: "Here is your problem" -- and holds up the fried hedgehog that took a munch out of a live wire.

I live in the city, but my alley backs up to a field. About 2 years ago I had a urine smell only when I would first start the car. (Drove it daily) They found a rats nest under the hood. Can't remember exactly where it was since it looks like a Star Wars ship under the hood on these new cars. Anyway they cleaned it up and put in a new cabin air filter and everything was fine until yesterday. Got the smell again. It only seems to happen in the summer and only when I first start the car.

Hey, could be worse, two nights ago my cousin's wife left a bunch of hen scratch and sweetfeed in the trunk of her car. They recently moved on to 17 acres in the mountains of northeastern California. She got a quick lesson about 11 PM that is a huge no no in dry bear country. She will probably need a new trunk lid and number....I told her she is lucky, I have seen them peel off a door or bust out a window, and then tear through the backseat to access a trunk.

ursusguy said:

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Hey, could be worse, two nights ago my cousin's wife left a bunch of hen scratch and sweetfeed in the trunk of her car. They recently moved on to 17 acres in the mountains of northeastern California. She got a quick lesson about 11 PM that is a huge no no in dry bear country. She will probably need a new trunk lid and number....I told her she is lucky, I have seen them peel off a door or bust out a window, and then tear through the backseat to access a trunk.

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Sounds like one of those insurance commercials with J.K. Simmons.

if you find the rats nest, you should take a sh*t in it...just to show them what a-holes they are.