A funky critter...

Hey guys! Hopefully you guys are all drinking a beer and watching Sunday night football like I am! I'm trying to forget a little problem I'm having with my truck right now...
It all started about a few days ago. I left the gym and the interior of my truck started smelling like rotten fish... I picked up my girl, she couldn't even stand sitting in my truck so we took her ford taurus to dinner.. :/ I noticed the smell was stronger when the heat was running so I popped the hood to see if something was living in the engine bay. Turns out, a critter of some sort was hibernating under my hood, most likely at night trying to stay warm. I discovered this after identifying a small chunk of fur on top of my passenger fender. Under my hood literally smells like a rotten fish market.. I'm guessing it was a possum, or maybe a raccoon. I've tried to power wash and scrub with soap/water under the hood and yet the smell still lingers. I'm really dumfounded. I just got through telling my girlfriend how I could fix just about anything.. I have no idea how to fix this! I need your help! What do you guys think I should try next!? A good question would be, where does the HVAC systems in our trucks draw in air? Is it inside the fender just like the engine draws in air from the fender? Maybe the little shit got in there somehow. S.O.S. thanks guys!

 

No idea how to help you, but what a drag!

 

I know right! I start a new job this week too.. Aint nobody got time for this sh*t..

 

Take it to the auction! Pray you hear, "SOLD, SOLD, SOLD"!!! "SOLD"!

 

The HVAC takes in "fresh" air under the black plastic cowling below the windshield on the passenger side. Remove the plastic cowl and there is a big hole. Install some wire mesh over the hole.

The critter may be dead inside where your cabin filter is located which is just below that huge hole you see in the picture.

 

Jimmy, do you think whatever it was got in there?

 

ive seen people on here post rat nests in the cabin air filter area..

 

OP, with the hood shut, it would almost have to be a rat. Unless you have some buddies with a weird sense of humor.

 

Can't help but I had a mouse build a nest between my battery and grille. Luckily he never got to any wires, but the bastard was pulling the insulation off my firewall to build his new home. I never found him...

 

Very possible. Pull the Cabin air filter and have a look see.

 

Thanks guys, I'll take a look later. Hopefully its something obvious.

 

Don't hesitate - pull the cabin air filter behind the glovebox ASAP.

Two weeks ago, after getting the death smell, I pulled mine and found 9 dead, rotting mice/rat pinkies. Barf!

Smell went away pretty quick, as the filter seemed to soak up most of the juice.

 

Finally figured out what it was. I got everything pulled apart and couldn't find anything in the hvac system. I decided to do some poking around under the hood and noticed a few maggots squiggling around on top of my skid plate. I thought, where theirs maggots, something must be rotting above it. I pulled the skid plate and noticed a few nails of a paw poking out between the radiator and the shroud. Pulled the shroud and there the son of a bit*h was. I couldn't see him without pulling the shroud. Pulled him out and now everything should be fine. It'll take a few days still to get rid of the stench but i finally figured it out. Thanks for the help guys. Heres some photos.

 

HEY YALL WE GOT DINNER TNITE! Sorry man, had to do it, lol

 

I believe a celebratory glass of Gentleman Jack is in order, 12ProTaco. Lucky for me I've never had an animal die in my engine compartment, but a lot of folks on TW have. I'm sure it's just a matter time before it's my turn. If the stench continues, try charcoal, baking soda, febreeze, ozium, ect. Glad it worked out for you.

 

Dammit, this things got me distracted. That looks like a decent sized rat. It could have gotten in your engine compartment anywhere you drove your truck and then parked. Your rat problem may not be your garage/neighborhood. Your rat problem could be where you had been parking at your old job. I just don't know.

 

Hell, here's an addendum: I have field/woods rats where I live. Now I'm worried about one of those damn things getting up in my truck.

 

FYI, OP:
There are products that are odor treatments for your car's AC to catch any residual odors. It's an aerosol can that you spray into your airfilter while running your heater for a few minutes and then your AC to dry it all out. I've used it with some success on previous cars with that humid AC smell. There's a bunch of brands that make them, but I think I used one made by Permatex.

 

For preventative measures keep a light on under the hood?