Dead Critter in A/C Vents???

My 92 Explorer stinks ... literally. Smells like something's died. Smells all the time but is much worse when the A/C is on. Pulled the fan and the wire-wound resistor pack and found a few leaves but no critters. Also pulled the heater core and reached as far around as I could without finding anything dead. Pulled the air directors out of the dash vents and pushed a coat hanger back and forth without finding anything. Even dragged a tissue through just to see if it'd pick up a smell. The only thing that we could get a dead smell from was the heater core.

Anyway, after letting it sit open for a day it seemed better so we put the core and fan back in. Running at idle with the A/C on we thought we could smell something but it was very faint ... if there at all. My son drove it to the grocery store to pickup some Lysol to hose it down with and he said while driving the same smell reappeared. I'm wondering if something is next to the A/C core (the thing that looks like a radiator that cools the air down). How can I get in there? Too many screws in too awkward of positions to take apart. I was thinking about cutting a panel out of the side and then epoxying it back in after removing the critter .... if that's where it is.

ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED!!!!

BTW, this is the second such event here. Had a snake crawl into the vent system on a Jimmy and die. Took a while to find it and I'm not sure the smell EVER came out of the Jimmy. Maybe it was just me ... maybe not.

Reply to
Fred Mayfield
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I glued a piece of wire mesh onto the intake for the air filter (up by the grill). It keeps critters from getting in that way. It beats the hell out of me how they get into the fan etc. It must be a fun ride for a mouse though inside the squirrel-cage blower.

Before you start cutting holes in your AC it might just be a matter of removing something else that's adjacent to it. I seem to recall getting it apart but it's been awhile and I'm getting old. So far everything under the hood came apart one way or another. And so far I managed to even get it all put back together.

Reply to
Ulysses

Possibly mold, as opposed to something dead in there? I'd spray some Lysol or other disinfectant through the system, before I'd tear it apart. Just be prepared for a "hospital" smell for a few days. RG

Reply to
rich

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