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horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 05:00 AM
  #1  
massaku's Avatar
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From: Puyallup Washington
Car: 84 15th anniversary Trans Am
Engine: 305 H.O. L69
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.73
horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

So I just recently got my car back after about 4 months after getting its engine swapped and there is a god awful urine smell coming from underneath the drivers side dash area. I took the panel off and there were what looked to be like brown pellets....I think we all know what that means... anyways how should I get the smell and whatever urine and poop that are under my dash out? I dont really want to be sticking my face up in there to see where its all coming from... I really hope that the new engine scared whatever was living there out. Anyways need some advice...
Thanks.
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 05:52 AM
  #2  
J91's Avatar
J91
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From: Columbus Ohio
Car: 91 Z28,64ImpalaSS4094spd,67 Galaxy
Engine: Dart 415Profiler hd,cmprlrs,Hlly750
Transmission: Built 700R4, 3200 stall
Axle/Gears: 3:89 Moser 9"
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

You my friend, have a mouse nest! You need to get in there and get it out. Other than smelling bad, it is a fire hazard......
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 08:03 AM
  #3  
massaku's Avatar
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From: Puyallup Washington
Car: 84 15th anniversary Trans Am
Engine: 305 H.O. L69
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.73
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

Originally Posted by J91
You my friend, have a mouse nest! You need to get in there and get it out. Other than smelling bad, it is a fire hazard......
Great...I guess I will take a look see in the morning...not looking forward to it though...I really wonder how the hell they got in there...closed doors ect.
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 09:49 AM
  #4  
DIRTY JERZY's Avatar
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Joined: Feb 2010
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From: New Jersey
Car: 89 formula 350 & 2001 ws6 ta
Engine: 350 tpi & ls1
Transmission: 700r4, t56
Axle/Gears: 9 bolt ? & 10 bolt 3:42
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

more bad news they like to eat wires
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 10:13 AM
  #5  
camaronewbie's Avatar
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From: Cary, North Carolina
Car: 1992 RS
Engine: Carbed 350
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.42 posi
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

There's literally no place on this earth that a mouse can't go!
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 10:42 AM
  #6  
J91's Avatar
J91
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From: Columbus Ohio
Car: 91 Z28,64ImpalaSS4094spd,67 Galaxy
Engine: Dart 415Profiler hd,cmprlrs,Hlly750
Transmission: Built 700R4, 3200 stall
Axle/Gears: 3:89 Moser 9"
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

Originally Posted by camaronewbie
There's literally no place on this earth that a mouse can't go!
That is so true!
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 11:20 AM
  #7  
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 40
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From: Cleveland, OH
Car: 1975 Novamaro
Engine: 1988 305 TPI
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.42
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

Originally Posted by J91
You my friend, have a mouse nest! You need to get in there and get it out. Other than smelling bad, it is a fire hazard......
Yep! I had one of those in an old parts car I bought. I was driving the car around for a while before I stripped it for parts, and could never find the source. Turns out it was right up against the heater core, which I only found out when I ripped out the heater and found a nest complete with a dead mouse.
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 12:20 PM
  #8  
Brock Lee's Avatar
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Car: 1991 Firebird Formula
Engine: 305 TPI
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

They also nest in the vent ducts, blower motor, and the ducts formed into the body behind the cowl. You need to search all the areas and clean, then use something like vinegar to try to kill the odor. But in the fabric, it will likely linger.
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 02:14 PM
  #9  
Big Cleatus's Avatar
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From: Wichita Kansas
Car: '84 Trans Am
Engine: 350 Carb
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Stock but subject to change.
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

The droppings and nesting material can have hantavirus as well, so wear a dust mask and latex gloves when cleaning that stuff up. Hantavirus is a respiratory virus that can get you pretty sick. Deer mice are the worst for this.
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 02:32 PM
  #10  
sharkbait's Avatar
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 40
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From: Cleveland, OH
Car: 1975 Novamaro
Engine: 1988 305 TPI
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.42
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

My current car smells like dogs. They think it is some kind of vinyl lined cushioned dog house. Those pests hop in every time I open the door and sprawl out all over the place. If the door isn't opened they sit by it and stare at it until some sucker opens it. The neighbor's dog has taken to jumping in as well. Hopefully the smell of the dog pack is making the mice think twice about moving in.
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Old Aug 13, 2010 | 12:42 AM
  #11  
massaku's Avatar
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 228
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From: Puyallup Washington
Car: 84 15th anniversary Trans Am
Engine: 305 H.O. L69
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.73
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

I opened up the bottom of the dash and dug out some of the sound deadening crap and I found some dried urine and mouse crap on some...did not find the little bastard though. what should I all take out to get in there to make sure I dont have anything? I really dont want to be driving around with a freaking dead mouse in my car...seems the smell went away though. On another possibly related note...after taking out my fuel injection my blower motor stopped working....I wonder if its because a mouse chewed through a wire.
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Old Aug 13, 2010 | 11:10 AM
  #12  
camaronewbie's Avatar
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 19
From: Cary, North Carolina
Car: 1992 RS
Engine: Carbed 350
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.42 posi
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

Just in case the little bugger is still roaming around in there, I'd get a mousetrap set up in the car with some peanut butter. If no mouse in a few days, then I'd assume it already left, and just get cleaned up as best as I could.

The blower wires run from the controls, through the dash to the firewall, and come out of the firewall just to the driver-side of the heater box close to the bottom of it.

Good Luck!
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Old Aug 13, 2010 | 10:23 PM
  #13  
Caden's Avatar
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 7
Likes: 1
Car: 1979 Trans Am/1967 Bonneville
Engine: 408 BBC/400 Poncho
Transmission: TH400/Powerglide
Axle/Gears: 3.23 Posi/???
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

We had a family in the 84 we have, and we used a trap w/ peanut butter to kill them. As for the smell... Febreeze is your friend.
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Old Aug 14, 2010 | 12:15 PM
  #14  
Big Cleatus's Avatar
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 96
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From: Wichita Kansas
Car: '84 Trans Am
Engine: 350 Carb
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Stock but subject to change.
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

Febreeze works for the smell, but something that works a little better IMO is Ozium. It's a glycolized air sanitizer. A lot of hospitals use it for air sanitization. You can get little spray cans of it at auto zone or advanced. But to catch mice, peanut butter. Mice LOVE peanut butter.
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Old Aug 14, 2010 | 12:43 PM
  #15  
Mudskunk's Avatar
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 135
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From: SE WI
Car: 1989 Formula 350 / 2001 TA WS6
Engine: 350 / LS1
Transmission: Auto / Auto
Re: horrible smell coming from somewhere underneith dash

keep searching till you find the nest. if there are enough droppins to make a smell as you describe then they are nesting in the car somewhere.
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