Hi, I have a 1995 940 wagon and the *&^%% mice got into the ventilation system. Mice being mice pee and poop right where they live. The smell is really bad and the air is not safe to breathe with the fan going and the windows shut.

I need to take the ventilation system apart to clean it out. The Clymer manual that I have is useless. Can anyone out there give me instructions on how to disassemble the ventilation system so I can A) clean it out and B) put some sort of mesh barrier in it to prevent the mice from getting in?

Thanks.

Google Hantavirus.
Bob
66S

In all likelihood, they got in near the blower and were living in the air plenum between the blower and the evaporator. Check first by removing the blower and use a mirror to see inside the plenum. If you need to take it apart (and I don't think you will: you can clean it fairly well from the blower hole), see the FAQ section on "evaporator replacement":
http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/HeatingAirConditioning.htm#EvaporatorReplacementTips

If they got into the heater core area, your problem is larger:
http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/HeaterCoreReplacement.htm

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See the 700/900 "FAQ" at the menu bar top screen left side.

Steve,

I finally got a chance to work on the car today. One question: on the thread that tells how to remove the evaporator it said something about the loosening/removing fresh air intake. Where is the fresh air intake located? I have a feeling that is where the mouse nest is. I removed the blower and there is nothing in there. I reached in and went to the left and there seems to be an air filter there so I don't think the mice could get in there towards the heater core.

What do you think?

Thunder 69er

Dear Thunder 69er,

Hope you're well. The fresh air intake is just forward of the windshield, in the center. The fresh air intake is in the center of the cowl. The cowl is secured to the bodywork, by three fasteners, one that goes into each fender, and a center fastener, behind the harness, that runs along the top edge of the firewall, just below the hood's trailing edge.

The cowl has a grille. Beneath the grille, there should be a mesh screen. The mesh screen keeps leaves and similar debris out of the air intake. It is hard for me to imagine, that a mouse could get past the grille's bars. The space is less than half-an-inch.

To remove the cowl, see the FAQs. One has to be careful not to scratch the paint on the hood. Use some masking tape and thin cardboard, to protect parts of the hood, while you remove the cowl.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

Steve,

Thanks for getting back to me. I thought the cowl was where the air intake was but because of the screen in there that mice shouldn't be able to get through I thought there might be another area where they got in. I will carefully remove the cowl this weekend to see if they got in there. If they didn't get in there do you have any idea where else they could have gotten in? The smell is awful if the heater is on and I don't want my wife to be breathing in that stuff.

Thunder 69er

There are cowl drains up which a small mouse could crawl. If the leaf screen mesh under the vent is loose, they can easily get in there. And any loose rubber gaskets will give access.
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See the 700/900 "FAQ" at the menu bar top screen left side.

Steve,

Thanks for your help. I will work on it this weekend. I hope I don't have to take everything apart as it looks like a pain the _ _ _.

Thunder 69er