My TC is the almost Perfect Mouse Habitat

[desert_connect 11]

Ford engineered the almost perfect mouse habitat in my 2017 TC.

 

While camping last week two mice jumped up into the engine bay and pulled all the loose uncovered wheel well insulation apart and made a nest right in front of the heater fresh air intake in about a 36 hour time period. You guessed it, as soon as I started the engine the AC came on and the fresh air intake door opened up and most of that insulation got sucked right into the heater fan. I noticed right away the heater sounded rough on 1 low and made the dash rumble and shake on 2. I needed (wanted) AC when we dropped back down to the 110 temps so I tore half the dash apart and finally gave up on trying to get the fan motor out. I pulled the wipers off and the plastic tray/cover pieces off from underneath the windshield and removed the rest of the insulation. Then pulled the cabin filter and made tools from tree branches to reach up inside and painstakingly I picked, prodded and plucked the insulation out of the squirrel cage fan and used the fan to blow it out a little at a time.......took me about 4 hours and insulation all over inside on the pass side. Fortunately, the mice were not in there long enough to make a huge stinky mess, could have been much worse. The mice watched me working and I couldn't get rid of them. They finally left the scene a after I had finished and during or following the rain and hail storm that afternoon. I left the cowl tray, cover and wipers off until I was ready to leave so I could see them.

 

I plan to make a hardware screen cloth cover to put over the fresh air opening to prevent this from ever happening again.  

The picture is what came out when removing the filter and only represents a a very small amount of the insulation I removed.   

Edited August 5 by desert_connect

[Mike Chell 22]

Mice ... cute little buggers until they do something like this.  Then you truly start rooting for the snakes, owls and stray cats !!!

[G B L 145]

Well that is good to know .  Just another thing that I will have to worry about !

[Fifty150 123]

Is this one that we can blame on the PETA environmentalist?  

[Don Ridley 54]

That is a crazy story. Your resoulfuness is commendable.

 

I thought the fresh air is pulled through the  screened vents by each wiper? 

[BSUPC 30]

Wow. I would have never thought of that happening. Glad you were able to resolve the problem they created before leaving. 

[OLDSCHOOLFOOL 17]

Little bastards, not cute little buggers. They have gotten into several of my vehicles over the years and the damage they can cause can be enormous.

[windguy 79]

What a crazy story. Rat (mouse) bastards.

Glad you could remedy the situation with some resourceful ingenuity.

 

[desert_connect 11]

On 8/6/2018 at 5:03 PM, Don Ridley said:

 

I thought the fresh air is pulled through the  screened vents by each wiper? 

 

Yes, thats true. But there are also drain holes just outboard of the strut towers large enough for the mice to get inside.

Here are a couple of pics that show what it looks like with the cowl tray and cover off. One pic shows an arrow where the mice can get in and the other pic shows the fresh air door to the heater. 

[Fifty150 123]

I would go back out there, set up some glue traps, and get those little vandals.  

[desert_connect 11]

I cleaned the entire area with pine-sol and plugged the (mouse) access area using ss screen and used RTV to hold it onto the plastic/rubber. I may still make a screen for the fresh air door later on using 1/4" mesh screen.

Edited August 14 by desert_connect