Thread: Stink in aircon

Good job! Looks like it's been there for a while... What else did you find?

Originally Posted by Disco 2 Driver

Good job! Looks like it's been there for a while... What else did you find?

I was hoping that the smell would just go away for a few months. Being the second disco it doesn't get driven that much these days. Found a next it was making in the aircon fan!

The biggest issue was an attempt to replace the foam gaskets that prevent the air from leaking around joints. Semi successful at that.

Originally Posted by Random88

Had to remove the dash on the 1994 300 after eyewatering stink that had to be dead mouse/rat. See pic. Seems to be an Antechinus. Caught in the flap to recirculate or refresh. Was a major effort but the vehicle was unusable. The coarse foam that filtered the air had long since gone to god and till now had not been a problem.

Dash removal is a serious thing for the amateur.


That's a pretty cool photo. Taxidermy LR style.

I had Antechinus trying to build a nest under my bonnet a while back. The little blighters had been snacking on some auxiliary wiring and one of the wiring looms that feeds the heated windscreen.

There's rat bait in that little nook now.

You mention 'serious things' for amateurs...I can vouch for that with my removal of intercooler, radiator, battery box and steering box today. "Sure I know how it all goes back together" I said to my wife when she gave me that look that suggests you should be a mechanic to have that many pieces intentionally missing from the engine bay.

Originally Posted by bell1975

That's a pretty cool photo. Taxidermy LR style.

I had Antechinus trying to build a nest under my bonnet a while back. The little blighters had been snacking on some auxiliary wiring and one of the wiring looms that feeds the heated windscreen.

There's rat bait in that little nook now.

You mention 'serious things' for amateurs...I can vouch for that with my removal of intercooler, radiator, battery box and steering box today. "Sure I know how it all goes back together" I said to my wife when she gave me that look that suggests you should be a mechanic to have that many pieces intentionally missing from the engine bay.

I had also 'that look' from my wife. After it was all back together and drivable she confessed that she believed it would never work again. Have to confess there were times when I thought the same thing.

BTW I am not convinced that Antichinus eat rat bait. I have had to trap them, they are carnivorous, worms beetles ect.

Originally Posted by Random88

I had also 'that look' from my wife. After it was all back together and drivable she confessed that she believed it would never work again. Have to confess there were times when I thought the same thing.

BTW I am not convinced that Antichinus eat rat bait. I have had to trap them, they are carnivorous, worms beetles ect.

Aaahhh, good point re their diet. Whatever it was trying to set up house under my bonnet it certainly chewed on the rat bait judging by the masses of teeth marks on them. Maybe it was just a bush/native rat? It was eating the grey foam on the firewall too.

I'm still at the point in my repairs where I look at the engine bay and the gaping hole forward of the engine and say to myself "I really hope it all goes back in more easily than it came out...."

At least I'll be able to fit that bastard bottom radiator hose onto its spigot before it goes back in. And there might be some economy gain given the inefficiencies that must've been present with the IC performing sub-par. And I'll finally know where my coolant was steadily going too also - minor leaks in the bottom passenger side of the radiator.

I think you will find the nibbler of plastics and foams and wiring will be none other than your common rat or mouse. Only they seem to have acquired a taste for man made items. Native species tend not to do that and do not take rat baits. Can you imagine the uproar if they did?
Cheers Scott

Yep probably a rat. An acquaintance had real trouble with a new toyota FJ wiring loom chewed to destruction. Tried baiting, trapping etc. Finally someone recommended WD-40. Covered the engine in it and have not seen so much as a turd anywhere near the engine bay. Must interfere with the fillings in their teeth! Give it a go, we have.

Originally Posted by Random88

Yep probably a rat. An acquaintance had real trouble with a new toyota FJ wiring loom chewed to destruction. Tried baiting, trapping etc. Finally someone recommended WD-40. Covered the engine in it and have not seen so much as a turd anywhere near the engine bay. Must interfere with the fillings in their teeth! Give it a go, we have.

Cheers for that suggestion, I'll give it a try. I wonder if Lanox will have the same rat-deterring properties? It's possibly a better corrosion prevention product but sand sticks to it more than WD40 I'm guessing. Diesel and kerosene mixed together maybe?